Romantic, Sculptural Wedding Florals at Garfield Park Conservatory
Last summer, we had the pleasure of working with Gina and Alex to bring their dream wedding flowers to life. They chose one of our favorite Chicago venues that’s full of plants, trees, and greenery: Garfield Park Conservatory.
Garfield Park Conservatory is a verdant oasis located about 6 miles west of the Chicago loop. With its expansive glass walls and soaring ceilings, this botanical haven is a paradise for plant lovers and architecture nerds alike. Its diverse collection of over 2,000 plant species, including vibrant tropical flora and serene desert succulents, creates a captivating tapestry of colors and textures that will make you forget that you’re in the bustling city of Chicago.
Special shout outs to their wedding planner - Sonja at LOLA Event Productions - and to their photographer, Clary Pfeiffer. Take a look at their wedding photos, and read more about their decor below!
When we were planning their wedding florals, the overall look they were aiming for was “romantic, sculptural, elegant (but fun!), textured and unexpected”. Their wedding colors were blush, tan, light yellow, green, white, gold and navy accents. Gina’s bridal bouquet was asymmetrical with cascading orchids, and also included quicksand roses, brownie tulips, ranunculus, sweet pea, moonlight caladium plant, and anthurium.
Gina’s hair flowers were so fun to make. We created a wearable hair piece that was asymmetrical and cascading down the left side of her face.
The bridesmaids wore different styles of blush, peach, and tan floor-length dresses. We also created smaller floral bouquets for them to hold. Don’t they all look amazing?!
Alex and his groomsmen wore navy, with Alex standing out in an ivory suit jacket . We loved the added touch of Alex’s dapper bowtie. We completed the guys’ looks with boutonnieres made of white dendrobium orchids with a touch of greenery.
Gina and Alex’s wedding ceremony was held in the Conservatory’s Show Room. For ceremony decor, we created a unique half moon shape on the ground that framed the bride, groom, and officiant. The ferns, delphinium, roses, and tropical foliage grew up from the ground, creating a romantic ceremony backdrop. We later repurposed these flowers to decorate the sweetheart table at the reception.
Talk about dreamy lighting for the wedding ceremony!
The reception decor was full of so many lovable details. We created a sculptural floral arrangement in an oblong white ceramic vase for the escort card table. The escort cards themselves were light pink pieces of paper with a white wax seal, with names written on them with white calligraphy.
As for dinner table decor, we created sculptural floral centerpieces that also emulated the bride’s bouquet. We also included small clear votives and white taper candle holders. The added details of gold and gray flatware, crystal coups, and the personalized table “numbers” (their favorite places in Chicago) completed the dinner table look.
The sweetheart table was placed right in front of the Conservatory’s iconic, ornamentally tiled fountain. We repurposed the ceremony flowers to surround it. To complete the sweetheart table look, we set the bridal bouquet on top of the table in addition to clear votives and tall tapered candles.
We had a blast creating Gina and Alex’s unique, structural and artistic wedding flowers at Garfield Park Conservatory last year. It’s always such a fun challenge when brides and grooms have a specific vision for their wedding decor, and we love bringing it to life. If your wedding is coming up, and you’re looking for a florist to help you bring your wedding flower dreams to life, contact us. We’d love to help!
Wedding Vendor Team:
Venue: Garfield Park Conservatory
Photographer: Clary Pfeiffer Photography
Florals: Romee Willow Florals
Planner: LOLA Event Productions
Catering: Food For Thought
Bakery: ECGB Studio
Music: DJ Duerell Jones (Spark Entertainment Group)
Makeup: Siobhan Wright Beauty
Hair: Dionna Nicole