As the daughter of a landscaper who loves flowers, I knew from the start what I wanted for my vow renewal in the United States. For the wedding in Italy, the choices were out of my hands. We were on an island, and the florist was the groom's lifelong friend, so he chose everything and gave the flowers to us as a gift. But in the United States, when we had our vow renewal, all the choices were mine.
I wanted a florist who would make my wedding a priority, would pay attention to what I wanted, would be willing to let my father and I do some of the work, and was creative.
It was a tall order. But that's just what I found when Christina recommended Laurelwood. Run by Laurie, Laurelwood is a small floral operation that focuses only on weddings.
We hired Laurelwood to make the bouquets for the bridesmaids, my mom, grandmother, and me and all the cornucopia centerpieces. I told her that I wanted burgundy roses (we went with black magic) and white calla lilies for the bridal bouquet. For the bridesmaids wearing charcoal gray, I asked for burgundy calla lilies and white roses. I provided Laurelwood with tussie mussies, Victorian-style bouquet holders in a nickel finish. The younger girls, who wore white, had tiny tussie mussies with white calla lilies and red spray roses. And Laurelwood surprised me by sprinkling glitter over the bouquets. The sparkle was most noticeable on the bridal bouquet.
Even more stunning were the cornucopia centerpieces for the reception. They featured artichokes, apples, and pears. This worked perfectly because the theme of the vow renewal was Thanksgiving and the favors were crystal candle holders in the shape of pears and apples. Laurelwood also decked out the cake in fruit and flowers.
The flowers from Laurelwood cost about $3,000. We handled the church flowers, boutonnieres for the groomsmen, and the place card table. The flowers were among the most beautiful parts of my day. You can see the photos below:
Bridal Bouquet by Laurelwood - Photo by Bella Pictures
Bridesmaids and Bridal Bouquets by Laurelwood - Photo by Bella Pictures
Cornucopia centerpiece on the sweetheart table by Laurelwood - Photo by Bella Pictures
Cake and toss bouquet by Laurelwood - Photo by Bella Pictures
Di Meglio is the guide to Newlyweds for About.com, where you can find the right bed for you and your new husband and six ways to keep warm -- and have a hotter sex life.
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