Hispanic Society Gala 2012
The annual Hispanic Society Gala was held at a the beautiful and historic Metropolitan Club. The event honoring Laura Diez Barroso de Laviada & Leopoldo Rodes had a rich color palette of blue and warm burgundy.
The bar arrangements had a gorgeous mix of antiqued hydrangeas, deep red roses, red cymbidium orchids along with touches of magnolia branches. The shock of the red paired with the subdued hydrangeas created a beautiful balance as pictured below.
The reception florals were a continuation of the color palette, maintaining the warmth and elegance of the space. A low arrangement of antique hydrangeas, red roses and burgundy dahlias were mixed with touches of magnolia and bush ivy, keeping the arrangement seasonal and organic.
A big thanks to Julie Skarratt for these beautiful photos. You can see more of her work at http://julieskarrattphotography.blogspot.com. Enjoy!
Hispanic Society of America
The Hispanic Society of America, located on Audubon Terrace, has served as a cultural center for great works of art and a reference library for works of art from Spain, Portugal and Latin America. This past month they celebrated the release of a book featuring works of art, cultural topics and other texts complied into one unique book. A beautiful way to capture the rich heritage of the past and an inspiration for future artists. We were lucky enough to be asked by the Hispanic Society of America to help with the decor for the event and to highlight some of the amazing works of art they have on display. The intricate wrought iron gates that mark the entrance were a great place to start. We softened the entrance with clean and compact juniper topiaries planted in black wrought iron urns.
We continued the look through the courtyard creating an aisle of beautiful trees and lit the way with pillar candles housed in clear glass cylinders. As the guests made their way up the stairs to main entrance candles brightened the way and a patio of tall ficus trees enclosed the space. We wanted to fill the space without making it seem cluttered, so we chose to use several statement trees/topiaries to set the mood. The candle light kept the feeling warm and intimate and was continued inside.
In the foyer we created a tree of magnolia branches and an assortment of blooms. We kept the shape organic and flowing with the staircase. Using a large black urn kept with the look of the topiaries and provided balance to the look.
The cocktail tables were set with petite arrangements of peonies and roses accented with bush ivy in sterling silver julep cups. We also accented the room with bright fuchsia peonies and bush ivy. The bar decor consisted of two large arrangements perched on sterling silver vases. They were constructed on a dish and set on top of the vases and consisted of white roses, peonies, hydrangea and magnolia branches.
We were so happy with how beautiful everything turned out and enjoyed working with the Hispanic Society of America on another event.
Alexis and Richard’s Wedding, September 10, 2011
A fall wedding this pass September offered a great venue and a wonderful couple to work with. We were so excited to work with Alexis and Richard on their wedding at the Bowery Hotel. The Bowery Hotel is a beautiful venue that lends itself nicely from rustic to contemporary flowers and decor. Our happy couple wanted a romantic and beautiful look for their special day and together we created a unique look just for them.
The bride wore an ivory lace dress and carried a hand tied bouquet of purple hydrangeas, purple and white lisianthus and white roses. We also added a touch of lavender to blend the colors and add a soft scent to the bouquet. The lisianthus lent themselves to a more organic and wild shape giving the bouquet a romantic garden look.
The escort table at the venue was gorgeous and we only wanted to enhance the look of it. We used a vintage looking urn and filled it with white garden roses and hydrangea to create a simple but impactful look.
The happy couple were married under a birch chuppah that was accented with touches of flowers. We used white and green hydrangea, white dalhias, white lisianthus and white roses to soften the birch.
After the ceremony the guests enjoyed a relaxing reception with access to the beautiful garden patio. The tables were set in mercury glass compotes and filled with white and green hydrangea, white dahlias, lavender lisianthus and roses. Since they used long family style tables we mixed in petite arrangements in hobnail mercury glass vases full of lisianthus and fresh lavender. To set the mood we placed white taper candles in crystal candle sticks down the length of the table.
A beautiful wedding that we enjoyed working on and hope you enjoy the pictures!
Dia Art Foundation Fall Gala 2011
This autumn has been a busy season for us at In Bloom and we are excited to share some photos from another beautiful event earlier this month. The Dia Art Foundation held their fall gala hosted my Giorgio Armani at a fantastic venue, Tribeca 360. Dia is currently launching a new space to showcase exhibitions and feature readings by world-renowned poets. They came to us to with a very Armani look and asked us to help pull the space together. The space itself features windows that wrap around the entire room to showoff the incredible views. The tables consisted of two white cubes topped with plexiglass; clean, simple and modern. Everything in the space had a very specific look, from the square plates to the podium that was actually clear lucite to the flowers arranged in long rectangular vases. The look was modern and very well put together. The simplicity of it all allowed the eyes to catch the skyline peering from the windows and beautiful views of the Hudson.
We kept the centerpieces simple with just two long arrangements featuring steel grass and a single phalaenopsis orchid stem. The steel grass provided support and a contrasting color to show off the beautiful orchid and allowed for a simple and clean look. We also placed square votives on the table in keeping with the square/rectangular look of the event.
To dress the bars we created arrangements that tied in with the centerpieces featuring extra long stems of orchids, steel grass and different types of greenery. The tall vases bring the eyes up and allows the orchids to naturally hang.
There was also several 'pop-up' ponds around the room which we floated monstera leaves and anthurium in. Water is a great and unexpected element to bring into a space and ties in nicely with the grand views of the Hudson just outside the windows.
The deep set windows allowed a great place to bring in some warm lighting with floating candles and attract the guests to the windows to enjoy the views.
As the sun set the room was coming together and look was almost complete. The warm rays of sun set the mood for some great snapshots of the almost finished product. The flowers were soaking up the beautiful sunlight and the floating candles were glowing before we even had a chance to light them.
The simplicity of this space spoke volumes and everything came together perfectly with all the last minute details. Such a great organization doing so much for the community and bringing attention to some fantastic artist, glad we could be part of it.
Glamorous Glamelias!
We are always up to a challenge here at In Bloom so when a recent bride asked us to make her a gorgeous glamelia as her bridal bouquet we were happy to channel the classic, throw back look. Glamelias were highly popular in the 1940's and 1950's and in the last few years have started to come back into fashion for brides seeking a simple, classic and unique look. These composite bouquets are made by gluing, sewing or wiring each individual petal onto the base of a rose to create one large bloom that makes a statement and is still delicate enough for a bride to carry. Our lovely bride wanted a simple and classic look to compliment her beautiful day which I believe we achieved with this simple bouquet.
We used two different types of freeze dried roses when making this glamelia to make sure it would last beyond the wedding day for our bride and still retain the texture of a fresh cut rose. Back in 2008 Katherine Heigl carried a beautiful glamelia made of a composite of white roses, a very elegant look.
Glamelias, while often time consuming to make, can be a great DYI for a bride or her bridal party to set out and do themselves for that personal touch. For those brides embracing a vintage style wedding this is a great way to pull the best out the 40's and 50's and will bring a certain nostalgia to your wedding.
So, if your hearts desire is for a delicate and beautiful single flower for a bouquet, consider a glamelia and all the tradition they hold.
Enjoy!
The Hispanic Society of America Fall Gala 2011
The Hispanic Society of America held their fall Gala this October at the beautiful 583 Park Avenue venue. What a great space to host a beautiful event and beautiful people, like honoree Liliana Godia. All the guests arrived in spicy, colorful attire and the vibrant fall tones of the flowers set the mood for an evening full of dancing and celebration. These cocktail arrangements featuring orange circus roses with a touch of bush ivy are a fun contrast against the classic, metallic hobnail vases.
After the cocktail hour the guests arrived in the main ballroom which features a gorgeous crystal chandelier framed by the high, dramatic ceiling.
The tables featured two different style of arrangements, one which was a silver candelabra accented with circus roses, bright fuchsia dahlias, orange and red dahlias, mango calla lilies, green coxcomb, rust colored cymbidium orchids and a touch of rose-hips. The base of the candelabras were illuminated by over-sized votives in amber glass holders.
The other tables are set with three different arrangements each in a mercury glass compote. The largest of the three arrangements played off of the flowers used in the candelabras; dahlias, circus roses, bush ivy, rose-hips, cymbidium orchids, mango calla lilies and coxcomb. In another mercury glass dish, a cluster of orange and red seasonal dahlias popped against the vibrant table linens. The third arrangement was a beautiful mound of rust and brown cymbidium blooms delicately placed in a simple compote. Accenting these clusters of arrangements were amber votives and crystal candlesticks which made everything sparkle.
The night seemed to go off without a hitch and the guests truly enjoyed themselves. What a great way to recognize members in the community and bring us all together through the history and art that make up a beautiful group of people!
A Garden Wedding for a City Bride
One of our favorite sorts of bride is the kind that not only feels open to an interesting design proposal but one that comes to us with a specific concept around which we can design her wedding. That’s why when Lauren came to us with 60 vintage & unique teacups she had been collecting for the year prior to her special day, we wanted to offer a dream design unlike any other in In Bloom history.
Preferring a garden ceremony and reception in a colonial mansion to a city wedding, the bride & groom chose to marry just North of Manhattan at the Round Hill House in Washingtonville, New York.
Given her taste for a romantic & old world wedding, Lauren asked for a primarily white bridal bouquet with pops of green and hints of the most subtle pink out there. We came up with a mix of white freesia, white garden roses, blush ranunculus, and white sweet peas – keeping the stems naturally long.
For the bridesmaid’s bouquets, we simply paired white garden roses and white hydrangeas. For the groom’s boutonniere, we coupled a white ranunculus with sprigs of rosemary. This became the first introduction of herbs later to be seen in the reception table designs.
Pillar candles of varying heights with small groupings of white rose petals marked the aisle for the youngest participant to walk down to the altar.
We decorated the cornice of the birch altar provided by the venue with trailing Spanish moss, spraying dendrobium orchids, light pink & white peonies, and open garden roses.
Pale pink ostrich feathers at each place setting added an interesting element to the two table designs centering around Lauren’s collection of vintage tea cups.
The first design included an antiqued white candelabra with five unique teacups and saucers. Each cup contained a single type of either blush or white peonies, blush or white ranunculus, or white garden roses to keep the design pure.
The fruit bowl table design incorporated green grapes, green apples, brown sugar pears, and touches of white spray roses as well as fresh spearmint in a brushed gold pedestal bowl. Three teacups turned into appropriate candle holders for white tealights.
What a memorable trip outside the city to filfill a dream wedding for Lauren and Jarrod. Congratulations again to you both!
Photo Credits: Growing Tree Photography
-Parker Voss
The Flower of My Affection
It happens around this time every year that I fall in love, and it's always with the same flower. I’ll tell you that normally the dahlia wins me over in Fall; the ranunculus is the star of my winter; but the peony reigns as the bloom of my affection for spring/summer.
Heralded as the Queen of Flowers for over a millennium, the peony perfectly combines delicacy with a hearty heft. Such a magnificent flower measuring up to six inches in diameter with feathery anthers and subtle gradations of color could only be crafted by the most genius artist, Mother Nature herself. So, how could we not find it the best choice to use in centerpieces for a recent private dinner at Sotheby’s New York?
Apart from working wonders in pure arrangements, peonies happen to act extremely agreeable with most shapes, sizes, textures of flowers. See how stunning raspberry peonies look en masse, along with how well they combine with white lisianthus and sweet peas.
While my love for peonies knows no bounds, the cabbage rose and the ranunculus are close cousins worth noting since peonies are not available year round (usually in season domestically from May through July). Thankfully, my heart finds content with other elegant and enduring blooms during the off-season...
...I just never can seem to wait until Spring to fall in love again!
-Parker Voss
American Friends of the Louvre Party at the French Ambassador’s Residence
Few things could make the day more picturesque on Thursday than a special party hosted by the American Friend's of the Louvre. The AFL, an organization that promotes and strengthens ties between the Louvre and the American public, kindly asked us to provide the flowers for their event at the French Ambassador to the United States' residence.
Our floral design for the evening (literally) reflected the living room's gold and red fabric tones, white walls and dark wood accents. Working with the interior's own color scheme, we filled a mirrored container that echoed the mirrored fireplace with yellow cymbidium orchids, two types of red roses (Freedoms and Black Magics), black callas and of course, local white peonies that are so beautiful at this time of year. 
Apart from complimenting the space, the arrangements integrated seamlessly into the home's extensive French art collection. As with all of our special projects, we enjoy the work that goes into the final result - especially when art is involved. Afterall, how could an Art History major like myself resist the chance to combine art and flowers?
-Parker Voss
Photo Update!
New photos of our design for the Campari & Skyy Spirits event at the Empire Hotel Rooftop are in! Please check out our previous post to find out more...
