Technically, this is probably a groom/groomsman trend, but we're filing it under Bridal Trends all the same.

Bling for the groom or groomsman!  One of the latest trends for boutonnieres is the Flower Filigreee cone, an ornate holder which can hold a single rose head or small boutonniere.  Rather than needing a pin, a very strong pair of magnets easily attaches the boutonniere to the lapel, and holds them secure.  Right now, there are two styles (shown below).  This is a great detail to add to an elegant wedding, or one where you want the groom's flowers to stand out a little more.

Word of caution--very strong magnets are involved.  Don't put these on someone with a pacemaker or similar medical device.

<update 2007-07-30>

We don't have these online yet because we usually sell them as part of the flower package.  If you'd like to order these, please call us at 800-729-1711.  Thanks!

We've shown you some work with the black Schwarzwalder mini calla lily at http://www.bloomeryweddings.com/blog/BlackSchwarzwalderMiniCallaLillyBouquet.aspx.  On our regular florist blog, we've highlighted some additional varieties of black mini calla lilies.  There are no true black mini calla lilies; the three varieties we're displaying are actually a dark purple (Schwarzwalder), dark burgundy (Blackstar) and deep brown (Hot Chocolate).  Check them out at http://floristblogs.com/blogs/bloomery/archive/2006/09/28/Black-Mini-Calla-Lilies.aspx.

The bride's bouquet was made of gerbera daisies.  The bridesmaids bouquets were made from gerbera daisies.  The cake was decorated with gerbera daisies.  The centerpieces were made from gerbera daisies.  So, it was a natural that the seating chart would be made to resemble gerbera daisies.  We seee a lot of creative touches in the weddings we do, and this is one of the most creative and thematic seating charts we've seen.  Each table was numbered, and the table was the center of the "flower".  Each seat at the table was represented by an oval "petal" with the guest's name.  The chart was made on a large piece of poster board, and was mounted on an antique wood easel near the doors.  Very unique and quite distinctive!  This wedding was held at Springwood Conference Center.

(click for larger image)

Tabblo is a new service where you can upload photos and arrange them on a canvas called a “tabblo”.  You can either share your tabblos to the world, or order posters, cards and books of your tabblo.  The account to create and share tabblos is free, the only cost is for the posters or whatever you order (if you do).

We’ve seen at a lot of weddings (ours included) posters of the bride and groom made by the parents or friends.  These are usually assembled with good old cut and paste methods.  This is a very slick way to make a nice looking poster.  Photos can be imported from Flickr, iPhoto and Picasa.  Even if not all your photos are digital, a low end scanner will overcome that with professional results.

The tabblo interface takes only a couple of minutes to figure out, and there are some basic photo editing operations (such as crop and resize) available after you upload your photos.  You can also add text to your tabblo to help tell your story.  You can find some additional review of Tabblo at TechCrunch.

Here's a recent cookie table we made for a wedding at the Butler Country Club.  The cookie table was placed right in the middle of the room, so it's the first thing guests saw as they entered the room.  There were vases of monte casino lilies, calla lilies, orchids, snapdragons, and mixed arrangements of hydrangea, peach roses and white orchids to match the centerpieces.  Smaller carnation balls and vases of flowers were mingled in between the cookies and large vases.  The piece in the very middle is actually sitting on top of a very large vase, which contained calla lilies and clear glass beads.  It was breathtaking, and the cookies were good, too (we were also invited guests).  There is too much on the table to capture with a photo, but we tried.

(click on the image for a larger view)

We’ve been informed that the Days Inn Bridal Extravaganza scheduled for October 1 has been cancelled.  That’s also a Steelers bye week, so we’re not sure what to do to fill our weekend.

Yes.  White and blue hyrangea are available pretty much throughout the year.  Other varieties, such as the pinks and green hydrangea, may have seasonal availability.  Not all florists participate in the global flower market and may not be aware of the availability, so if you’re interested in such a bouquet, it’s best to ask as part of the interview process.

One of the more popular favors we've seen this year is small bottles of wine, most of them with a custom printed label.  If you're in Pennsylvania, and you've wondered where to find the labels (not to mention all those little bottles of wine), you may be surprised.  The PA LCB has a custom order form where you can choose any of a number of labels, as well as any of a number of varieties of wines.  You'll find their page and form at http://www.lcb.state.pa.us/plcb/cwp/view.asp?a=1328&Q=557357.  The selection of labels is not limited to weddings--there are also labels for holiday parties, anniversaties and birthdays.

One of today's weddings took us back to Heinz Chapel, and then our first trip of this year to LeMont Pittsburgh. LeMont Pittsburgh is a AAA Four Diamond restaurant, and if the outstanding food and service aren't enough, there's always "the view".  Perched atop Mt. Washington on Grandview's restaurant row, LeMont Pittsburgh offers one of the most picturesque views of any city anywhere.  At right is a view of downtown Pittsburgh taken from LeMont's lower dining room, where our wedding reception was being held.  LeMont's home page has an almost identical view taken at night.
The wedding cake was white fondant with chocolate fondant bands, and did it smell good!  We added the circus roses and petals.
Centerpieces were made from white hydrangea, circus roses, hypericum and eucalyptis in a cube vase.  How about an elegant place setting overlooking downtown Pittsburgh?
If the Steelers are more your style, simply turn your head the other way, and your wedding guests overlook the Ohio River and Heinz Field.  Bottles of wine with personalized labels were favors for adults.  The children received small boxes of chocolates.

Note: Click the thumbnails for a larger view.  The top photo is taken looking north-ish.  The Monongehela is the river toward the bottom of the photo, the Allegheny is coming from the north.    The Ohio River starts right at the fountain, and the star shaped thing slightly to the right of the fountain is historical Ft. Pitt.  The bridge in the foreground is the Ft. Pitt Bridge.