In 1961, rose breeder David Austin released the fragrant Constance Spry to the horticultural world, re-igniting the love for colorful, fragrant English Roses.  Since then, David Austin has developed and released over 200 varieties of roses, beginning his eponymous company in 1969.  While prized by gardeners and horticulturalists alike for nearly 30 years, David Austin's beautiful roses were not widelay available as cut flowers for florists.  So, in 1992, the David Austin Company began developing varieties which could be used for the cut flower market.  In 2004, Emily (now known as Cymbeline) and Patience were the first two varieties released to the floral market.  There are now 5 varieties available to florists, and 2007 marks the first year the David Austin English Roses are widelay available in the US market.  Grown and distributed by Green Valley Floral in Salinas, CA, they require special cooler growing conditions for maximum beauty.

When fully open, English garden roses resemble a peony in appearance, with lush colorful blooms and a delightful fragrance.  Their large heads and thin stems mean it's still some time before garden roses are suitable for vased arrangements, but they are perfect for bridal bouquets and special event work, where appearance and fragrance are prized over vase life.  Two of their gorgeous roses are shown below.

"When fully open, the blooms reveal many neatly arranged petals nestling in folds within the heart of the bloom. The soft, peachy shades of Juliet combine well with other colors, creating a feeling of warmth and romance."

Green Valley also entered these roses in SAF's Outstanding Variety Competition, and we have some photos of their additional varieties below.

Miranda "Spectacular rose-pink blooms made up of many wavy petals, perfectly arranged to form beautiful, almost flat rosettes.  The outer petals have a lovely streaked green effect, which adds to the garden style."
Patience "When fully open, these roses portray a sense of grandeur from yesteryear."

You can see Green Valley Floral's selection of garden roses at http://www.greenvalleyfloral.com/gardenroses.htm.  While we do not normally stock these flowers in our shop, they are easily available for your wedding or special event work.  If you want garden roses as part of your wedding, contact us for a consultation--we'll be happy to create all of your wedding floral needs (remember, we're in the Butler/Pittsburgh PA area, so if you're not around Pittsburgh, check with your local florists instead).

For a history of David Austin Roses, check out http://www.davidaustinroses.com/american/Advanced.asp?PageId=1906.

Did you miss the Days Inn 2007 Fall Bridal Show?  If so, this is one of the bouquets we made for the event.  This gorgeous hand-tied bouquet featured antique green hydrangea, dusty miller, lavender mini calla lilies and vendella roses.  Approximate price $350-$400.

Instead of trashing your dress in a grungy urban setting, how about splashing your dress at a beautiful beach?  Local photogs Paul and Cyndy Meyer at White Ribbon Design have been having Splash the Dress photo sessions, and have posted some of the results on their blog.  If you're looking for an alternative to the alternative of what to do with your dress, think about a kinder gentler photo shoot.

Splash the Dress - August 14th session

Splash the Dress - August 25th session

Could this photo be any more beautiful?  If this is your type of thing, you need to call Paul and Cyndy.

<update 2007-10-27>

We saw Cyndy and Paul a couple of weeks ago, and she let us in on a little secret--many of the photos you see were taken in the same dress!  They have a loaner dress you can use for you phot session so you don't ruin yours.  In between sessions, they have it cleaned, and it's nearly good as new each time.  Since most of it is under water in their shots, no one will know!

Create your free wedding countdown clock, which you can embed in e-mail, use in your forum signature, or add to your wedding webiste.  Choose from a number of different designs, completely free from When Is My Wedding.  A sample countdown is below.

For a different style of countdowns, have a look at Daisy Path's free wedding announcements.  Instead of a countdown, these are more of a timeline to your wedding day.  You choose from several different timeline styles (such as the sunflower below), one of three markers (such as the doves below), then add some text and even a small image of your own.  These also can be used in e-mail, or forum sigs, etc.

Did we miss any?  Please let us know in the comments!

These days, many brides are doing much or all of their table settings themselves.  If you're decorating your own tables, one simple way to spice up your place settings is with folded napkins. Here's a website which shows you how to easily create any of 27 napkin folds.  Happy decorating!

Napkin Folding Instructions: 27 Photographed Napkin Folds

(hat tip: Lifehacker)

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Imagine a long tree-lined drive winding up a hill to a stately mansion hidden at the top.

A circular drive takes you right to the front doors, and encircles a small seating garden.

You enter through large wooden doors, into an oval foyer.  The floor is black and white marble, and your wedding cake greets you and your visitors, lit by a crystal chandelier from above.

Passing through the foyer and out the doors, you enter into one of several outdoor gardens, perfect for appetizers, cocktails or the ceremony itself.  Imagine the colors in the fall from the wooded grounds surrounding the manor house.

Steps lead down to a small sculpture garden, perfect for mingling and unique photographs of your bridal party.

Above the main entrance is a spiral staircase.  The bridal party's dressing room is on the second floor, and you'll begin your walk down the aisle by descending this staircase.  It's also a perfect setting for more photographs.  Our bride said she wanted to be on our website, so here she is, with her bridesmaids, and a little flower girl trying to peek over the railing.

From the entry foyer, hallways lead you and your guests to dining rooms at either end of the house.  At one end are a trio of smaller dining and serving areas, with one of the bars.

At the other end if a large banquet riim, lit with crystal chandeliers and paneled with antique wood.  The woodwork accents in this room are the kind they just don't make anymore.  The patio bar is behind the majestic fireplace, and doors lead out to another small patio.

The formal dining room also leads you to one more dining room, similar to the ones at the other end of the house.  Two smaller libraries, also paneled in dark wood, are used for mingling and serving cookies and beverages.

Our bride today chose a hand tied bouquet of two dozen Sweet Unique pink roses, finished with braided ribbon and pearl accents (approx. price, $110-$125).  Her bridesmaids carried hand tied bouquets of white and blue hydrangea, pale pink roses, pink spray roses, lavendar stock, pale blue delphinium and greenery, wrapped with periwinkle ribbon to match their dresses (approx. price $80-$95).

Our bride's cake was a beautiful multi-tier cake with tiny rosettes and draped fondant ribbons, accented with the same flowers used in the bridesmaids' bouquets.  The cake was made by Autumn Bupp, from Autumn's Cakes.  For her centerpieces, our bride rented our metal wire stands, and we created arrangements with the same flowers we used for the bridesmaid bouquets--white and blue hydrangea, pale pink roses, pink spray roses, lavendar stock and pale blue delphinium (approx. price $115-$130).

If this sounds like your idea of a dream location for your wedding, then you can make it a reality at The Mansion.  We've done a number of weddings at The Mansion, and it's simply one of the most beautiful wedding settings in the north Pittsburgh area.  The Mansion is located a few miles south of Butler, PA, approx. 20 min north of the Butler Valley Interchange on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  Earlier this year, The Mansion was for sale, and it looked like 2007 might be their last year.  The sale was not completed, and they are happily booking weddings and other events for 2008 and beyond.

To contact The Mansion:

Donna Mullan, Manager
The Mansion
141 Mansion Lane
Butler, PA 16002
724-586-6171 (leave message if no one answers)

One of the biggest trends in wedding flowers is unique corsage and boutonniere designs.  We've done some really cool designs, and have some great idea books in the shop, so if you're interested in trendy corsages and boutonnieres, ask us when you come in.

One of our recent designs is a twist on the traditional boutonniere.  Instead of flowers pinned to the lapel, a pocket square boutonniere features several small flowers and is worn in the pocket of the jacket, much like a pocket square handkerchief.  The pocket squares are made on a card, which is easily slipped into the breast pocket of the suit or tuxedo.  In some cases, the pocket will still be sewn shut.  The pocket can be opened by carefully using a pen knife, or you can ask the tux shop to make sure the pockets are cut open.

 

(note: we do not sell these in our shop, but they are available from the seller on eBay at http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZsomeweddingstuff).

This has to be one of the funniest cake toppers ever:

The bride holds the fan jersey (made of real cloth) under her arm while she drags him away from his game, his ticket still in his hand.  This topper is unique and has the logo of the team, water cooler, football, helmet, cloth jersey and shoes.

NFL Steelers Wedding Cake Topper!

(hat tip: The Burgh Blog)