Being a very agricultural state, farm and barn weddings are popular in our semi-rural area.  Lancaster Farming recently published an article titled Ceremony in a Field, Reception in a Barn, where they provide some tips for a farm wedding:

There are many considerations to think about when you consider having an on-farm wedding, and Good suggested a few, such as what are the fields going to look like in the background, will the pond get muddy if it rains and how will road traffic affect the wedding? “Even the animals,” said Good, are considerations, such as dogs barking or cats strolling across the tables?”

...

For couples considering a farm wedding, “every little detail that you do makes a difference,” advised Good. “You don’t have to go overboard — just urns with greenery in it or little touches — people notice that.”

One creative feature was the old chicken feeder that became a holder for guests’ table place cards. The feeder was filled with soil and grass, then held the “flowers” (made of a painted stick and with a paper daisy at the top) with the guests’ names and table numbers.

Lancaster is on the other side of the state from us, but here in western Pennsylvania there are a number of sites available for barn weddings.  Two close by are Betsy's Barn in Portersville, PA and Armstrong Farms Bed & Breakfast in Saxonburg, PA.  We've done a number of weddings at both, and the families at each farm are easy to work with and very accommodating, and the farms are beautiful.  Betsy's Barn was one of our featured locations last year--you can see their page at http://www.bloomeryweddings.com/blog/FeaturedLocationBetsysBarnPortersvillePA.aspx.

It's 2007, and by most accounts, a fairly modern time.  Women have achieved a greater deal of equality in American society than at any time before, running some of the largest corporations, and comprise a large percentage of the overall workforce.  Women are far more independent than previous generations and on average marry much later.  Many things have changed.  One tradition still lingering is whether or not a man should propose to his girlfriend without asking for her father's blessings first.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an article today about asking your girlfriend's father for her hand in marriage.  There seem to be two strong opinions about this--it's either a charming bit of etiquette, or it's insulting.

One wedding expert quoted in the article offered this assessment:

"I do not think asking permission is 'sweet.' I don't find it adorable," said Jaclyn Geller, author of "Here Comes the Bride: Women, Weddings, and the Marriage Mystique," a feminist critique of the institution of marriage and who views such practices as yet another celebration of patriarchy.

Another expert quoted in the article has this differing opinion:

"Asking the father first has changed its meaning," says Marilyn Olivera, senior editor, at TheWeddingChannel.com. "It's now a gesture of respect and good intentions, not about having to get permission."

The local families interviewed also differed on their feelings about being asked, with opinions ranging from joy to dissuading the prospective son-in-law from asking.  It's an interesting read, and probably one which will trigger some emotions one way or another.

This may be one of the most perfectly themed autumn bouquets we've ever made--perfect for an October or November wedding!  We've had an incredible autumn in our area, and the beautifully colored leaves were still on the trees on the day of this wedding.  Our bride's hand-tied bouquet featured mango mini-calla lilies, jade green roses, green celosia, green hypericum, orange spray roses, rust and bronze mums and seeded eucalyptis.  The stems were wrapped with chapmagne ivory satin ribbon, and finished with a classic "ballerina braid" overlay of mocha brown chiffon and faux pearls.  Approximate price $175-$190.

There are so many varieties of gerbera daisies, how do you know which ones you want?  With so many weddings being planned, at least in part, via e-mail, the old variety posters aren't very useful any more.  Two brokers which specialize in gerbera daisies have updated their websites with outstanding selection guides, featuring photos and the variety name.  One broker is Cedar Way Floral, the other is Rosa Flora Limited.  Rosa Flora's site also includes a number of other flowers, including mini calla-lilies and oriental lilies.  You can't order from these brokers directly, but most florists can order from these brokers, either directly or through a local wholesaler.  Keep note of the name of the variety name, and when you meet with your florist, let them know which ones you liked.

Remember that for a variety of reasons, the color of your flowers won't match what you see on the screen exactly.

One of our most loved accessories is the flower girl cone--a delicate satin cone, which the flower girls carry instead of the traditional basket.  We've also known brides to order several of these to use as pew decorations, and even for the bridesmaids to carry instead of bouquets.  Both alternatives are beautiful when filled with a small bouquet of flowers instead of petals!

The most common question we're asked is whether or not there is a seam on these cones.  There are actually two tiny seams on each side of the cone.  The seams are very finely stitched, so you have to look very carefully from more than a few feet away to see the seams, and they're virtually invisible in photos.

Each cone is decorated with bows, and can be individually monogrammed with a single letter.  For a larger view, click through the link below.

If you're interested in a flowegirl cone, you can order them from us online at http://www.bloomeryweddings.com/detail.asp?product_id=1750, or call us at 800-729-1711 (724-285-1711 if you're in the Butler/Pittsburg PA area).

The Wedding Fanatic recently posted 22 Questions You MUST Ask Your Florist, Musicians, and Transporation Company.  It's actually 22 questions in total, not 22 for each vendor.  We're happy to answer the florist questions below:

Can we please see your portfolio?

You're looking at part of it!  In addition to our online photo galleries of bridal bouquets, centerpieces, etc., at http://bloomeryweddings.com/wedding_flowers.asp, we feature a more in-depth look at the wedding work we do here on our blog.  The categories on the right include Featured Bouquets and Featured Locations, with many examples of our work.  In the photo galleries, if the item code starts with "BW", we made it.  We also have several photo albums of our work in the shop, and some additional ideas books you can browse.

When will the flowers for our event arrives?

We typically deliver your flowers to the church (or ceremonly location) two hours before your wedding, as allowed by the location.  Many locations have tight schedules, and we can only get in with 90 minutes to spare.  If we are setting up a reception location as well, we will coordinate with that location to work on their schedule, while ensuring your flowers are the freshest possible.  Different flowers in your centerpieces also determine when we can do the final setup.  Tulips, for instance, can't be delivered too far ahead, but roses are usually fine if we drop them off several hours before the reception.  If you need flowers to be delivered to your home or other location for photography, we can arrange that.

Is there a delivery fee?

Yes, and the fee depends on where we're going and what we need to do.  You'll know the exact charge when we send you your contract.  Depending on what you have ordered, pick-up is an option--many of our brides with small floral needs do this.

Do you distribute and pin on flowers?

If you need us there, let us know at your consultation.  There is a labor fee for this service, but many photographers recommend having us there, since it makes the process much easier.  We do label corsages and boutonnieres, and ask you provide us with the name of the person to receive it.  Otherwise, we just label them "organist" or "bride's grandfather".  Corsages and boutonnieres are packed separately for easy handling.

Will you be doing any other weddings that day?

Many times we do, it all depends on the size of the weddings and the order in which they are booked.  We only take as many weddings as we can handle, and we keep careful watch on sizes so we don't overextend ourselves.  We have done as few as one, and as many as six, in a single day.  We have four designers, some of whom may double as delivery/setup for your wedding.

Have you ever done an event at our venue?

Very probably.  We are one of the largest wedding florists in the Butler/Pittsburgh area.  If necessary, we will scope out the locations ahead of time, and take photographs of the areas you want to decorate.

 

We hope we've answered these questions to your satisfaction, but if you have any additional questions, please call us at 724-285-1711, or e-mail us at info@bloomery.com.

Apparently the Swedes have a much more relaxed attitude about opening times than here in the US, but that didn't stop a bride from picking up her bouquet!

Bride Camilla Holmström had ordered her bouquet from a florist based in a mall in Umeå and agreed to pick it up on the morning of her wedding. Staff at the florist's had promised to open at 10am, but when Holmström's friend arrived at 10:30am the shop was still closed. The bouquet was visible on a shelf inside, according to Västerbottens Kuriren newspaper.

By 10:45 there was still no sign of the florist. After trying to contact someone to open the shop, Holmström's friend told the bride what had happened. By now very stressed, Holmström went up and shook the grille over the florist's door, shouting: "Where are my flowers?".

At this point, the bride-to-be noticed that that there was a 15-20cm gap under the grille. She squeezed under and made it inside to grab the bouquet. She then crept out the same way.

Full story at http://www.thelocal.se/8736/