According to the Conde Nast Bridal Group, December is the most popular time for marriage proposals (and, we're guessing, acceptances).

Our latest featured bouquet is perfect for the Christmas season!  This hand-tied bouquet featured twenty deep red and bicolor (Latin Lady) roses, seven white mini calla-lilies, red spray roses, red hypericum berries and cedar and salal greenery.  The stems were wrapped with white satin ribbon, and finished with a row of pearls.  Approximate price $200-$225.

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).