Kristen & Michael, a small, romantic wedding affair

Excelsior, Lancaster Pa, Jessie W. McBurney Photography, June 2018

Oh man! These two!! Talk about a beautiful love story, and WAYYY too many awesome photos to share! 🙂 I never met Kristen prior to their wedding day. All my communication with her was via email or over the phone, buttt I could tell THIS was a special couple and THIS was a special day!

Kristen and Michael chose Excelsior in downtown Lancaster as their perfect destination venue to play off the urban vibes of Excelsior’s coveted space. Their color palette was in blushes, navy and whites/creams. Their details included ballet slippers, flower girl crowns, and geometric shapes adding to the centerpiece designs.

Kristen envisioned lots of florals in feminine colors and textures. A bouquet that was perfectly portioned to her. Bridesmaid bouquets that looked similar (since their dresses were all mismatched!). And she wanted it all…BUT within her budget! So we talked economical ways to bring her vision to life!

Talk about these DRESSES!?! Oh my goodness. The perfect balance of mismatched yet coordinated. I’ve tried this before with my wedding, and it is HARD! But she totally nails it! And I LOVE the patterned dress to break up the solids. Genius!

So how do you get this look yet keep it economical?!? Bouquets can be pricy. And naturally the more friends you want in your party, the more expensive it can be. And then add YOUR bridal bouquet on top…it all adds up quickly.

So we suggested to keep the bridal bouquets “full” but <*here’s the secret*> use LESS EXPENSIVE FLORALS! Many lush garden roses, peonies, and speciality items (when not in season) can be expensive for US floral designers to purchase…and we usually have to pass that on to our customers to cover our costs.

So instead, we kept all the fun greens (a variety of eucalyptus), and skipped the lush roses (except on the bridal bouquet, OF COURSE!), and used feminine, airy elements such as peach stock, spray roses, mountain mint (which is a FAV for our summer weddings – it has an amazing aroma and a perfectly light pink tinge), and dotted a few ranunculus in there, and BAM! An awesome look for less!

We always get asked, “How large will my bridesmaid bouquets be in portion to mine?”. Such a fair and valid question! Because this is a visual industry, we refer to images. Like this one below. We usually create the bridesmaid bouquets to be half or about a third of the bride’s size. But the cool thing about designing CUSTOM BOUQUETS is that we can MAKE IT WHAT YOU WANT! 😉

To have ceremony flowers OR not?! (We get this one a lot too!) I always try to remind our couples to remember the natural setting or the backdrop for your altar space. And don’t forget the bridesmaid bouquets. They usually help to fill in with florals…if you are looking for an economical option!

The ballroom space was the perfect indoor location to eat and dance the night away! And that THEY DID!

Butted banquet tables held the bridal party and dates. We finished the look with a garland running the entire length of of the table with pops of same and similar florals to complete the design.

Round guest tables filled the room, adorned with a lush and low centerpiece using same and similar florals to give a cohesive feel to their reception space. Kristen provided geometric shapes to add to the final design. It played off perfectly with the space!