Renowned wedding photographer, Laura Billingham captured the essence of this pretty blue, lavender and gray wedding in the bride and groom’s details. Above, the bride’s bouquet of cream roses and pale blue delphinium, belladonna done by florist Jardiniere Fine Flowers of Far Hill, New Jersey. It’s important to go over all the details of your flowers before your big day, like how your bouquet will be tied and what type of ribbon will be used. This bride chose a very neat band of cream ribbon secured with pearl pins in lieu of a large cascading bow.
All the bridal party’s flowers stayed within this color palette as you can see from the maids’ bouquets to the flower girl rose ball.
The bride chose a little deeper blue for her bridesmaids and flower girl ribbons.
Centerpieces were in keeping with the bride’s bouquet, but added in depth with a bit of green. Classic white china, cloths and taper candles kept the palette clean and focused. Silver ballroom chairs complimented the gray accents that appeared in the couple’s printed materials.
Place settings brought in a cool lavender color with the ribbon and the monogrammed menu card. When going over all these details with your planner, florist and caterer- make sure everyone is clear on who actually will be doing what. In this case the florist, the caterer and the planner would have to work together since the caterer would supply the napkin rentals, the florist the greenery and (ususally) ribbon and the planner would have the menu cards. It all depends on your vendors what they will do. The most important part is to be very clear and communicate with all the vendors what they are responsible for and give them a detailed timeline. Maybe the florist needs the napkins the night before in order to be able to tie them all properly, or maybe they just need them a few hours before your reception when they also place the centerpieces, but communication is key in bringing all the pieces together. If your place setting doesn’t involve flowers then it’s possible your catering staff could set all the tables as long as they have an example to follow.
The cake was also adorned in the same flowers making this wedding very cohesive and thoughtful. Be mindful of the backdrop for your cake too. This cake is lovely against the neutral tan wall and framed by the substantial moldings of the reception room. For instance, you don’t want photos of your cake with the entrance to the kitchen in the background. If you are planning your own wedding, this is another instance that vendors will be working together… the florist and the cake baker will have to coordinate when they can work together to put the finishing touches on the cake or if the baker is just to be supplied the flowers to decorate the cake themselves. Either way a timeline of when and where vendors will be is so important along with every vendor’s contact person the day of the wedding and their cell phone numbers in case someone is running etc..
Don’t forget to discuss all the details with your photographer too and let them know what details you would like them to photograph. The better prepared they are, the better they can budget their time and capture everything you want to remember. Little details like boutonieres, ring pillows, entrance flowers- these are all things you might want to include in your album.
No bride wants to think about rain, but it’s always a good idea to have a back-up plan if it does. A stylish umbrella is always a good thing to keep on hand- just in case.
Location: Bernards Inn, Bernardsville, New Jersey. Portraits done at Cross Estate Gardens, a project of the New Jersey Historical Garden Foundation in cooperation with the National Park Service and part of the Morristown National Historic Park.
