Real Weddings; Allison & Rob

One of the many things that makes The Center so special is we are able to be the venue for both the ceremony and the reception, meaning, we get to take part in the entire day! We love following the bride as she gets ready to walk down the aisle to when she departs with her new husband at the end of the night. By being there each step of the way, we feel as if we share a certain bond with the couple as we celebrate with them for the whole day.

Allison and Robert were one of these couples. We rejoiced as they exchanged rings and danced (behind the scenes, of course) as DJ Toad started the party. Their wedding was filled with gorgeous flowers and white draping that would make any guest stare in awe. Take a look at how they were able to turn The Center's blank canvas into their very own work of art.

Click Here to Watch Allison & Robert's Wedding Highlight Video

Vendors:
John Hinger, Quince & Quinn
Goodwin Lighting
DJ Toad
Cake Rack Bakery
Eat Well Celebrations and Feasts
Fyrefly Photography
True Artists Studios

Friday Find: Olivia Palermo's Wedding

It's official! Olivia Palermo and German model, Johannes Huebl finally tied the knot after over 6 years of dating! As expected, this couple put a unique twist on their nuptials...

Notice something a little different? Palermo ditched the traditional wedding dress in favor of three Carolina Herrera separates: a cream cashmere sweater, white shorts, and a sheer satin and silk tulle skirt. Wondering about her something blue? Don't worry! She was sure to tie in the same Manolo Blahnik pumps that Carrie Bradshaw married in at her civil ceremony for the Sex and the City movie, providing the necessary "something blue" for her big day.

Only a handful of family members and a couple friends attended the quiet ceremony in a Bedford, New York park. Later, they met in New York City for a party to celebrate becoming husband and wife. Of course, this was only "part one" of the Palermo/Huebl wedding. Rumor has it the couple is planning a second celebration later this year in St. Bart's, where Johannes proposed.

Blossoms & Blooms; Flowers for the Wedding

Oh no! Your bridesmaids are carrying the flower that represents jealousy, the corsage on your mom's wrist gives off the connotation of danger and your future hubby is wearing a flower that means grief?! Stop right there! With a little help from Kaitlyn Farmer of Oberer's Flowers, we are about to provide some blooming advice on the haves and have nots of wedding flowers.

First, a little bit about the business that helped make this post possible. As Oberer's Flowers continues to grow, after 92 years in the biz, this company has a lot of flower power to share. Not only do they know what the flower trends are in Cincinnati, but they also have shops in 5 other locations, including Columbus, Louisville, and Carmel, Indiana. Whether you're the bride looking to create your own DIY pieces, or you need more of a helping hand, Oberer's is there every step of the way to make sure your blooms are rocking at the reception!

And this season, according to Kaitlyn, the rocking trends include the colors choices of blush, peach, mint green, or Tiffany blue. We have already seen so many of these colors in The Center. From Allison & Robert's (spoiler alert: you will get to see more pictures from this gorgeous wedding in an upcoming Real Weddings post! Make sure to keep an eye out for it!) to Emily and Chris's, we definitely know why these colors are trending. They make The Center look awesome!

Photograph by Amanda Donaho Photography. 

While these colors may be in full bloom, the types of flowers used in the ceremony and reception also make a statement. According to The Knot 's Complete Guide to Weddings; different flowers have different meanings. For example, Baby's Breath means "innocence," Anemone means "expectation" and Calla Lily means "magnificent beauty." Take a look of some other meanings behind flowers that are in season right as we speak!

• Carnation -- pink means "boldness," red means "love" and white means "talent"
• Chrysanthemum -- "wealth," "abundance" and "truth"
• Lily of the valley -- "happiness"
• Orchid -- "love" and "beauty"
• Rose -- red means "I love you", white means "I am worthy of you"

If meanings behind flowers are important to you, then be sure to stay away from these Negative Nancy's:

•  Lavender -- "distrust"
• Yellow Rose -- "jealousy"
• Marigold -- "grief"
• Raspberry -- "remorse" 
• Striped Carnation -- "refusal"

Although flowers each mean something different, don't let that sway your judgment. If yellow roses are your favorite flowers just because they're pretty, then by all means who cares what the meaning is and go for the rose! In Kaitlyn's words, "My best advice for choosing flowers is to go with what you want and not what other people are telling [you] to get."

Now one of the obvious ways to use flowers in the ceremony is with the bridal bouquet, but how else can you incorporate flowers into your walk down the aisle? "For the ceremony, we are seeing a lot of petals for the aisle way," Kaitlyn confessed. "Alter pieces for the Church, vases on columns in front of a gazebo or arch piece, [and] chair or pew clusters of flowers are huge right now!" Kaitlyn went on to say that garlands are also super popular right now when placed on gazebos.

Moving away from the ceremony and into the reception, there are so many center piece arrangements to choose from. Tall, small, square or round are just a few options. Kaitlyn recommends using elevated pieces for venues with tall ceilings (cough, cough The Center). She also states that using 2-3 different types of centerpieces help create definition in the room. The more tables you have, the more centerpieces you should think of using. 

"Oh jeez," is what you're probably thinking; more arrangements mean more money. Don't worry; Oberer's Flowers can make anyone's budget work, "from $200-20,000," Kaitlyn confirmed!

Want to learn more about what would look good on your big day? Contact Kaitlyn at Oberer's Flowers at weddings.oberers@gmail.com or call 513-333-7435 to get your questions answered today!

Or didn't get enough flower meanings? Check out this article from The Knot to decipher the messages your wedding flowers bring.

Pictures provided by Oberer's Flowers. 

Friday Find: Happy 4th of July!

It's almost 4th of July, so let's throw a party! Check out some of our favorite inspiration (from Pinterest, of course!) to get you ready for the long weekend!

Friday Find; How to...

Yes, we know Opening Day was a little over a month ago but we are still obsessing over our Opening Day Viewing Party! The flowers, the food, the décor, EVERYTHING was great! And as our treat to you, we wanted to show you how to create your very own Pinterest-inspired baseball center pieces. Batter up!

• It all starts with an empty, square vase. The Flowerman donated these vases to us and we couldn't be more appreciative! The vases we used were 5x5 but feel free to make them as big (or small) as you'd like.

• Fill the vase halfway with peanuts. These can be found at your local Sam's Club or Walmart.

• Cut a portion of turf into a square to fit your vase. While you may be able to buy turf at Home Depot, we purchased ours from a past bride and groom! They used the display (pictured below) for their escort cards arrangement. We love staying connected with The Center's previous brides and grooms and buying this turf from them was a great way to catch up. Thanks, Alex and Tom!

• You can then use a hot glue gun or masking tape to place a ribbon in between the peanuts and the beginning of the turf. This hides where the peanuts stop and where the turf begins.

• Lastly, place a baseball on top of the turf and there you have it! A home run for the baseball-loving bride!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

With two events under our belt from this past weekend, we are in the partying mood! And what better way to express our party mood than by providing you with some great Cinco de Mayo event ideas? Once again, we thank one of our favorite wedding sources, Pinterest!

Literally, our mouths are watering right now

Can you say cutest sweetheart table ever??

This hanging decor would look ay-ay-ay-incredible in The Center.

If you haven't had enough of Cinco de Mayo wedding ideas, take a look at this blog, where the majority of these festive photos came from!

Blossoms and Blooms

Spring is in the air! And with this so are weddings, receptions, and flowers! Now that wedding season is in full bloom, we are taking the time to address some important flower tips for deciding on a bridal bouquet. To help with these tips, we spoke with Robin Buop, owner of Inspired Floral Design.

Robin started as a professional florist when she was only 16 years old. Growing up working with her mother in the garden, Robin discovered the "certain sense of happiness" flowers bring to a room. "There is definitely a passion shared among our team, we love what we do and our events reflect the love. It is like Christmas morning excitement to open the boxes of hydrangeas from Holland, orchids from Thailand, or the gorgeous blooms that are California grown," Robin said.

To reflect her and her team's passion for flowers, Inspired Floral works to design a style that portrays their client's personality. "Inspired Foral Design is best known for a natural, textured, organic style in the Cincinnati/Northern KY area." Not only do they specialize in flowers, but Inspired Floral also works with brides to create the overall atmospheric feel.

But let's get back to the bread and butter of this post, bouquet flowers. Depending on the time of the year, the flowers for your bouquet may vary. In The Queen City, according to Robin, spring's warmer temperatures bring to bloom forsythia, quince, almond, pear, peach and apple blossoms, along with tulips, daffodils, lilacs, hyacinth, ranunculus and Robin's personal favorites sweet peas, anemones and peonies.

During the summer, locally grown flowers are a must have. These include zinnia, celosia, foliage, rosemary and verbena.

As the leaves change, so do the flowers. The fall is perfect for warmer tones. "The beautiful ever changing hydrangeas from the West Coast and Holland pair beautifully with scabiosa pods, wheat, grasses, euphorbia, sunflowers, blue thistle, or kale," Robin mentioned.

Lastly, the winter brings amaryllis, ilex berries, tulips, white astrantia, orchids and dusty miller to name a few.

The weather isn't the only factor that comes into play when deciding on bouquets, a bride's wedding-day theme also influences the floral decisions. Robin told us that for the classic romance or vintage bride, it is best to combine soft ruffled flowers such as roses, peonies, hydrangeas or ranunculus highlighted by foliage. It also may include a high-petal count, a layering of floral or soft foliage. A vintage look can also be pulled off by using muted colors and soft textures.

For the urban bride, Robin says, "textures of berries, pods, and succulents softened with dahlias, mokara orchids herbs or foliage" will give off the metropolitan charm.

"The newest change in bridal flowers in the comeback of beautiful lush foliage's -- scented geranium, maidenhair and button ferns, Solomon's seal, grasses -- personally, I am elated," Robin exclaimed! "I love the framing characteristic foliage's offer to floral blooms along with a natural draping they bring to designs."

One of the last factors when deciding on your blooms is the size and shape of the bride's dress. Robin emphasized that the flowers should compliment the dress and not overwhelm the "intricate detail and style of the bridal gown" or the bride's figure. The bride's dress and bouquet are the most photographed elements of the day, aside from the bride and groom of course. So you must make sure the two go together.

Take a look at The Knot's Bouquet Glossary Guide shown below to determine what type of bouquet shape goes best with your bridal gown.

To learn more about Inspired Floral Design contact them at info@inspiredfloral.com or call them 513-370-7372.

Pictures provided by Inspired Floral Design, 1326 Studios, Nathan Peel Photography, and Loft 3 Studios.

Happy Easter!

To celebrate Easter, we skimmed through Pinterest to find some great wedding inspiration. Take a look at this post filled with pastel colors, candy eggs and bunnies!