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: Bridal Fitness

We all want to look stunning in wedding photos and with that new addition on your left ring finger, there's suddenly a little more motivation. So which workout is best for you? There are so many options these days like bootcamps, gyms, and even extreme workouts like Insanity and Crossfit. No one workout is best for everyone, so we've included some suggestions below:

• Insanity
• 10 workout DVDs focusing on plyometrics, interval training and core work. From Alyssa's personal experience, this workout works wonders. From Laura's personal two-week experience, she would much rather be sitting in front of the TV than running in front of the TV. 

• Crossfit

• high-intensity workouts, constantly changing functional movements. 

• Bridal Bootcamps
• Offered through The Knot in 12 DVDs with 8 workouts on each 
• Offered locally in gyms, like at Blushing Brides Bootcamp in Cincinnati

• Pure Barre
• 55 minute in class workouts focusing on sculpting and toning your muscles

• 30 Day Challenges
• daily workouts for a month with several selections for just one area of your body or a full beach body focus

Grab a friend (oh hey, bridesmaids!) and get your sweat on! Always remember to listen to your body and consider working with a trainer to prevent injury. Have a workout you love that isn't listed? Let us know by commenting below! 

Real Weddings; Cecilia & Ryan

One of our very first weddings to kick off the 2014 wedding season at The Center was Cecilia & Ryan's. We had the honor of being the venue for this beautiful couple's reception.

Cecilia and Ryan were able to make this day their very own by focusing on the details. Their caterer, Happy Valley Dim Sum & Asian Cuisine, flew in from Atlanta to serve delicious traditional cuisine, while engagement photos of Cecilia and Ryan were displayed throughout The Center, making it a truly personal environment. Not to mention, all of their wedding pictures turned out adorable!! and we mean ah-dora-ble! They were captured by Thomas Nguyen Photography.

And if you thought it couldn't get any more precious, it can. Take a look at their video montage created by Studio 213.





Some other vendors that helped make this magical day come to life:

• Sonic Sounds DJ
• Atmospheric Productions DJ and Lighting
• The Secret Garden

We wish Cecilia and Ryan a long and happy marriage!

Friday Find: Capturing the Moment

We are betting a pretty penny that Lindsey Crouch and Tae Cho of Knoxville, Tennessee are ecstatic to have crossed paths with photographer, Heather Swanner. Swanner of Birmingham, Alabama was strolling the beach after finishing a photography session when she stumbled upon a huge moment in Lindsey and Tae's lives.

Swanner witnessed Tae drop to his knee to propose to his girlfriend. After seeing their family hiding behind some bushes, hoping not to spoil the moment, Swanner decided to continue on without taking any further pictures.

After getting home and viewing the proofs, Swanner realized how great of a photo she had on her hands and turned to Facebook to find the two love birds. 589 likes and 386 shares later, the picture made it's way to Lindsey and Tae who could haven't been more excited to have a photo of this precious moment.



To read more about this lovely couple, click here. Congratulations to Lindsey and Tae!

Blossoms & Blooms: Boutonniere Cheer

We're diving into boutonniere details in today's blog post. Guys we'll give you a hint...if you're looking for a "manly" boutonniere to add to the big day, you'll want to keep reading!

While grooms understand what centerpieces and dessert tables are, boutonnieres are one of the few things that leave grooms saying "huh?" Marti Heard of Marti's Floral Designs also understands that roses, peonies, and lilies aren't very macho. 

When discussing how to create a great boutonniere Marti starts off by saying, "I recognize that men typically hate flowers and the smaller the thing is, the better." So there you have it, to impress the husband-to-be, it may be a good idea to incorporate smaller flowers in the boutonniere. 

"A rose is a bit big and boring for my taste. I just try to put it in my head 'Would I wear this and is this too big that I will constantly be looking at it out of the side of my eyes?' Yes, you will typically find me walking around my shop wearing personal flowers or carrying a bouquet to try it out for size," Marti admits. This may be why Marti's Floral Designs received the Best of Cincinnati award this past year for boutonnieres. 

Not only does Cincinnati think she makes awesome boutonnieres, but the groomsmen appreciate all the thought she puts into this tiny floral arrangement as well. "One of the best compliments ever was from a groomsman commenting on how 'manly' my boutonnieres were."

So how does she make them so manly? "Most of the time, the flowers I gravitate towards are ranunculus, succulents, craspidia, berries, and textural greens. You also have to take into account flowers that are going to stand up a bit longer. The boutonnieres have a long day ahead of them and I try to encourage ordering two for the major wedding players of the day like the groom," Marti explained. "They typically start pictures earlier in the day and they are pooped out by the time of the wedding. I try to remind people that they are flowers and flowers have a shelf life." 

Pictures provided by Mike Bresnen Photography

The groom isn't the only man of the house who gets to put a flower on his jacket. Groomsmen, fathers, grandfathers, ushers and ring bearers also get the privileged of showing off their flower pride. 

While men don't usually have a choice to skip the boutonnieres, unless they prefer to do a pocket square instead; the options for corsages are endless. Opposite from the boutonnieres, corsages incorporate large flowers in similar sizing to a rose. They can also include textured greens and berries. What's currently in style for the mothers are small posies to carry. "Let's be honest, corsages and wrislets get in the way of a beautiful dress or fabulous jewelry," Marti admitted.  

For grandmothers and other elders (including the readers, soloists, and officiant), however, stick with a traditional corsage, as this is what they're used to. "It really is a tradition," Marti said. "It marks their importance." 

From one extreme to another, the flower girl tradition of dropping rose petals from a basket is going out of style. According to Marti, many brides are now choosing pomander balls, a floral crown, or one of Marti's specialties, the purse corsage. "It is basically a flower that can be placed on any purse." This tends to be a popular choice, not only with flower girls, but with mothers and grandmothers as well.

Surprisingly, when Marti asks if a individual would like to wear flowers, most people say no. Having alternatives for corsages is a great way to bring uniqueness to the wedding, while keeping with traditional wedding flowers. 

Contact Marti's Floral Designs to get more great tips and tricks for manly boutonnieres and corsage alternatives at 513-238-2677 or email martisfloraldesign@gmail.com.

Pictures provided by Marti's Floral Designs.