Un charmant plus la noce...

A most charming wedding it was.

The ceremony took place at home. Unfortunately we had a torrential downpour and there was no cover from the rain ! Tom and Shauna had decided earlier in the day to continue with plans for an outdoor ceremony hoping the rain would cease, even for the briefest moment. No such luck I'm afraid. So there we were setting up in the rain.

On the one hand it was quite refreshing and a relief as we have been experiencing the most humid weather . On the other, I can only imagine it must have made for a very quick ceremony and a mad dash back into the house for champagne and air conditioning ! Though sounds like fun to me because as some of you know I love rain !

Unfortunately, we didn't snap any pics from the backyard as the rain slowed us down and we had to make haste to the reception for set up.

Thankfully the reception was held indoors at a local restaurant. I love the vibe of this room. You almost feel you are in Paris (if you don't look out the window). The exposed brick, the crisp white linens, simple table setting and the light streaming through the room was so pretty.

Flowers included garden roses, stocks, wild carrot, lisianthus and dahlias

The style was loose and seasonal with a vintagey feel.

A small intimate affair with family and friends....forty or so. Perfect.

Pretty room.

Bouquets in various shades of pinks, greens and creams.

Shauna (the bride) wanted a simple, charming yet chic look.

This was the large bouquet that David quickly snapped inside the house.The colours are a little off here. However, these flowers really shone on the corner of the large wooden, marble topped bar at the restaurant. Wish I could have gotten a picture, but guests had started to arrive when we got there.

And a quick snap of the whimsical wreath for the front door

Wild thyme philosophy

Keep it simple, keep it imaginative and always keep it sophisticated. Very much like these flowers by Christian Tortu.

When in doubt, opt for one colour and one flower type and do it in abundance. Sixty pure white tulips make a fantastic bouquet and will always impress. This is a particularly successful formula when certain flowers are in season and are very affordable; tulips in March, lilacs in May, peonies in June, hydrangeas in July and dahlias in August.

If the choice is between a $15.00 bunch of inferior flowers or one exquisite bloom that costs $10.00 - go for the latter. The experience will be much more satisfying and luxurious.

Flowers are about the moment. They are not about four days from now. It's all about the moment you received them, the moment you impulsively bought them, the moment you gave them to someone special.

And remember that flowers are your calling card. They say so much about you and your style.

Romantic rainy weddings

Personally, I love the rain. Mind you, I wouldn't want an entire season of it, but I do love the moody nature of it all. The sound of a light drizzle hitting the roof makes me want to get all cozy - make tea, delve into a great book or just languish about with a pile of favourite magazines and perhaps a wonderful glass of something. Even a dramatic burst of thunder followed by a heavy downpour brings out the kid (or TOAST model) in me. I suppose it's the element of surprise and the unexpected pursuit of suddenly running for cover and giddily laughing along the way. Blame it on TOAST, my childhood, whatever.

Anyway, despite what some grumpy Brits (that would be my relatives by the way) might think about their own weather system, I happen to find it rather romantic.

Brides nearly always want a perfect sunny day for their wedding and worry about inclement weather imposing on planned events. Particularily an outdoor wedding. We try to reassure them that a rainy day wedding is far from being a spoiler. For one thing, it's a known fact that photography is best on an overcast or rainy day. And in some cultures rain on your wedding day is a sign of good luck. Ok maybe that's a stretch.......Well maybe it is, who knows !

We've certainly had our share of rainy weddings. But you know what ? They were really lovely. Here's a few snapshots we took.......

Miller Lash House, an Arts and Crafts manor in Highland Creek (Toronto)

I love this house. It is sooo gorgeous. Even the rain doesn't distract from its beauty. In fact I think it only adds to the romance of the place. It has such lovely paths and is surrounded by incredible lush greenery and huge evergreens. The landscape has a slight rolling hilliness about it.

It was a tented affair in the garden. We did simple, lush peony bouquets for centrepieces. I actually loved the sound of the rain gently falling on the tent. Everyone just quietely worked away at setting up.

Snapshot of peony bouquet at the studio.

The bridal flowers

This garden wedding took place at the bride's family home located in a gorgeous neighbourhood in Toronto known as Hoggs Hollow. It's a little hidden Eden in the north part of town and has the some of the loveliest homes and gardens.

The home (though you don't see it in the picture) has a charming white picket fence and you're only seeing a very small portion of the front garden. It was so lush and green (wet summer). That's me pointing my finger somewhere towards the house.The sky was overcast and yes, it did rain that evening.

The back garden had a pool that had to be covered over to accomodate the guest tables, the band and bar. The tenting was quite lovely.

The company that erected the tent allowed for the

Japanese Maples and other foliages to be part of the setting. Isn't it pretty ?

The flowers included hydrangeas, dahlias, roses and orchids with ivy tendrils.

A bouquet of dahlias and ivy wrap with black silk ribbon.

All photographs taken by David Evans

Flowers and Fashion

Isn't it wonderful how nature inspires us ? 

One of fashion's great visionaries, Junya Watanabe is known for his complex and innovative designs. His fascination for fabrics that are technologically advanced has led him to explore fashion through the science of fabric. Innovative construction, rich textures and forms have resulted in patterns that mimic ruffles that resemble flower petals.

He defined his 2000/01 collection as "chemical romantic". The dresses were an intricate mix of nature and technique, artisan and industry.

The honeycomb weave and the colour combination could easily have been inspired by this fabulous dahlia....

Oh, by the way, dahlias are coming into season. Be sure to pick up a playful bunch and be prepared to find inspiration. 

More on dahlias on my next post.....

The above images were taken from the publication "BLOOM" from May 2000.