My Moon, Brooklyn NY

Who knew…... if I go through Staten Island it only takes me about 40min to get to Brooklyn!  Pretty cool!  Especially when I get to work in cool venues like this.  I've already had an inquiry from another bride for this spot and boo, I'm already booked for her wedding date (but it's another cool venue in NJ, The Inn at Mill Race Pond…so I guess I can't complain).

My Moon is a restaurant in Brooklyn that will shut the place down for you if you'd like to hold your wedding there.  Large enough to hold a good sized wedding, but cozy enough to create an intimate setting, the dark wood interior, large bar and amazing outdoor ceremony space and lounge have made this one of my favorite venues.  Not only that,  the manager Ruggero and the rest of the staff is wonderful to work along side.  Some venues that is not at all the case, like when I did a wedding last year at a venue in Morristown, the staff was yelling obscenities at each other in Spanish while they were setting up…and the stuff that they were saying was no bueno.  Even with my limited Spanish I understood…I mean come on doesn't everyone learn the curse words in other languages first…or is that only me :).

Fingers were crossed that the dark clouds that kept passing by would keep doing so.  It did eventually rain, but it wasn't until later into the evening so the ceremony went on as planned.  A line of Mason Jars with blooms of allium, peonies, lilies, gerber daisies, lotus pods, and peach tulips highlighted the elevated ceremony space.

The cocktail hr was ground level, next to the ceremony space.  Mason jars filled with electic mixes of flowers…I love this place!  

And I have to thank Allison Hooban of Nice and Easy Weddings for all the pictures.  It was so nice to have her there to take them, instead of me running around like crazy before the ceremony starts trying to get all the shots I want.  I met Allison on a plane from JFK to San Juan Puerto Rico.  She is married to one of my husband's college friends.  I wasn't sitting with my husband..we had to split up with the kids…he took the 4 and 6 year old and I took the baby.  Turned out Allison also was traveling with her baby who is the same age as my little girl, they were 8 months old at the time.  So we wrangled it so we could sit in the same row, and save some other poor souls from having to sit next to the potential crying, fidgeting, smelly babies.  (I wasn't as lucky on the flight home…the guy sitting next to me actually took out his laptop to work..imagine the fun I had trying to stop my curious little girl from pounding on the keys and deleting his very important looking spreadsheet)

The reception room was flanked buy 3 crescent shaped booths  with an arrangement of lotus pod, peonies, hydrangea, astrantia and mint.

The rest of the guests were seated at 4 long farm style tables with green, blue, and clear glass bottles with single stems of flowers.   (I collected the some of the bottles over the past year…I use California Olive Oil an it comes in three sizes in these amazing green bottles!)   A cheesecloth runner ran the length of the table…funny side note I found out, when looking for cheesecloth in this length, that it is also called ghoul mummy cloth by the fabric store from which it was purchased.     

The bar was anchored down by two large arrangements

My Photographer friend wasn't able to get any shots of the bouquets so these are my pictures taken at my house before we left for the wedding.  

The boutonnieres were made of eucalyptus, evergreen, astrantia, hellebore, and ranunculus.

The Bridesmaids carried bouquets of yellow lilies, eucalyptus, ranunculus, astrantia, and white peonies.

The bride carried a bouquet of mint, evergreen, hellebore, astrantia, coral peonies, ranunculus, white gerber daisies and yellow lilies.

 Now it's time for bed, up early again tomorrow for another NYC flower pick up…two weddings this weekend so I'd better get my sleep while I can!

Wise Words from a Floral Friend….

The following is a post by a fellow Chapel Designer, Julia Miller of Julia's Floral,  I couldn't have said it better myself!

"The emerging trend in wedding flowers is lush, lavish opulence. As brides
and groom are spending more time online researching options, their
knowledge and appreciation of flowers is growing.

So how can you have an amazing look within the framework of a "realistic"
budget?

The very best way to save money on your wedding overall, is to have fewer
bridesmaids, and to limit your guest list. Intimate weddings with finer
attention to detail are a growing trend, because it's challenging -- and
expensive -- to create a blog-worthy wedding when your budget is stretched
to entertain hundreds of people.

Couples who need to keep their flower budget under control must be honest
with their floral designer from the start. Please be up front with your
budget, if you know it. Then be open to the professional's recommendations
as to how to achieve the best look with the dollars at hand.

Some additional advice:

Never skimp on the bridal bouquet! It's in more photos than any other
floral piece. It should be amazing.

Use Pinterest only as a reference tool, to inspire a "look" for your
wedding. Deciding your "must have" floral pieces and bouquets on
Pinterest, often leads to disappointment later as you learn just how
expensive "celebrity wedding flowers" can be: peonies, anemones, poppies,
ranunculus, Phalaenopsis orchids and garden roses-- especially when out of
season!

"Local and seasonal" does not always mean "less expensive." These are
specialty blooms with short seasons, often organically grown, which
provide incredible interest to your floral designs. Allow your florist to
choose the best value and quality flowers available in your color palette
for a winning look that respects your budget.

Many of my couples wisely "repurpose" aisle to tabletop flowers. Again,
trust your florist to guide you in this process, because some designs
(like large filled glass cylinders) are nearly impossible to move without
the florist's staff there to do it, which will add to your bill.

Another idea: Rent! Many florists have wonderful props that help evoke
your wedding mood. You'll save time and money over tracking down these
items yourself, and they can be delivered and installed with your flower
order.

Above all, once you have hired a reputable florist who you connect well
with, and in whom you can trust, please resist the urge to "micro-manage."
Extra consultations can incur extra charges for many florists.

The best florists are booked solid all wedding season long, giving their
100% to brides and grooms every week. When it's your turn, they'll give
you their very best as well."

Featured on The Full Bouquet, Chapel Designers Series: Designing with Dahlias

Busy Busy!  As I gather everything for tomorrows wedding I'm taking a minute to procrastinate and show you some of my designs with Dahlias along with some of my very talented fellow Chapel Designers.  Enjoy!

CLICK HERE!