Fabulous Local Dahlia

I'm so excited to share these recent photos that were sent to me by Michelle Koslek one of our beautiful brides from September 6, 2008. Although we only created personal and ceremony flowers for her I was thrilled to hear in her last email that she used product from my favorite local dahlia grower, Hamilton Dahlia farm. Just like most locally grown product weather and availability is always a factor but if you plan your wedding just right the end result is fabulous. Typically our season here in Western Michigan is early August until late September if you're lucky. The color and size availability is unbelievable and although you can get dahlia from California there is no comparison to Jan's product.

The bouquets were a combination of bi-color dahlia, hot pink roses, green hypericum berry, magenta freesia, and asiac lilies. In the larger ceremony designs we added my favorite Peruvian hydrangea in an effort to give the designs a lush appearance. The color, texture and combination of product made the personal and ceremony flowers simply stunning. This color combination is definitely one of my favorites probably because it reminds me of rainbow sherbet ice cream...it's my favorite. :) Enjoy!

Going Green

When Sarah came into the studio I knew her wedding was going to be unbelievably cool!  Not only was her vision beautifully simple but eco friendly.  We were given over 30 sexy green recycled wine bottles in varying sizes and shapes.  The bottles contained floral in shades of green and white along with  4x4 cubes containing wheat grass which completed her overall "green" look.

The bouquets were simply green Peruvian hydrangea (my personal favorite) finished with black and white polka dot ribbon...too cute! I'm not sure what I loved more the bridesmaids fabulous chartreuse shoes or the adorable little flower girl.  Don't you just love the photo of the little peanut and her bucket of petals.  :)   As usual John of  Coastline Studios beautifully captured the essence of this wedding.  Way to go John!  

Brides remember you are an original so make your day as unique as you are!  Although simple this wedding made a bold statement because it was "so the bride." 

Happy planning!

SKYY Premiere at the BOB

From weddings to vodka premieres...who knew! Just one day after the incredible Payne wedding we were hired to transform the Crush into an exotic floral explosion for the new SKYY fusion vodka event. We had such a great time interpreting their new premiere flavors of raspberry, grape, cherry, citrus and passion fruit through cutting edge floral designs. Fresh floral materials were shipped in from all over the world including several varieties of heliconia, protea, orchids, and amazing hanging amaranthus in deep rich raspberry, yellow and green. Each design represented the different flavors and we incorporated loads of wonderful fresh fruit and bottles of vodka. Although exhausted from the wedding we found motivation in sneaking bites from all the fantastic fruit, pizza, donuts, cookies provided by Tony the promotional manager at the BOB. He is a master at motivating people! :)

Hope you enjoy this post as much as we enjoyed designing this event.

Jenn

Long distant bride

Planning a wedding is challenging enough but try doing it while living in Atlanta. In February of 07' Alishan Fields stopped into my boutique regarding her June 08' wedding at the much anticipated JW Marriott. It was evident upon meeting Alishan that her wedding was going to be absolutely remarkable and every detail well thought out. Over the course of a year and half we spent countless hours emailing, conversing and visiting when she was in town.

Alishan's greatest wish was to have gorgeous peony in shades of white, soft pink and deep raspberry. Fortunately for all of us the peony cooperated and we had simply stunning product the week of her wedding. Anytime a bride chooses a product that has a sensitive seasonal availability I spend many sleepless nights praying that the flowers will be absolutely perfect not to mention available.

The linens of ivory chopin and pink champagne worked beautifully with the floral centerpieces and the gold chargers and chivari chairs finished the overall elegant look. Large curly willow trees adorned in crystals, hanging votives and lush floral flanked the head table along with the perimeter of the room which made for a more intimate space. Candlelight was present on all of the guest tables along with a beautiful menu card in shades of chocolate, ivory and raspberry. Hip Pocket provided the entertainment for the evening and guests enjoyed taking fun photos in the photo booth stationed out in the pre-function area.

I have to admit that when Alishan and Michael's big day was over I suffered from what I like to call the "big let down." I'm sure most of you can relate to the feeling of sadness when the event is finally over. Not because it wasn't everything you dreamed of but because it went by so quickly. It takes months and sometimes even years to plan for that perfect day and in just mere hours it's over. Fortunately if you're lucky a friendship is formed that will last over a lifetime.

Thank you Ben and Laura Harrison for your amazing photos and warmest wishes Alishan and Michael as you walk through life together.

Be a guest at your own party...

When it came to planning my daughter Olivia's graduation party one of the most important things to me was the ability to be a guest at my own party. I waited eighteen precious years to see this day and it was important that I savor every moment. As I work with brides and event clients I find this to be one of the most important areas to remember when hiring a professional. There is an incredible amount of time spent planning for an event of this magnitude and hiring the right people can ensure that every detail is perfect and you're relaxed on your BIG day! Although my wonderful husband failed to see the necessity to throw such a swanky affair I teamed up with Jodi Bos with In Any Event to create an OVER THE TOP graduation party.

Olivia had only a few requests; some of her family favorite recipes, marble slab ice cream and a color palette of black, white and tiffany blue. Our linen choices of Tiffany blue lamour, black niko and floral siloutte coupled with the simple floral centerpieces brought Olivia's color palette to life. Don Middlebrook with his "Jimmy Buffett" vibe set the tone and the smell of wood fired pizza greeted guests as they approached the stunning white frame tent. In the tent we created a soft seating area of black and white leather furniture finished with cheeky pillows which created the perfect area to watch DVD's of her life captured in film. Thank goodness for my MAC! Some of Jodi's fabulous ideas included; "Did you know" frames which shared fun tid bits about OJ, recipe cards for Olivia's favorite dishes and an adorable advice/address cardette made out of recycled paper...too CUTE!

Brianna Graham, to whom I feel is a photographic genius surprised us with unbelievable reproductions of Olivia's senior portraits. She took these amazing photos and artistically created boards in varying sizes complete with funky patterns and textures that were absolutely stunning.


I have the best staff at Modern Day and as always Jodi delivered! Hope you enjoy the post.

Amazing Wedding

This year's wedding season at MDF has been an incredible whirlwind of one amazing event after another. Our brides are truly wonderful and the vendors we work with extraordinary. On the top of that list is Jodi Bos with In Any Event and Jen Kroll of Jen Kroll Photography. These woman are unbelievably talented and the pictures, well, they speak for themselves.

Just last weekend we had the privilege of designing the second Payne wedding. In October we created a classic romantic evening for Gretchen and Rob at the JW Marriott followed by a fun and festive evening for Liz and Curt at Cascade Hills Country Club. The colors Jodi had chosen were too much fun and as a floral designer a DREAM COME TRUE! The palette was fresh and full of life...perfect for a summer wedding.

Hats off to all the remarkably talented people who made this event come to life and I hope you enjoy this post!

Jenn

Kudos

“...The product we got on the day of the wedding was beyond spectacular. The decorating of the event space was stunning, the flowers elegant, and my bouquet was sensational. It was just a perfect day and they were a perfect group of people to work with. I hands-down recommend this business to any bride!”
- Holly, happily married on 1.17.09

“I will refer Modern Day Floral until I am blue in the face. Jennifer, along with the entire staff, created the atmosphere for the most perfect day of my life. As I run into guests of our wedding, consistently the first thing out of their mouth is "The flowers were amazing." I put all of my trust and confidence in the Modern Day Floral team and they far surpassed my expectations.”
- Tracy, happily married on 12.31.08



“I cannot say enough about Jenn and her staff at Modern Day Floral! It was definitely a blessing to find a florist that could take care of ALL my wedding decor...especially since I planned my wedding from out of state! I didn’t even need a wedding coordinator because of all the great service provided. My bouquets were stunning...big, luscious, and beautiful. My linens were crisp, and the tables were set perfectly.”
- Mary, happily married on 12.06.08



”I cannot thank you enough for the incredible job you and your team did for my wedding. Everyone, from the guests to the DJ and caterers were blown away by how fabulous everything looked. Some people said it was a movie setting.”
- Jania and Don Anderson, married on



“My experience with Modern Day Floral was amazing! Modern Day is, hands down, the most up-to-date, style savvy florist in Grand Rapids! Jen was so inspiring and helpful... I didn't know if my budget was going to allow me to have the type of wedding I truly dreamed of having, but she showed me so many different ways to make it all possible! My husband and I STILL can't get over how beautiful our wedding turned out!”
- Theresa, happily married on 10.18.08



“The owner and staff at modern day floral were extremely accommodating, flexible to meet with me and of course exceeded expectations we had for our "big day". Honestly, I wanted someone I could trust to do everything I asked and fill in the areas I forgot about or was unfamiliar with and MDF took that role, while offering us stunning arrangements that our friends and family are still mentioning to this day!”
- Crystal, happily married on 9.12.08



“Modern Day Floral was fabulous - I never thought I would be able to have all of my flowers INCLUDING CENTERPIECES done within my very low budget and Jenn and her staff were able to make it happen. They also dealt with last minute add-ons gracefully and did a gorgeous job on our flowers. They were one of my very favorite vendors to work with and I highly recommend them.”
- Lindsey, happily married on 9.06.08



“My husband, Joe, and I want to thank you for making our wedding day gorgeous! The flowers were outstanding and everyone commented on the bouquets. Thank you for all your hard work, help planning, and transportation of flowers! I literally gasped at the altar flowers when I walked into the sanctuary at my church before the wedding. They were beautiful. ”
- Sara, happily married on 8.23.08



“After my consultation I felt at ease knowing that the people at MDF were as passionate about my wedding as I was. Every piece of my arrangements were custom designed and totally unique, I loved it because it set my wedding apart from all the others and the guest who attended my wedding all took notice! I am STILL hearing how beautiful my flowers and decor were and I've been married for 2 months! I am extremely happy with how everything turned out, and feel they were very organized, professional, and the price was right."
- Laurel, happily married on 8.02.08



“Thank you for your help making my wedding day wonderful. The flowers were beyond gorgeous – absolutely one of my favorite parts of the day.”
- Janelle and Bryan, happily married on 6.21.08



“My wedding was more beautiful then I could ever imagine and I owe it all to you.”
- Alishan, happily married on 6.14.08



“Thanks for making our wedding day so beautiful and bursting with color! We loved it all.”
- Nina and Eric, happily married on 5.02.08



“Special thanks to Jenn Ederer, who has gone above and beyond her duties as a florist to become an essential part of our wedding! Thank you so much for all the great ideas, long hours, and incredible energy you put into making this day special!”
- Gretchen and Rob, happily married on 10.12.07



“I am an event coordinator, and when it came time to plan my own wedding there was no question as to who to chose. I think I may have even asked [Jenn] before I was engaged! My reception was amazing...it exceeded my every expectation. There is no other florist that I have seen or worked with that has her vision and talent! I recommend Jenn and her awesome team at Modern Day Floral for every wedding, and other event, I come in contact with...there is no second choice.
- Aimee, happily married on 8.04.07