Tag Archive | dahlias

Welcoming Fall | 3 Purple Weddings

It’s almost fall! With this Friday, September 22 marking the autumn equinox, we are patiently awaiting fall’s official arrival. We can always tell that fall is nearly here when the rich jewel tones of purple are a part of three weddings that we produce in one weekend! This past weekend was a display of rich color that makes everyone at Parkway Florist look forward to all of what fall has to offer.

Our first bride chose Picasso Mini Callas for her wedding flowers. An outdoor ceremony at the Doubletree Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Moon Township was the perfect setting for a gorgeous mid-September wedding day. White lanterns adorned their guest tables to provide a romantic ambiance.

Bride

Our second Purple wedding took place as St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Moon Twp, with a wonderful reception at the Montour Heights Country Club. Ben and Rachel chose varying shades of eggplant as the wedding colors. Lush, full centerpieces were a perfect compliment to their reception decor. Ben and Rachel were able to share a few quiet moments as their sweetheart table which was also decorated with a beautiful centerpiece.

Bridal Bouquet

Centerpiece

Sweetheart Table

Our last purple wedding of the day took place at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Moon Twp. Nicole and Kyle also chose plum/purple as their wedding color. However, they chose to accent with orange, hot pink, and lavender (bright & bold!) The Picasso mini callas were carried by our bride, while the bridesmaids carried all the bright & bold colors. Our lighted brass arch did double duty, serving as a ceremony backdrop and then repurposed to frame the bride & groom behind the head table. Centerpieces also pulled in bright & bold elements.

Centerpiece

Bride

Bridesmaids

Congratulations to all our brides and grooms who chose to hold their wedding in the Fall season in a variety of similar but different ways.

Wedding Bells Are Ringing

Nov7

As our wedding season moves into November, we are focused on finishing out 2016 season on a strong and proud note. This past Saturday we had two weddings which led us from the central city to the suburbs to the countryside.

Our first wedding was at Heinz Memorial Chapel on The University of Pittsburgh’s campus. We provided two arrangements for the altar of the chapel, which the family transported on to the reception, following the ceremony. We also provided the bride and bridesmaids bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages. The bridesmaids wore a dark marine blue short dress & the color scheme was white with red and blue accents. The flowers were designed to coordinate.

Bride

Bridesmaids

The bride carried an all white bouquet containing white and ivory roses, garden roses, and lisianthus with eucalyptus as greens.

The eight bridesmaids carried white roses and gerbera daisies, blue delphinium, and red hypericum berries.

Heinz Memorial Chapel, in the heart of Oakland, is an iconic ceremony location. There are endless photo opportunities throughout Oakland which is partially what draws so many couples to get married there. (As of January, 2016, a University affiliation is no longer required to be married at Heinz Chapel. There is a discount offered if you are affiliated with Pitt or UPMC).

Our second wedding for the day took place at St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin Church in Whitehall, PA. With another large bridal party, (8 bridesmaids, 8 groomsmen, several ring bearers and flower girls) we were up to the challenge of coordinating this ceremony.

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Despite a few technical difficulties with getting the limo bus into the church’s parking lot, the ceremony went smoothly.

Our bride waited till the very last second to let her father see her (he was joyfully teary-eyed) carried a bouquet with white/ivory roses, peach spray roses, and gold accents. It was a classy and romantic bouquet, with lots of interest.

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Her bridesmaids wore dark maroon dresses which were accented by peach roses, maroon dahlias, (some of the last of the season) white mums, and gold assents as well.

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We then continued on to the reception, which took place at The Willow Room in Belle Vernon, Pa. While the room was being quickly transformed from an event earlier in the day, we got our trucks unloaded and all of our supplies transported to the ballroom on the fourth floor. The centerpieces consisted of several separate elements which meant that they needed to be assembled onsite. The finished product (pictured below) left romantic ambiance in the room, especially once the candles were lit.

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As our year is nearing the end, , we are already starting to look back and reflect on all of the beautiful weddings that we were honored to a part of this year. . Of course there are many busy days to come with the holidays right around the corner. It is always a new day and a new challenge that we look forward to. Best wishes to all of the families we have been able to help. We are looking forward with great anticipation to what 2017 will bring our way. Thanks to our readers for sharing and enjoying our stories and posts each week.

Fairy Tales Can Come True

Oct14

As we always say at Parkway Florist, the possibilities are endless. One of the ways we can honor that statement is by using props that are multifunctional. Our brass arch is a great example. This past weekend we used it for a wedding ceremony that took place at The Pittsburgh Airport Sheraton Hotel. This time we used the brass arch with its complementary tulle and lights. Other times we have used it plain, or with flowers (as you can see here.) This look helped to create a romantic backdrop for the wedding ceremony. Paired with pink up lighting and satin chair covers with gold sashes, the room looked quite polished.

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The bride carried a bouquet full of rich red flowers as wells as pinks and ivories. The reds included deep maroon locally grown dahlias and red roses. The pinks came from pink roses and dahlias, as well as cockscomb (a type of celosia.) Ivory roses were also included. Lastly, there were gold accents of seeded eucalyptus an a touch of greenery provided by soft dusty miller and gunny eucalyptus.

The groom’s boutonniere was made to match. It included red spray roses and gold accents as well.

Bride

Groom

The bridesmaids carried bouquets of deep maroon dahlias, pink roses, stock, dusty miller, and more gold accents. The groomsmen wore boutonnieres of red hypericum berries.

Bridesmaids

Groomsmen

After the short ceremony concluded, guests attended a cocktail hour at the opposite end of the hotel. They found their place cards displayed next to a fresh flower arrangement that coordinated with the rest of the flowers used in the wedding.

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While the guests attended the cocktail hour, the ceremony room was quickly transformed into part of the reception room. The arch was moved behind the head table. Here it continued to provide a romantic glow for the rest of the evening.

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The guest tables were decorated with two different styles of centerpieces. This helps to create interest in the room. The first style were lush arrangements on elevated trumpet risers. They included hydrangeas and roses with gold accents. The second style of centerpiece were low on the table. They also included roses and hydrangea. They both used coordinating colors and flowers but with two distinctly different looks.

The cake was another place that gold accents were used. It was decorated with fresh flowers and placed on a gold sequin table cloth for a glitz and glam feel.

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This wedding was yet another success in our book at a venue that we always enjoy working with! May many years of happiness come to this bride, groom, and their families.

For more pictures, inspiration, and sneak peeks of our flowers visit us on Instagram and Facebook!

Intimate & Elegant Wedding in Oakland

Sep29

Last Saturday we adventured to Oakland with a truck full of flowers and smiles on our faces for a wedding ceremony that took place at Heinz Memorial Chapel on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus. The reception that followed took place at the Carnegie Café which is a part of The Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History.

At the ceremony, the bride carried a cascading bouquet of white lilies, ivory roses, and white larkspur. Her bridesmaid carried ivory and blush roses with light pink wax flower and fresh cinnamon basil as accents. The adorable flower girl carried a clutch of three blush roses and light pink wax flower to match the bridesmaid.

We supplied two arrangements with seasonal flowers to decorate the Heinz Memorial Chapel altar. These stood out nicely against the rich wood tones in the chapel.

At the Carnegie Café we decorated the guest tables with a tablescape design which included satin pewter grey table runners, several collections of vases with floating candles for ambiance, blush and ivory centerpiece arrangements, sprinkled blush rose petals, and disbursed votive candles.

The centerpiece arrangements were lush and lavish. Designed in mercury glass pedestal bowls, they included white hydrangeas, blush roses, locally grown dahlias, fuchsia feather celosia, and coleus.

The sweetheart head table was decorated with a long and low centerpiece with coordinating flowers as well as the bride’s bouquet when she arrived at her reception.

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“Organic” Flowers the newest trend

Jul13

Wedding seasons come and go. Color trends roar in and then fade out. One of the most delightful trends we are experiencing in 2015 is the desire of brides to include natural, textured greenery such a seeded eucalyptus, textured grasses, and thistle in the wedding flowers.

Including color in a bridal bouquet continues to be a choice for many of our brides. Our July 3rd bride, Kristen, incorporated both textured greenery and color in her bouquet. A most pleasing combination.

For those that prefer a more classic cream/white bouquet, you might like these bouquets. Sahara roses, dahlias, spray roses, dusty miller, thistle and queen ann’s lace combine to produce a very soft, romantic look.