Vermont
Bride Magazine Summer 2011 issue
Download the complete issue PDF (17.5 MB)
Download just the Bridal Resource Guide PDF (4.2 MB)
LOVE STORIES:
CONTENTS FROM THE SUMMER 2011 ISSUE
Cover photo by RaidenShine Photography
The cover bride for Summer 2011 issue is Amanda (Menard) Giroux
The Summer 2011 ISSUE - - OUR LARGEST ISSUE YET! Weighing in with 116 pages of information, resources, beautiful photography and extensive vendor lists, Vermont Bride Magazine is the guide to bridal events for this 2011 Wedding Season. Look for a copy available throughout the state of Vermont.
One of the best places to incorporate plants is at the ceremony. Whether purchased or rented, they are an efficient and dramatic way to make a church or synagogue appear full, especially for buildings with high vaulted ceilings. Larger plants like ficus, Boston ferns and palm trees can be grouped behind the altar to provide a backdrop. Medium-sized and hanging plants (with hangers removed) can be placed in decorative containers and scattered down the aisle to create a lush, garden look. Plants clustered on steps or windowsills will provide splashes of color and a garden ambiance. If your wedding is planned around a holiday, many houses of worship are already decorated with seasonal blooming plants, which are available for the bride to use at no additional cost.
Even an outdoor ceremony in a reception facility’s garden or public park can be enhanced by the addition of blooming and green plants. Urns filled with blooming annuals in the wedding colors and placed in the gardens will create the illusion that the entire garden was designed for this one occasion. Larger potted plants can be added to existing plantings or used alone to create focal points—or grouped to form privacy screens. Plants are also the perfect way to mark aisles or indicate paths from a reception location to where the ceremony is going to take place.
If the bride is concerned about the additional cost of accenting with potted plants, then she should remember that they can serve more than just a decorative purpose. They also make wonderful thank you gifts for the attendants, clergy, readers—or for anyone who has helped with the wedding. Also, if the bride, groom or their parents normally decorate their homes with window boxes, hanging baskets or planters, the wedding plants could be used for this purpose, before and after the wedding. The multipurpose use for plants is not only true for the ceremony flowers, but for the reception centerpieces as well.
At the reception, plants make vibrant, low cost centerpieces and they can be given to the guests as favors. A group of small potted plants (one for each guest who is sitting at the table) can be clustered in a single low container which matches the wedding in style and color, and then set on the reception tables. Or, the plants could simply be placed in individual decorative containers, set on the table and interspersed with votive candles.
Smaller, seasonal blooming plants or African violets mixed with ivy and table ferns work wonderfully for either of these purposes. Using one specific type of plant will lend a more formal look to the wedding. Mix matching the plants will give a more casual, garden feel.
Single, medium-sized blooming or green plants placed in baskets, ceramic containers or pails are nice gifts and very cost effective centerpieces. Hanging baskets of annuals or ivies (with their hangers removed) will sprawl out to form centerpieces without being overly tall. Likewise at the reception, plants can be used for focal points. They work especially well to create backdrops for the head table, buffet or bar.
When the reception is in a tent, potted plants are particularly useful.
Half-pots hung along the side of the tent look fantastic. Special brackets are available for tent poles. Blooming and green plants can be suspended from these for a beautiful, lush look.
Whether at the ceremony, reception or both, potted plants are the perfect way to add beauty and a feeling opulence to any wedding for very little additional cost.
1. Flowers which match the wedding colors can be placed in plastic water picks and then placed into outdoor gardens or planters to provide additional color.
2. Watering potted plants a day before they are to be used at the wedding will prevent wilting and eliminate the chance of water leakage.
3. For midsummer weddings at the lowest cost, purchase blooming plants in late June or early July and care for them until the wedding date.
4. Renting is a bride’s friend as is letting the professional provide the plants for your wedding—especially when the bride doesn’t have a green thumb or enough time.
5. Flower girl baskets can be filled with small blooming plants (like African violets) for a fun look.
6. Small evergreen seedlings tucked into napkins make wonderful keepsakes for the guests.
7. Be cautious of overly fragrant plants––their smell may bother some guests or clash with the savory aroma of the food at the reception.
8. In order for a perennial garden to look full, plant it at least a year before the wedding is to take place.
9. It’s a good idea for a bride to buy more plants than needed. If one dies at the last minute, it can be easily replaced.
Calla Lilly –– Beauty
Chrysanthemum — You’re a wonderful friend, With love
Crocus — Cheerfulness
Daffodil — You’re the only one
Daisy — Loyal love, Innocence
Heather — Wishes will come true
Holly — Domestic happiness
Ivy — Wedded love, Fidelity, Affection
Petunia — Your presence soothes me
Rose — I love you, Perfect happiness, Joy and gladness
Tulip — Perfect lover, Declaration of love
Vermont Bride is proud to recommend the following featured wedding professionals for all your indoor & outdoor, for sale or rent, foliage needs:
800-287-2361
187 Main Street, Colchester, VT 05446
www.claussens.com
Claussen’s Florist & Greenhouse offers rental services of our foliage plants for your special event. We have Vermont’s largest selection to choose from in a variety of sizes and species. Adding foliage is a great way to enhance the look and feel you desire. We’ll even deliver and pick up the plants for you. Our rental services also include wicker pot covers and bows to match your décor. Please visit our website, or contact us, for more information. Serving brides since 1973, we welcome the opportunity to take part in your magical day!
Pat Esden: Pat has worked in the wedding industry for over twenty-five years. As a master floral designer and owner of Esden Florist in Fairfield, Vermont, she sees the yearly changes in wedding styles and is familiar with the time-honored traditions and in tune with the new conventions.
