Colony Florist - Wednesday Wedding: Destination

I had the pleasure of working with a wonderful bride who is a very close friend of my daughters and mine. For me to understand what Kyla and Caley wanted, we hardly needed to talk. When it came to planning the flowers, I knew immediately that they had to reflect just the right mood. Kyla wanted the wedding to be relaxed, informal and not too fussy and so the floral arrangements  would be loose, unstructured and “gardeny” to match. I call it simple elegance.

When a bride comes to my shop for a consultation, I always  have plenty of flowers to show her. After our initial meeting I like to make a centerpiece to make sure that I have interpreted her vision accurately. The bride can use the sample to pick and choose what elements she likes and doesn’t like to come up with a perfect match. This speeds up the decision making process and helps the bride see what the flowers will actually look like. Once you get it right, the bride knows immediately and the excitement grows into one BIG smile.

In this particular case, I was going to provide the flowers and attend the wedding. To complicate the matter, the wedding was in Montauk. It’s always a little tricky when the wedding is not local—you have to bring everything with you and be prepared for anything that happens. It sounds easy except unless something breaks or gets damaged along the way. There’s no room for error.

The weather did not cooperate on Saturday and it was raining when I arrived. The resort had to wait to decide where the wedding ceremony would be held out on the lawn or inside the tent. I personally, have never had a rain-out wedding and I kept hoping that this would not be the first. It is too important for everyone that the weather cooperate. It was obviously out of my hands, but someone was looking down on Kyla and Caley. Just in the nick of time, the rain clouds disappeared and the sun came out; there was nothing but blue sky. We were wowed and thankful.

Once the setup was complete, I was able to enjoy the festivities and loved being a part of them. When you’re involved in the planning, from start to finish, you have a different perspective and an appreciation for all the details as the event comes together.

I have never understood the purpose of a destination wedding but it was a fantastic choice for this large family that came from many different places. The wedding party and guests occupied most of the resort and as a result the atmosphere was very relaxed. All day long the guests gathered together around the hotel; they were everywhere—lounging, talking and celebrating the special day. It was an all for one and one for all party. 

The celebration lasts for the whole weekend but when the bride walks down the aisle, there is a sense of sheer joy. The image is amazing and worth a thousand words. And their life together begins.

Needless to say the wedding couldn’t have been more beautiful or more fun. The whole celebration was terrific—the setting, the bride and groom, even the flowers. I’m glad to say that everything went smoothly and I loved being a part of it. I can still feel the happiness and love.