2010 Winner: Bride's Choice Awards by WeddingWire!!

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Bella Flora of Dallas has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for floral and event design!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Bella Flora of Dallas is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Bella Flora of Dallas is among the very best in floral and event design within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings.

We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards!!

Happy planning,

Team Bella

Wedding Gown Trends for 2010

It is that time of year again when the anticipation ends! The New York Bridal Market has featured the fabulous 2010 wedding gown collections! There are many wonderful trends being seen in the bridal fashion world this year and we are here to introduce you to a few!

The top wedding gown styles going down the runway in 2010 include slinky silhouettes, ballgown, fifties inspired styles, mermaid, tea-length, and Grecian style.

Many designers are creating gowns to accentuate the brides figure with the silhouette gowns. These gowns are being seen in silk, lace, and satin. The silhouette gown is absolutely stunning on any bride wanting to show off her curves!

The fifties inspired gowns are breath-taking and creative. We love the infinite possibilities that this style of gown offers such as adding a belt at the waist or having an asymmetrical hemline. The fifties fashion is just fun and spontaneous!

A long the lines of the fifties inspired gowns designers are now designing tea-length gowns for a more casual, less traditional wedding. The tea-length gowns are perfect for a bride who loves accessories! With a shorter gown the bride can dress it up with a fabulous pair of shoes or dramatic jewelry! Love this style for spring 2010!

The Grecian style gowns are extreme romantic and elegant. Designers love this style for 2010 because of the high waists and sheer materials! This look is stunning for a formal and idealistic wedding.

One designer that stood out during New York Bridal Market 2010 was Oscar De La Renta with a collection that emcompasses all of the top wedding gown trends for 2010!

(http://www.oscardelarenta.com/)

2010 is going to be a inspirational year for wedding gowns so have fun with your choice because there is a gown out there for every bride's personality!

Happy planning and shopping!!

Team Bella

Bella Bride: Christie & Ryan Garko

Christie and Ryan Garko had a courtship that lasted over five years prior to their wedding day in December 2009. Their wedding was absolutely stunning with a clean and classic palette of white and ivory floral. The couple selected Perkins Chapel and The Four Seasons Resort for their special and elegant day. The bride planned from multiple states as the groom, Ryan is a Major League Baseball player.

Our gorgeous bride and some of her wedding party pre-ceremony. Mayra Rams-Sanabria and Sonia Trevino provided hair and make-up services for our beautiful wedding party. There were a lot of girls to do, actually a total of 8 bridesmaids and 1 Maton-of-Honor, but like the pros they are, they pulled it off with time to spare for last minute touch-ups.

The ceremony was beautiful at Perkins Chapel designed with white and ivory toned floral to compliment the simplicity of the chapel.

Christie wore a Vera Wang ivory gown accented with a lace bolero and a stunning belt from Warren Barron. She carried a stylish bouquet of all white, ivory, and champagne floral including fluttery peonies, lush hydrangeas, and fluffy garden roses. The bride told Lucy, "I want my bouquet BIG!" It was perfect for our beautiful bride.

The bridesmaid’s wore beautiful gun-metal gowns with jewel accents which were a wonderful backdrop for the all white and ivory toned floral bouquets. The bouquets were a combination of lush garden cabbage roses and hydrangeas.

The reception was designed with elegant floral arrangements at a variety of heights utilizing the wedding’s clean and classic palette of all white, ivory and champagne tones. The reception was accented with silver chandeliers, vases, and candelabras.

The couple added a personal and creative touch to their big day with Cracker Jack and Peanut wedding favors for the guests to represent the couple and Ryan’s career in baseball, which has played a very big role in their lives together. This idea was absolutely adorable!

Christie and Ryan’s wedding was so much fun and we adored this couple. It's actually disappointing sometimes when our bride's wedding day comes and goes, however, we know that we will remain in close contact with them . We were so happy to have been a part of their wedding day! We wish them the very best!

Team Bella

Credits:

Photography: Vim Studio
Wedding Planner: Crystal Frasier, Bella Flora of Dallas
Cake: Le Gateau Cakery
Floral and Design: Bella Flora of Dallas
Ceremony: Perkins Chapel
Reception: The Four Seasons Resort- The Pavilion
DJ: Bold Entertainment
Cocktail Music: Justin Cash Band, Justin Cash
Videography: Jonathan Moon
Hair: Sonia Trevino
Make-Up: Mayra Rams-Sanabria
Lighting: Lite Dallas
Gown: Warren Barron

Goodbye 2009 - Hello 2010

Happy Belated New Years Everyone!

We hope everyone had a great introduction to 2010 and are gearing up for a fantastic year! With the new year, we thought this would be the perfect time to reflect and thank the many wonderful brides and vendors we have been fortunate to work with in 2009. Without further ado, here is a "visual" reflection of 2009.






























We couldn't be any luckier to have worked with some amazing brides and are eager to start 2010 with an "eventful" bang!

Happy planning all!

Spring 2010 Trends!

In the coming year the trends are going to bold, bright, and full of color. In regards to color 2010 is going to stray away from the traditional pastels. Bright oranges, yellows, and turquoise will be the primary colors for spring of 2010. These colors will be accompanied by jewel tones as well this season.

The combination of yellow and turquoise is a beautiful and playful addition to a spring wedding.

Bright orange and peach tones can add contrast to a bride’s simple cream or ivory gown.

In addition to all the bold and bright colors of the season, many people will opt to remain contemporary with a mixture of black, red and white. These colors will be used a different way for spring of 2010 such as black floral or black and red accents to a simple wedding gown.

The dress trends for spring 2010 are bigger and better than ever! Designers are creating dresses for the spring revolving around flowers, metallic fabrics, beading, lace, ruffled tiers, asymmetrical necklines, feathers, touches of black, color, and last but not least mini dresses.

All over lace is a huge trend for wedding dresses in the spring. It’s incredibly romantic and can be worn for a day or night wedding.

Ruffled tiers are a great way to add texture and movement to a wedding gown.

And when it comes to asymmetrical necklines, one shoulder wedding gowns are everywhere on the bridal runways and are giving strapless gowns a run for their money!

Going back to the basics is going to be a huge trend this coming spring. Events will focus on the attention to detail this season not the drama of the evening. Home weddings will be seen a lot in the spring 2010. Home weddings can be intimate with smaller guest lists and elegant, sophisticated details.

Buttercream on the big day will replace fondant this season. Tools and techniques now allow buttercream to look as smooth as fondant.

Spring 2010 is going to be a fun season for planning with all the bold and bright trends! So have fun and enjoy the planning!

Happy Planning!

Team Bella

Behind the Scenes with Bella: Concept to Design to Installation

Happy Holidays everyone! With Christmas right around the corner, we thought this would be the perfect time to feature one of our favorite holiday parties and show some behind the scene features in the development of such a grand fete.

The first step is to develop a concept; this year the client chose to go with a "Home for the Holidays" theme for a merry and spirited feel. We then began to research colors, flowers and textures that would embody the feel and allow us to work with some unique seasonal items.


We love texture and decided that rich chocolate and wine velvets, luminous golds, crab apple greens, ilex berry red and fragrant seasonal foliage would all contribute to the theme and add to the overall sensory appeal.

We then began to create renderings of what the centerpieces would look like. With such a traditional theme, we knew we needed a WOW factor to make a memorable impression. We like to create at least three designs for a nice varied look. Here are some renderings of the three designs we came up with.



Low Design



Tall Design



Super Tall Design :) ~ This one is over 8 feet tall!

Once the prototypes were approved and all lighting and linen selections were taken care of, it was time for the installation. One of our favorite venues, The Four Seasons Resort - Las Colinas,
was the location for the party. Here is an image of the ballroom early morning.



Tables were in the form of both squares and circles for a stylish and symmetric look.



Linens were a combination of Bella Flora and Posh Couture Rentals.



As the day progressed, so did the transformation of the room. Shown here is the velvet fabric treatment going up alongside crystal chandeliers from LITE Dallas.



...and the final product with washes of amber encompassing the room along with traditional and classic damask emblems. All the elements really came together beautifully!



The tall centerpiece complete with gorgeous ornaments, antique hydrangea, amaryllis, james story orchids, and ilex berry clusters.



I loved the low centerpieces laden with berries, rosettes, mini apples, amaryllis and fragrant cedar foliage. We then placed the arrangements (designed in mercury glass) atop these charming beveled mirrors for an updated twist on "hotel-mirror" decor.



The super tall centerpiece design in all it's holiday glory :)

The event was a huge success and really captured the spirit of the holidays. While it did take hours and hours of work to create, we couldn't have been more pleased with the end results. We want to thank our awesome clients for being open to creative ideas and the fabulous team of vendors who helped create this magical evening.

Happy Holidays!

Team Bella

Premium Wedding Playlist

One of the most difficult decisions for a couple to make is the choice of song for the first dance, father/ daughter dance, and mother/ son dance. So we are here to help! Here are some of our personal favorites for a variety of styles.

First Dance:

Photo Credit: Karlisch Photography (http://www.karlischphotography.com/)

Classic and Traditional
1. Someone Like You- Van Morrison
2. The Way You Look Tonight- Michael Buble
3. Wonderful Tonight- Eric Clapton
4. Crazy Love- Van Morrison
5. Let It Be Me- Ray LaMontagne

Trendy:
1. They Bring Me To You- Joshua Radin
2. This Years Love- David Gray
3. Somebody Loved- The Weepies
4. Today- Joshua Radin
5. Come Away With Me- Norah Jones

Country
1. Me and You- Kenny Chesney
2. Amazed- Lonestar
3. I Swear- John Michael Montgomery
4. Then- Brad Paisley
5. I Cross My Heart- George Strait

Father/ Daughter Dance:

Classic and Traditional:
1. Always Together- Dean Martin
2. Brown Eyed Girl- Van Morrison
3. My Girl- The Temptations
4. Isn’t She Lovely- Stevie Wonder
5. Every Breathe You Take- The Police

Trendy:
1. Sweet Pea- Amos Lee
2. Diamonds On The Inside- Ben Harper
3. If I Could- Ray Charles
4. Daughters- John Mayer
5. My Father’s Eyes- Eric Clapton

Country:
1. My Little Girl- Tim McGraw
2. She’s Everything- Brad Paisley
3. A Father’s Love- George Strait
4. I Wish I Could- Collin Raye
5. I Loved Her First- Heartland

Mother/ Son Dance:

Classic and Traditional:
1. Stand By Me- Ben E. King
2. Your Song- Elton John
3. What A Wonderful World- Louis Armstrong
4. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You- Van Morrison
5. I Wish You Love- Rod Stewart

Trendy:
1. A Wink And A Smile- Harry Connick Jr.
2. Closer- Joshua Radin
3. Lean On Me- Bill Withers
4. That’s Amore- Dean Martin
5. You Are- Lionel Richie

Country:
1. The Dance- Garth Brooks
2. Just To See You Smile- Tim McGraw
3. My Wish- Rascal Flatts
4. Don’t Blink- Kenny Chesney
5. There Goes My Life- Kenny Chesney

Enjoy the music! And remember the song that you choose should represent you so have fun with it!

Happy Planning!

Team Bella