Bella Bride: Stephanie Velasquez and Andrew Szatan

Whew! How is it already almost 2011? Where has the year gone?! We've had a great year at Bella Flora and are looking forward to 2011 with our new brides =) But first, let's take a look back at this beautiful bride who celebrated her October 30, 2010 wedding in style. Stephanie and Andrew met seven years ago on Halloween and wanted to celebrate during their favorite time of year. This fun and positive group was so great to work with, and we are so excited to share their beautiful day with you!

Stephanie and Andrew exchanged I Do's at the Dallas Museum of Art in the beautiful sculpture gardens in front of the gorgeous water fall. The rich jewel tones were perfect for the evening ceremony.

The altar area was adorned with a beautiful and modern backdrop composed of a grand collection of vessels placed on top the clear Lucite table. Submerged floral and candlelight added an extra element of interest.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

Love this mix of lush floral and modern design.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The aisle chairs were embellished with simple and stylish purple/violet hydrangea and ribbon streamers that flowed gracefully down the chair.

Stephanie's exquisite bouquet was designed using a glorious blending of deep plum, violet and Vanda-toned floral fashioned into a perfect pave bouquet. The design incorporated a blending of interesting textures
including lavender hydrangea, fragrant freesia, two toned calla lilies, Vanda orchids and grape muscari.


























The stunning bouquet was accented with a crystal broach.

The bridesmaids were given gorgeous bouquets designed in floral in tones of deep violets, amethyst, raspberry, silver greys and vibrant splashed of fuchsia toned blossoms. The color palette accented their dresses beautifully!

What a handsome group of guys!

Andrew's bout. was designed with a unique Picasso mini calla that coordinated with Stephanie's colorful bouquet.

After the ceremony, guests headed to the reception in the Atrium which was transformed with fantastic lighting, exquisite linens and fabulous floral. I love how this picture captures the full "sha-bang" of Stephanie's vision.

What great detailing on the wall!

Select tables were adorned with a trio of tall glass flauta vases that were filled with fluttery blossoms of violet and lavender lush hydrangeas. The gorgeous and natural tone was complemented with  an array of lower lying mercury glass vessels that displayed soft textured mounds of all sweet stock, pretty garden roses, and calypso orchids.

Another selection of round tables were accented with a collection of glass vessels that were filled with fresh water and stunning lavender Dutch hydrangeas, phalaenopsis, and calypso orchids flowing over in a mass setting.

Cheers!

The masks were a huge hit!

These next few shots are great. Their exuberant energy is practically oozing off the page!

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Szatan!

~Team Bella

Credits:

Venue: The Dallas Museum of Art

Floral: Bella Flora of Dallas

Photography: Sarah Kate

Coordinator: DFW Events

DJ: Andy Austin

Chairs: POSH

Lighting: Beyond

Hair: Elan

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!

Behind the Scenes with Bella: Bouquets

Everyone loves flowers. The naturally awesome colors, sweet fragrances, unique shapes....flowers rock! When designing flowers for a wedding or event, no one really sees the process of creating a gorgeous bouquet or centerpiece like the one pictured below.



The process from concept to actual design is a very time sensitive one with production starting weeks before a wedding. With this post, we'd like to share a glimpse into how things "happen" with bouquets.

After the concept and color schemes are nailed down, flowers are then ordered from various sources sometimes as far as Holland and New Zealand. Once flowers arrive via air cargo it is extremely important to nurture and care for the stems after having traveled out of water for days at a time. Some flowers travel safely with little to no worries (i.e. orchids), but others like hydrangeas, sweet peas, peonies need to be re-cut to ensure they are absorbing water properly.



After flowers are processed and allowed ample time to "breathe", we then begin to allocate each stem to each designated area. (i.e. bridal bouquets, boutonnieres, etc. ) Once that is complete, we then hand wire blooms from a multi-bloomed stalk (i.e. cymbidiums, mokara orchids) to ensure we get the best use of the stem.



The formation process is next which involves designing and ensuring balance in color, form and overall care for each stem. We like to saturate the blooms heavily with a mixture of water and floral preserve during this time so they can be stored safe and sound for the big day.



Depending on the day of the wedding, we then proceed to wrap the bouquet with a fine ribbon treatment to coordinate with the overall design. The final product is always a joy to present to the bride knowing that a great deal of time and patience went into the creation of a fabulous bouquet. Below is a snippet of a bridesmaids bouquet for a super fun wedding at The Dallas Museum of Art.



... and here is the beautiful bridal bouquet designed with a soft textured blending of ivory garden roses, baby majolica roses, fluttery white orchids and dashes of lilac toned sweet pea for a subtle pop of color.



As you can see, the bouquet is just one area of the wedding where details really do make a big difference. They are photographed with the bride and become cherished tokens from a truly memorable day.

In upcoming posts, we will continue Behind the Scenes with Bella Blogs to showcase the other aspects of creating a wedding. From concept development, renderings, linen selections, lighting design, the list just goes on and on!

Until next time! Happy Planning!

Team Bella