You and Me, Flowers. Let's Make Out.

Oh, you thought maybe I was done talking about my wedding? That's very funny.

Our florist was Orna Maymon from Ornamento, and she did a fabulous job.  Orna is not exactly a budget florist, but extremely talented and very familiar with our venue.  Also, since we weren't having that many flowers, I thought it was worthwhile to splurge a little on the whittled-down list we did have, which included:

• 3 Cocktail hour table arrangements
• 6 Reception table centerpieces

Yep, that was it!  But then...

After we changed our minds and decided to have a ceremony, I thought it would be nice to have some flowers for decoration.  I called Orna with what I thought was a sufficient amount to procure two ceremony altar pieces plus aisle decor to boot.  In response, she told me that my proposed amount would cover *one* arrangement.  Er? 

I strongly considered just buying rose petals online and scattering them on the floor, and nixing the ceremony flower arrangement altogether.  I mean, why pay hundreds for flowers that you only use for 30 minutes?

My family was not so into my idea.  First, the original site for our ceremony was a fairly plain conference room, and second, it was gently pointed out to me that the ceremony flowers will always be in our wedding pictures.

Sigh. The photos. I was swayed. I'm so suggestible!

So it was back to the one ceremony flower arrangement. Yes, just one single flower arrangement. But what an arrangement it was:

still giving everyone the finger

The second I laid eyes on the arrangement, it became clear why my budget could only accommodate one "piddly" arrangement.  Gah I loved it.  Incidentally, it also helped block some of the sun rays beaming straight at our guests' corneas.

After the ceremony, the staff moved the arrangement into the reception room, so we could enjoy it throughout the evening.  I still think about it.  I hope it still thinks about me too, because I love it.

Orna also did an absolutely lovely job with the cocktail hour flowers:

And the reception centerpieces, our dreamy, fragrant centerpieces filled with lilacs, tulips, hyacinth, lily of the valley, jasmine, artichokes and ranunculus that I just wanted to bury my face in:

do you spy the artichoke at the very top?

another artichoke sighting! who sees it? who sees it?

Wait! I'm not done--I had a surprise second florist!

Remember how I said I wasn't going to have a bouquet because of the cost and effort? Well, I have a few incredibly thoughtful friends who decided that I was lame and gifted me a gorgeous bouquet. If I had specifically ordered a bouquet, this would have been it. It smelled delicious because of the freesia.

I was so happy and proud to carry this beauty on my wedding day.

Any back and forth on your florals? Any floral decor you splurged on?

All photos courtesy of CK Hwang/39 East Photography