Tag: wedding flowers

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Moody, Boho Wedding Shoot at Rivercrest Farm

the Garden by the Gate florist

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I was so lucky to work with this talented team for an amazing styled photoshoot at Rivercrest Farm in Dover, Ohio. Planned and organized by Ashley Anderson of Ash&Oak Planning, I hope you enjoy this video by NB Photography. The shoot featured our model Katherine making her entrance on the grand staircase in the Rivercrest barn. She then joined her “groom”, Russ, at the romantic sweetheart table styled with soft fabric, greenery, and flowers in retro glass bottles. Then on to the charcuterie board! Oh my, this table was literally covered with cheeses, meats, dips, rustic bread, fruit, and hand-decorated cookies. Our group then traveled up to Rivercrest’s iconic hilltop ceremony site. After a stop in the darling photo booth camper, and some shots in front of the beautifully decorated ceremony arch, our couple finished the day with a walk among the magnificent horses pastured nearby.

Being asked to provide the floral decor for this shoot was a huge compliment and I didn’t let them down. The bride’s bouquet was a large, free-form hand-tie featuring a large succulent grown in the Garden by the Gate, along with garden roses, roses, pampas grass, willow eucalyptus, and dahlias, also grown in the Garden. The groom wore a boutonniere of natural materials and a bit of pampas grass. The arch feature foraged materials from around the Garden by the Gate along with eucalyptus and flowers.

If you are planning a 2021 wedding, be sure to include this dream team of vendors:

Planner and Designer: @ashandoakplanning
Photographer: @cassiemwolf
Venue:@rivercrestfarm
Florist: @gardenbythegate
Gowns: @abridesdesign
Hair and makeup:@meghansullen @jenniferandco
Cookies: @cisforcookie_sr
Cakes & cupcakes: @clevelandand.cakes
Photo Booth: @happycamperbarcar
Models: @glimpseofwildflowers @russpitsul
Video: @nbphotographyllc

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Rent our Hexagonal Arch

Rent this hexagonal wooden wedding arch from Garden by the Gate Florist

Our new hexagonal arch can add a unique look to any wedding. Geometric wedding arches are a hot look for 2021 whether you cover it with masses of greenery and flowers or just add a few strategically-placed clusters. In any non-church/temple wedding, it’s important to define the ceremony space and give it the wow factor that your vow exchange deserves. You want all eyes focused on you! This can be achieved in a number of ways; large urns of flowers can be placed on each side of the ceremony space, overhead hanging installations can be used, or you can bring in a structure. And remember, the backdrop of the ceremony space will be in many, many of your photographs.

Our arch can be adapted to any wedding style from a  country club right on the golf course to framing a gorgeous view at a home wedding. It’s important for the arbor, arch, or pergola that you use to be sturdy enough to hold the decorations you plan to place on it and it needs to be secure so it stays standing through any kind of weather. Sandbags are helpful for this.  A quick, DIY sandbag can be made by fill dollar store zip-top cosmetic bags or school supply pouches with kitty litter. Be sure to assess the ground where the arch will be placed so that you are prepared to secure and keep it level. Plan for a way to disguise the sandbags such as sheet moss or decorative fabric.

Unload all these worries on me at Garden by the Gate by renting our hexagonal arch. We’ll deliver and set it up for you; making sure it’s steady and safe. Floral décor is an extra charge or you can decorate it yourself with some faux greenery garlands. You don’t have to be a Garden by the Gate floral customer to rent the arch. Our arch is made from 2X2 lumber stained a neutral brown. It has extra-sturdy, wide-set double base legs for your safety.

Contact me to learn all that we can do to make your wedding day everything you’ve been dreaming of.

Wedding Inquiry Form

Joy Walko, owner & lead designer
Garden by the Gate Floral Design
[email protected]
234-262-1253
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The Top 4 Worst Ever Wedding Flower Tips from the Internet

Purple Wedding Bouquet by Garden by the Gate, photo KristinLeanne Photography

The internet is your friend. When planning a wedding you simply can’t live without the tried and true stalwarts of the wedding world; sites and blogs like The Knot, Wedding Wire, Style Me Pretty, and of course Martha. But there are a few duds out there. I’m not going to call them out here, but I’ll just anonymously share some of their worst advice. Where do they get this stuff? They clearly didn’t interview any florists before writing these clunkers.

Dud Number 1

 “Try to have a meeting with your florist two weeks prior to your event so you can get a true sense of what is in season that close to your special day. ”

Wrong on so many levels! Two weeks before your wedding, your flowers have been ordered, your arrangements and bouquets carefully planned down to the last stem of stock. Your florist knows what is in season during your wedding, he or she doesn’t need to wait until the flowers are ready to ship from the farm to find out. If you’re living on the edge, trying to get, say, peonies in January, then there might be some last-minute shuffling.

Dud Number 2

“In season, fluffy-headed blossoms like hydrangeas and peonies can stretch a budget, because you need only a few to nicely fill a vase. “

This one is part dud and part true. Hydrangeas are HUGE, and not very expensive, so they do give you a lot of bang for your buck. I use them in practically every wedding. Peonies, however, are never cheap, even when at the height of their season, despite what the wedding websites may say. That said, they are beautiful, fragrant, and are a favorite with brides. I suggest that they be used in bouquets where their beauty and fragrance will be most appreciated. If you are on a budget, substitute less expensive flowers in table and ceremony decor. I love white cremones, which are a type of large mum.

Dud Number 3

” One costly mistake people make is adding the word “wedding” before everything . . . “

This little dud would have you believe that florists mark up the flowers just because they hear the word ‘wedding.’ Wedding flowers are special and they require specific techniques of designing, ordering, conditioning, and arranging. They are not your cash and carry grocery store bouquet. This is really a disservice to the floral industry; florists are not rip-off artists just looking to separate you from your hard-earned dollars. Believe me, we could find a more lucrative way to make a living if that were all that mattered. We are florists because we love beauty, we love to create, and we are wedding florists because we want to make your wedding day very special. The best thing you can do is be honest and upfront about your wants and budget. Then we can do our best to give you the best of both worlds.

Dud Number 4

This little gem was written by a wedding photographer:

” It is no secret that wedding flowers can be very expensive . . .”

Well, they certainly don’t want you thinking about how expensive your photography package is! (Community, not competition people!) Everyone wants to get the best photographer they can afford because “the photographs last forever”, but when it comes to flowers they’re all like “but flowers just die.” Oh really? Check out any wedding photo album and you’ll see that it’s full of pictures of, you guessed it, flowers! The bride is holding flowers, the bridesmaids are holding flowers, the men and women in the family are wearing flowers, every couple and group shot at the ceremony site shows the flowers that were used. Your flowers will last forever, just like your photos!

So where should you look for wedding flower advice? Talk to a wedding florist. Do they listen to what you’re saying? Do they try to talk you into something that doesn’t ring true or do they truly get your vision? Do they respond promptly and answer all of your questions? When you find a florist that understands you and your vision, who has a reputation for doing what they promise, then you can trust them to guide you to your perfect wedding flowers and give you a good value.

Call me today and let’s talk. I’ll give you my best effort and hope you’ll trust me to bring your wedding vision to life.

Wedding Inquiry Form

Joy Walko, owner & lead designer
Garden by the Gate Floral Design
[email protected]
234-262-1253

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Wedding Season is Back!

A boho wedding in the country features mis-matched bridesmaids bouquets and natural bouquets by Garden by the Gate Floral Design, Photo: Mallory + Justin Photography

I’m so excited that brides can start planning and having wedding celebrations again! Beginning in July, wedding ceremonies and receptions are allowed to host up to 300 people. There are still restrictions designed to minimize the spread of COVID 19, but gatherings will be happening again.

Of the couples that Garden by the Gate Floral Design is working with, the May and June weddings are mostly postponed and rescheduled for later in the year. Some couples are opting for a small ceremony now and a big party when things get back to “normal.” Others have postponed everything, some until 2021.

No one could have known that this pandemic was coming, so we all need to be patient and understanding as we work through this unprecedented event together. I want to do everything I can to give couples one less thing to stress about!

For those of you just starting on your wedding planning, I’m happy to say that while phone consultations have been working quite well, in-person appointments are available starting this month. So it’s up to you and I’ll do what you are comfortable with.

Restarting wedding celebrations is awesome, but mostly we’d like to know that fewer of our fellow Ohioans and Americans are getting sick and even dying from this disease. In our global society, we grieve for all of the world’s people who are going through this.

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Will Covid-19 Affect Your Wedding Plans?

WEdding flowers by Garden by the Gate florist.

Garden by the Gate is closely monitoring developments related to Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our region. As the number of confirmed cases in Ohio continues to rise, including in Stark, Summit, and Cuyahoga Counties, we are taking all necessary steps to help keep our clients, co-workers, suppliers, and the larger community at a low risk level.

With that in mind, we are following the recommendation for social distancing from the Ohio Department of Health and Governor Mike DeWine. As of today, March 17, 2020, all consultations will be held via phone or teleconferencing. If you have an in-person consultation scheduled, we’ll be in touch personally to confirm the phone consultation. If you are already a client of Garden by the Gate, we’ll also be in touch to let you know whether there is any effect at this time on your flower order. Our first priority is the safety of our clients and all those involved in making the magic happen!

We pray that this health emergency will soon abate, that these measures will help save lives, and that we will soon return to celebrating joyous events in the company of family and friends. Stay well and God bless!

Best regards,

Joy Walko

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A Conservatory Wedding at Gervasi Vineyard

Wedding at Gervasi Vineyard. Cafe au Lait dahlis, anemones, quicksand roses in flowers by Garden by the Gate Floral Design

Dana and Andrew planned an intimate ceremony in the Conservatory at Gervasi Vineyard followed by a wedding dinner in the wine cellar at the Gervasi Bistro. Dana planned her whole wedding long-distance so she trusted Garden by the Gate to understand her vision. When we finally met on her wedding day I felt like I’d always known her! Dana wanted to feel surrounded by flowers so I added delicate flowers to the hanging baskets of ferns that were already in the conservatory. She wanted the ceremony to be the focal point so we put a large arrangement of garden flowers at the front of the room. The colors were soft and neutral, lots of cream, blush, and sage green. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect and the sun shone through the glass walls and ceiling of the conservatory, lighting the way for the beautiful bride and her groom.

Afterward, everyone went over to the Gervasi Bistro for a cozy dinner in the wine cellar. A lush runner of flowers decorated the long table. An amazing cake by LaLa Custom Cakes of Lakewood featured Dana and Andrew’s initials carved into the icing. Check out the gorgeous blush roses accenting the cake! These are Quicksand roses and are absolutely gorgeous when coaxed into full, open bloom like these.

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The Barn on Enchanted Acres June Wedding

June Wedding. Wedding bouquets by the Garden by the Gate florist, North Canton Ohio

What would be better on a freezing February day than to look back at one of my favorite summer weddings from 2017? Let’s go back to a warm June day at the Barn on Enchanted Acres through the photos by Liza Kirk Photography. The Barn on Enchanted Acres is such an awesome wedding venue and we loved bringing it to life with abundant blush and white wedding flowers. Beautiful bride Brooke and her family were fantastic to work with and had tons of ideas for the flowers and other decorations. Everything couldn’t have been lovelier.

Guests were welcomed to the wedding by a barn wood sign the read “Happily Ever After Starts Here” above an abundant arrangement of peonies, roses, delphinium, snapdragons, and hydrangeas. For a barn wedding or outdoor wedding, you’ll need something to set off the ceremony area. At the Barn on Enchanted Acres they have a fab arbor that we covered in white hydrangeas, blush roses, and vines along with sheer draping. We added some lanterns and ferns to draw the eye to the focal point of the wedding, where the couple would say their vows.

We agree with brides that the most important item of the wedding flowers is the bridal bouquet. We advise brides that this is not where you want to try to save money on your wedding flowers. The bride’s bouquet should fulfill every one of her wedding day dreams. It was Brooke’s dream to have lots and lots of Peonies in her wedding flowers and we didn’t disappoint. We used peonies grown here in our own garden along with other locally sourced peonies. The scent was divine!  The ceremony took place right in a beautiful meadow behind the barn so the addition of Queen Ann’s Lace to the bouquets and centerpieces was just the right touch.

We loved the long, rectangular tables and gold Chiavari chairs provided by the Barn on Enchanted Acres. The centerpieces were arrangements of peonies, hydrangeas, and roses in tall mercury glass vases alternating with low arrangements. In addition, small cups containing a single peony dotted the tables. Don’t underestimate the power of flowers to set the mood and tone of your wedding. As the guests entered you could hear hushed exclamations of how lovely and romantic everything looked.

If you would like to chat with us about your wedding flowers, we would love to hear your ideas. The first step is to fill out our Wedding Inquiry Form and we’ll be glad to make an appointment to talk about your wedding flower ideas.

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the Garden by the Gate florist

the Garden by the Gate wedding florist located in North Canton and Hartville