After a wonderful  winter wedding season, this will be the last “Winter” post until our new designs are featured in late 2013.  The season provides gorgeous photos and is so romantic what with the sun setting early and allowing us to do our magic with candle light.

The Design…

Meghan loves ivory, grey, blush and pale peach.  These colors work so well in the colder months, creating a warm mood and enhancing candlelight. “My absolute favorite color is grey,” Meghan informed me in one of our first meetings. Grey berries nestled among ivory and pale pink blooms with just a few pops of green created the perfect wintery bouquet for Meghan, and we were able to finish it off with a wrap of champagne lace and tulle from her mother’s veil. It was a unique way to blend tradition, creativity, modern style and something very special from her family’s history. We used a vintage style overlay from our collection of linens and event props that matched the color of her mom’s veil, as well as our silver magnum champagne buckets for the ceremony and revere bowls for the reception arrangements.

Using the center hall of Saratoga National for the ceremony is an amazing option for winter nuptials at this prestigious location.

Thank you…

To this incredible couple for letting us help bring their winter wonderland to life, to Traci and the group at Saratoga National for making it a constant joy to work at one of our favorite venues, to Matt Ramos for the unbelievable photos of the couple and our work, to Make Me Fabulous for helping the Bride and her girls bring it, to Music Man Mike Garassi for getting the guests moving, and to my team for helping pull the whole thing together.

Congratulations Meghan & Jeff!

This wedding was all about the details, and Alyssa knew exactly the look she was going for.  We sourced lots of linen samples and landed on the perfect blush with just the right texture and feel for what Alyssa had in mind. Then it was on to chargers… Alyssa wanted a  pop of blue so we found the perfect state plate; a wide border of deep blue with a tiny gold band on the edge. We added our hemstitch linen napkin with a French ribbon in coral.   The menu the couple designed was perfect and together we created something amazing. Alyssa and Matt’s wedding was gorgeous. It took some digging and sourcing to find all the right elements but the vision came to life on their day.

Pulling it together for our Bride…

One of my favorite things in this business is to hand my brides their bouquet on the wedding day. I love to see their reaction, and after months of planning, it is such a great moment.  I had spent a great deal of time with this family, and I was looking forward to the big day. In our final meeting, I had to tell Alyssa I would not be there to deliver her personal flowers because I had scheduled a surgery I could not put off any longer. Five days before Alyssa and Matt’s big day, I had my tonsils removed. My doctor told me that I wasn’t allowed to do anything but rest for fourteen days. “Yeah, about that…” Friday afternoon I was in the shop, finishing off bouquets and making sure everything – down to the ribbons used to tie the napkins – was picture perfect. Thanks to following Dr’s orders for the first few days, and a fist full of advil,  I was able to deliver Alyssa’s bouquet. Nothing could have kept me away from this wedding!! There was no way Alyssa and Matt were walking into a room that had one candle out of place.  The flowers were coral, peach, and blush tones, with pops of deep raspberry to set it all off.  The hemstitch napkins, pierced fruit bowls, taper candles in vintage glass candlesticks, white china containers and layers of votives pulled the look together perfectly. We pulled off a fabulous wedding for a fabulous couple, and made sure Alyssa had the perfect blend of everything she desired.

Here is a little extra clip from our friend Philip…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thank You…

Most of all to Alyssa, Matt, and their families for letting us help create such an amazing day, to the Mazzone Group and the staff at the Hall of Springs for helping make everything perfect, to Christine Wheat and her staff for making sure every last detail was in place, to Tracey Buyce for these breathtaking photos, to Philip Coltart for catching every unforgettable moment on film, to Make Me Fabulous for helping the bride and her girls bring it in a big way, to Villa Italia for the scrumptious and oh-so-pretty cake, to Mike Emory and the New York Players for getting the guests out of their seats and on to the dance floor, and, finally, to my staff for working tirelessly to make sure everything exceeded our standard of excellence.

Congratulations Alyssa and Matt!

I met Tina and and Saleem over a year in advance of their wedding.  They made it clear from the beginning that their wedding was going to be different from the usual sit down dinner. They wanted to create a fun and lively atmosphere for their friends and family to celebrate in a less than traditional way.

 Clubbing at the Hall…

My job was to take the historic Hall of Springs and layout a room that would keep the party crowd on the dance floor. Sounds easy but,  I also had to make sure the more reserved group would have prime seats to the show! I had sent two different diagrams to Kevin at the HOS after several meetings with the couple.  I brought Kevin into the mix because this was a station wedding (food stations, buffet style).  We had to make sure the guests would be able to access all the great fare Tina and Saleem had selected for them without interrupting the high energy club style event that this couple wanted for their celebration. They had options:  more club less tables, or, more tables less club… They went with more club!

The design….

While building out the room, the couple and I selected a white dance floor as the main attraction.  I worked out a custom designed table as well: skinny, long and tall for high bar stools to surround the dance floor mixed with high and low cafe tables. Sections of lounge seating  were added to give the swag they were looking for.  They used a lower drape to hug the lounge area instead of the standard tall drape we usually use in the room. I had also suggested specialty lighting, and Tina’s love of candles came into play, too.

Colors and blooms

Gray, white, cream, purple, and lavender were the colors Tina selected.  Her only must have for flowers were tulips. We ran with that and built it out Renaissance style with lots of exotic tulips from Holland and some of spring’s finest. We kept the bud vases simple on the tall tables and pumped up the bloom count for the larger bouquets and the personal flowers. Tina had purple and tulips the two high priorities for the day. I had texted her pictures as we were making them up and she texted back… PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT!

Thank you

Tiffany Wayne for the great images, Greg Frasier for the music, Total Events for the rentals, and the Mazzone Group for taking our plan and executing it for this awesome couple.

Tina & Saleem, Congratulations!! Thank you so much for letting Renaissance be a part of your day. You both looked awesome sticking to the boot camp routine!

MacKenzie-Childs is celebrating its 30th Birthday, and our customers are the ones getting the gifts. The “Aurora” design that shows off the company’s history is so new that not all of the pieces are released yet! But from now until May 31, the Aurora Wine Cooler (which isn’t slated to launch until August of this year) will be added as a free gift to any purchase of 300.00 or more worth of MacKenzie-Childs pieces while they last!

The Gift…

This design incorporates all of the whimsy of MacKenzie-Childs with a glimpse into the lives of the owners as it depicts the gorgeous gardens and grounds where they create their to-die-for pieces. The wine cooler itself could not be more perfect for an elegant garden party or a cozy dinner for two. Whether you want to chill a bottle of your favorite vintage or show it off by filling it with a bouquet by Renaissance Floral Design, it’s the perfect addition to any evening. Plus, with its 75.00 value (not to mention that August launch date!) you couldn’t get a better opportunity to snap one up! Check out the MacKenzie-Childs section of our Showroom page to see what we have available, or stop by the store to pick out your favorite pieces!

Photo Shoots are always fun because you can play all day and be creative. Most often we find out the ideas of the client and then load up our trucks and haul out… It’s a blast because there are no rules, and it’s always fun to work with the pros when the pressure of a wedding is off. I usually bring way more than I could possibly need and pick and choose as I like. I’m so lucky to have the chance to do lots of them, but destination shoots are always the best

“Yes Mr. David…”

Lisa Light (Miss Lisa) had been hired by the resort to set up a photo shoot to help show off the property. Lisa grabbed me to do the design and Corbin Gurkin (Miss Corbin) to shoot the pics.  I had a few linens in my bag and a couple of little items from my store, aside from that, a pair of clippers and a knife.

We had four days of shooting scheduled and the list was long, Not only for Rose Hall but for all the properties associated with the location. When I arrived at the wholesaler to pick up all the flowers and materials my mouth dropped. I sent Lisa a list of about 3,000 stems, and there in front of me sat two buckets of flowers. TWO! A few lillies, two bunches of orchids, and an assortment of 150 roses. Lisa and I were stunned because we had no idea we would be so short on product. She looked at me on the way back to the hotel and said, ” What are we going to do?” I said, “I’ll make it work.”

When we got back to the hotel, I asked the General Manager if I could have the keys to one of the large ATV’s, he hesitated for a second and said, “How can I help, Mr. David?” I explained that I had a tenth of what I needed and would have to be creative. I needed to go out and cut from the property. He looked at me, perplexed and a little worried, but tried not to show it (I swear, no matter what you ask for at one of these properties, they will never say no). Then he said “May I find a driver for you, and I will send him out to help you, will that work?” I responded ” Sure, does he have a machete?”… ” Yes Mr. David”

Off we went with not one cart but two. I would ask to stop; they would; I would cut bits and pieces here and there until we filled both ATVs. At the end of our foraging trip, I had them stop by two palm trees.  They were both about 30′ tall, they had beautiful seed stems, one with pale green seeds and the other with red and orange. The seeds (Palm Nuts) were way up in the top. I asked Michael, the driver I was with, if he could find me a ladder. He asked me to wait just a moment and off he went.  Within minutes, the GM of the hotel pulled up and said “”Mr. David, it will be a bit for us to bring the ladder. Why don’t we go inside and have a drink?” At this point, I could not argue. They were doing everything I asked and seemed happy to do it. When I finished my drink, and we walked out the main entrance, I could not believe my eyes. There were two bundles of Palm nuts, one green ,one orange and yellow. The GM said, “Will that do, Mr. David?” I said, “You tricked me so I would not climb up in the trees didn’t you?” He said “Yes Mr. David, I hope you don’t mind.”

Styling Rose Hall…

The next morning I headed out of the lobby to start my day , there sat my very own cart, machete, and buckets!!!  I could not have been happier. I got to keep my cart for the whole time at Rose Hall and we had a blast. When finished with the shoot late Sunday night we actually got a standing ovation from all of the staff that had been working with us over the past five days.  Working away from home is always such a treat. Challenges come up that you don’t expect and you are forced to think out side of the box. This is something I highly recommend!

Thank you…

To the staff and management of Rose Hall Resort, The Great House, Cinnamon Hill Golf Club in Jamaica, Corbin Gurkin for shooting all the pics she sent to me, even though I lost the first batch (sorry Corbin). Lisa Light for trusting in me to give Rose Hall stunning images for their luxury wedding promotions, and for letting me be a part of this very fun ride.

Renaissance Floral Design loves creating custom weddings! This year we had a blast! The last few winter weddings in the tail end of December really made us fall in love with winter all over again. Sam and her mom, Terri Boland, were a trip to work with. They are the type of clients that have all of us in the business a buzz about how much we love our jobs. Between the texts and emails flowing between Kevin at Mansion, Christine at CW Events, Rebecca at Pink Orange, and Tracey and Al we were all geared up to bring it!

Snow, ice, and coconut cream pie…

Little did we know that the entire region would get a fresh blanket of snow for this special event.  Talk about a vision coming together… I combined a white sequin full length cloth for the “ICE” with a white frosted ruffle that looked like drifts of “SNOW” on the guest tables. We had our winter groove on for sure. From the mansion design to a signature drink… Coconut Cream Pie Martini! YOW!! Terri has a weakness for the dessert at 677 Prime, as do I.

Design On…

We already had our Snow and Ice guest tables,  so, to switch things up, I used a woven, silver mercury cloth for the head table.  I used containers of pewter and mercury glass for the flowers and added flocked branches and twigs to the tall arrangements.  We had our winter groove on for sure! Terri had this sleigh she kept telling me about, and it was not until the day of the wedding that I got to see it. It was the perfect accent to the day. Rebecca from the Pink Orange had been hard at work for months working on all the printed materials, and they were sweet!

The Crew…

Huge thanks for the help with this event (and for the crazy fun) with all the pros who made this day perfect for our bride and groom.  Kevin and the Mansion Catering gang, Tracey Buyce for the pics, Al Woodard for always being a good time, Christine Wheat’s team for moving it along, Mike Garrasi for the lighting and the tunes, Rebecca of the Pink Orange for all the printed materials, A&Company Salon for getting the bride looking her best, my crew for delivering in the snow, and the the families of the bride and groom for giving us the chance to work with you!

Congratulations Samantha & Domenico!

Here is a little peek at one of the 100 exhibits at the Museum for the next three days including how we make it happen.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Special thank you to Will at Nuvue Cinema for pulling an all nighter on this mini-film to to have it up in time for today!

Design for a cause…

The New York State Museum has hosted this annual fundraiser New York in Bloom for 22 years.  All of the proceeds raised benefit the  Museum Club Program offering educational and creative environments for children and young adults ages 8 to 18 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. The show will be running all weekend, from Friday, February 22, to Sunday, February 24.

This is my 18th year participating, and my staff and I are honored to be returning once again. New York in Bloom offers us a chance to not only help a great cause, but also interact with the Museum Staff

Getting our design on 2012…

We love love love working with couples and bringing their visions to life, but this event offers us a rare opportunity to really go all out. Last year we were lucky enough to work with the Museum to show case some elements from the estate of Robert A Kelly in New York City, featuring custom made furniture by Alexander Roux.

Getting our design on 2013…

 A few months ago I had the chance to view the collection of items in an off-site storage facility, and one piece stood out. A vintage wood and glass hearse that had been restored and gifted to the museum  years ago. It had never been on display, and it was so cool I had to make it happen.  It took me a while, but finally, I had an epiphany… Once Upon a Time!! Not only would this allow me to feature the Hearse, it would also gave me the chance to incorporate some other items that had not been seen by the public.

With tremendous effort, the hearse was dismantled and reassembled by the skilled hands of many people at the museum.

Once the main feature was in place, the other elements began to come together.  Straw was being spun into gold by that little nuisance  Rumpelstiltskin,  Cinderella’s dress was floating in the air carried by blue birds, and that famous glass slipper was also on display. Even the  poison apple with a bite out of it, made completely out of flowers, was on display.

Please stop by and help support this wonderful cause. Bring friends and family to experience over 100 displays exhibited at the museum.

You can also check out the Times Union piece on New York in Bloom and our involvement. Below is a shot of some of the teens and their instructors who benefit from and help keep the program running.

]]> http://www.renaissancefloraldesign.com/new-york-in-bloom-2013-nys-museum/feed/ 6 http://www.renaissancefloraldesign.com/david-michael-schmidt-looking-back-on-2012/ http://www.renaissancefloraldesign.com/david-michael-schmidt-looking-back-on-2012/#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:08:43 +0000 David Michael Schmidt http://www.renaissancefloraldesign.com/?p=4785 Walking in my shoes…

On a daily basis I have people say to me “I would love to have your job!” While I don’t doubt that, I wonder if they understand the requirements. Your family may not recognize you when they finally get to see your face. The “Weekend” has a VERY different meaning.  If your current job allows you a second chance,  option of a redo, or room for improvement? Trust me… just stay comfortable. People that know me ask: “How do you have the energy to do it?” “Do you ever sleep?” “Why are you at work early and leave so late everyday?”  Yes, 80-plus hour weeks, every week, can be exhausting, not to mention wishing for more hours in a day. So now that you have been subjected to all my  ”whining” take a look at this video, it’s a montage of a tiny collection of bits and pieces leading up to 2013.  This is why I do what I do:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The collection of footage was captured by the following incredible video teams: Al Woodard Vantage Video, Clark and Walker Studios, Full Frame Cinema, Niki Rossi Productions,  Nuvue Cinema, and Hauke Digital Productions who also spent the many hours splicing this together.

A huge shout out to all the PROS’ who all have the same dedication to our clients that I do: Angela Proffitt, Clifton Park Rental, Christine A Wheat Special Events Firm, Dawn Bennett, Katie O, the Mazzone Group, Total Events,  Wedding Planning Plus and to my dedicated staff of Renaissance Floral Design.

In addition to the private family homes,  locations featured include: Appel Inn, the Canfield Casino, the Glen Sanders Mansion, the Hall of Springs, the Inn at Erlowest, the Lake George Club, the New York State Museum, and the Sagamore Resort.

And a special thanks to the couples featured who invited me into their lives to help start them on their paths as husband and wife: Alexis & David, Amanda & Shane, Amara & Matt, Constance & Peter, Crystal & Lou, Hillary & Chris, Jamie & Sean, Kristen & Michael, Laura & Mark, Lauren & Andy, Marika & Paul, Nichole & Luke, Niki & Chris, Shanna & Scott, Shannon & Ryan, and Sonia & Carlos.

For those of you who think you were missed…. We are working on another one so stay tuned!

Her day… you better believe it!  But we shouldn’t be leaving our guy out on his own, so we’re giving him a shout out with a few tips to make sure the men can get their style on too.

Work what you’ve got…

If you guys don’t already know, your ladies are SERIOUS about bringing it on the big day… This is their Superbowl! Don’t think for a second that they are not going to use every trick in the book.  When you see your one and only heading to that end zone at the altar, she intends to score a touchdown! ARE YOU READY???

Make Me Fabulous, one of our preferred  hair and make up crews, arrive locked and loaded for the bride and her entourage, at the crack of dawn on the wedding day.  Turns out, they can hook you and your boys up, too!

Man-Scaping…

Go from looking homeless to being aisle eye candy!  In the same amount of time it takes to get a work out at the gym, you can get your style on, too.  Tame those eyebrows (without making you look like a Jersey Shore star), trim nose and ear hair for those close up shots, grab a little spray tan.  Taming the beast on your chest and back ensures high marks on the beach blanket bingo scorecard for the honeymoon. “Beauty is pain?” HA! You’ve got this!  Get a quick trim or a hot shave,  or take those hands and feet from rough to READY! Make Me Fabulous even has a package called “Simply for the Groom.” Your bride is going to have you drooling when she comes down that aisle.  No reason why your lady GAGA should not be all goo goo with the hunk of hotness at the finish line. Yea Boy!

Man Style…

You know your girl has her whole crew looking good, so at Renaissance we’ve got your back with a few bits and pieces to pimp you and your crew out.   Suburban Silk’s cufflinks will have you  killing it by working in her color scheme. Here are a few cool options that can be paired with bow ties or pocket squares. Christine Wheat, one of our fav wedding planners, has a whole bag of tricks that are just for the men. Christine says  ”What groom doesn’t want to look smoking hot on his wedding day?” She did spill a few ideas like custom cigar kits, to help the guys blow off some steam after the I do’s are done, not to mention a great rat-pack photo op., or customized shaving kits (just in case they couldn’t muster the courage for man-scaping boot camp).

Wanna go all out…Forget about your team’s logo, get one of your own! We’ll customize the front of these hats in stitching, and you can add any text on the back. These are great gifts at the rehearsal dinner for the groomsmen or whoever you have on your team.

Remember it takes two to TANGO, so have your A-Game on!

Allison and Edwin chose the Mansion Inn for their wedding day. Nuptials in the garden and cocktails on the porch, and then they were off to the rustic barn on the property for the reception. Shannon Whitney introduced me to Allison almost 8 months before the wedding. After our first meeting, I knew why Shannon brought her to me. She needed someone to help her with her vision, and I was excited to work with Allison’s ideas.

The design…

The most important thing on Allison’s list was candles: on the table and hanging with lights. Because they are not allowed in the barn, we had to make some revisions, but we still got the look just right. the flowers were warm and rich in tone, and I used lots of berries and twigs for the design. The tables were draped in hemp linen and spun burlap overlays, and I added hemstitch linen napkins, too, for that at home feel. I also used a chair that is rarely used because we don’t have a huge amount of them. They are a mahogany ball room chair, perfect for this event.

In the center of the barn, we strung barcelona lights and then wrapped layers of grapevine with hanging votive holders that we used faux candles in.

As it turns out, it was chilly on the wedding day, but Shannon Whitney and I were on it. The barn is not heated, but it was for this event.

Thank you…

Shannon Whitney, thank you for introducing me to this very fun client. Heather Bohm-Tallman thanks for the great pics! Lori from the Mansion Inn could not have been more helpful and willing to make sure our bride was thrilled.  DJ Gregg Frasier got the guests’ groove on. Hair was done by Timeless Updos, and make up by Jen from True Grace.  Special thanks to Cody on my team for helping me set this one up, and, of course, the boys at CPRC.

Congratulations Allison & Edwin!