Tag Archives: wedding flowers

Peoria, Illinois Summer Wedding – Kate and Austin

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Kate and Austin met through mutual friends at the local watering hole “The Vault Bar & Grill” while he was at ISU and she was prepping for grad school.  They enjoyed hanging out and studying together and were regulars at The Vault Monday night’s bacon pizza and $ beers.  As their friendship grew, Austin asked her on their first official “date” where they went to Granite City in East Peoria and stopped for ice-cream on the way home.  Stopping for ice-cream became a ritual during the course of their courtship.

wedding day, bride and groom, wedding party photo

How did Austin propose?

Austin followed the family tradition of asking the bride’s father for her hand in marriage to which her father responded, “I guess…as long as it’s just her hand!”  Kate was unaware that Austin had been shopping for and  had found the perfect ring, or that he had asked her father for her hand in marriage.  As Christmas arrived, Kate wondered if she would receive a ring, but Austin presented her with a DSLR camera telling her she could “capture their memories.”  She did check inside the case, but alas, no ring.  A few days later Austin announced he had planned a “date day” in Peoria which included a trip to Bass Pro and lunch.  On the way home Kate kept asking to stop for ice-cream but Austin had bigger plans than ice-cream.  He took her to Granite City for a drink where they had enjoyed their first date but when they pulled into the parking lot, Austin asked Kate to take a walk along the riverfront.  It was too dark to take the walk on their first date, but this evening was beautiful with chunks of melting ice flowing down the river against a gorgeous sunset.  As they reached a historical bridge monument, he gave Kate a big hug and confessed that he didn’t only buy her a camera for Christmas.  He got down on one knee and popped the question to which Kate responded “Of course!”

 

bridal bouquet, garden style bridal bouquet Succulent Bridal bouquet

How did you decide on a theme for your wedding decor?

This came really natural – we didn’t want anything that wasn’t “us” when it came to our big day.  We both love outdoors, we farm and we like to keep things simple (but wanted a classy, elegant touch) so we went with the things we love – lots of greens, garlands, candlelight, some beautiful floral arrangements and mercury glass accessories for that elegant touch!  A unique touch was the table signs that each had the name of a tree which went perfectly with the wedding decor theme of outdoors and natural.

garlands, table garland decor head table garland

What did you enjoy most about wedding planning?

I enjoyed doing the wedding flowers the most since I come from a horticulture background and have a degree in horticulture.  Kate wanted a lot of mixed greens in her wedding flowers, wedding decor and bridal bouquets to give a garden feel and look.  We used silver $ eucalyptus, rosemary, Italian ruscus, nagi and tree fern to achieve that garden feel.   We also incorporated succulents along with garden roses, lavender, wax flower, orlaya and veronica for the blooms in the bridal bouquets and table centerpieces.

garden style bridal bouquet, succulent bridal bouquet

What did you find most difficult about wedding planning?

I am very organized and like things done ahead of time – so that turned out to be the most difficult thing as we were finished with everything by April for our June wedding.  It was a stressful time for Austin and me to complete everything.  Later I kept thinking I should be doing something but my wedding coordinator, Katie Gerber of Perfect Glow, was amazing and assured me in reality I had it all done!!

wedding cake decor, cake topper Candlelight decor, reception table garlands

Would you change anything if you could?

No.  I wouldn’t even change the weather (it was 95 degrees and very humid)!  Everyone thinks they want a perfect wedding, but in reality it’s the things that go array (like the weather which we couldn’t control) that make your day memorable!!  Our wedding day was the most perfect day of our lives and I am so excited to get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.

mint bridesmaid dresses, wedding flowers, bridesmaid bouquets

Do you have any wedding planning advice for newly engaged couples?

At the end of the day it’s about the love you share with your partner and the vows and promises you make to each other during your ceremony.  It’s about the love that will radiate off of you, your partner and your guests that day which you will want to carry on with you for the rest of your life!  Don’t focus on the little things – focus on each other and what makes your love and your relationship unique!  Focus on what a wedding truly is supposed to be about – LOVE!!

bride, bridal dress, bridal bouquet groom, groom's boutonniere, wedding day

What did Kate think about the wedding floral decor, bridal bouquets, bouts and centerpieces we did for her?

Nancy is the epitome of floral art and talent. Nancy took my vision and made it happen. The flowers were gorgeous even after hours in 92 degree weather! Nancy is patient, kind, and very easy to work with. Her husband, Wayne is pretty talented as well with the garland. You will not be disappointed by booking with Fancy Florals by Nancy!wedding photography, wedding day,

 

Wedding photos by Katelyn Turner Photography.

Are you recently engaged and looking for a wedding florist who will give you highly personalized service as well as gorgeous fresh flower bouquets and centerpieces?  Call, text or email us today to receive your free consultation for your wedding flowers at 309-212-6570 or fancyfloralsbynancy@hotmail.com or click on the “Book a Consultation” button at the top right of our blog ”

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Bloomington-Normal Wedding – Ryan and Brittany – Spring Snowstorm!!

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When you are planning your wedding for the last weekend in March and the temperature has been in the 50’s all week, the last thing you are anticipating is a spring snow storm!!  For Ryan and Brittany, that is exactly what happened on their March 24, 2018 wedding with a mix of sleet, heavy snow and freezing rain which also prevented some out of town guests from attending.

 spring wedding, spring snowstorm

All in all everything about the day was perfect…except for the weather; however they did not let it ruin their happiness and said it made for a few great “but brief” outdoor photos and was certainly memorable!!

 Wedding in snowstorm  white fur cape, winter wedding

Although they were missing the spring weather, inside it was all spring with sage green bridesmaid dresses and bridal bouquets, table centerpieces and church decor in soft blush and peach blooms – perfect colors for a spring wedding!!

 wedding photo, bride & groom

Brittany found inspiration on Pinterest for her wedding color palette after seeing photos of light green bridesmaid dresses.  She then incorporated the soft pink and blush for the wedding flowers and groomsmen vests & ties.  Because her dress was ivory, she chose ivory linens and accent flowers with silver embellishments to make things pop.

 wedding welcome sign  Pew decor, pew flowers

Even though she had a full year to plan, Brittany said there were still not enough hours in the day with working full-time and and just encountering life’s obstacles!  Therefore every open weekend was dedicated to wedding planning which paid off in the end.  She also felt fortunate that a lot of what she wanted worked in her favor and she didn’t have any problems booking vendors, so she felt like she had an overall easy wedding planning process!!

 Bloomington Second Presbyterian church

They were married at Second Presbyterian Church in Bloomington which contains a gorgeous pipe organ and has beautiful stained windows.  We decorated the pew ends with blooms and mixed greens and tied them to the pew with tulle.  A friend crafted their welcome sign which we adorned with a floral spray.

 bride and flower girls, floral hair crowns  mint green bridesmaid dresses, bridal party photo

Brittany did a lot of planning on her own, but when she felt indecisive she could count on her mom and bridesmaids to help and be supportive and encouraging.  She especially enjoyed the quality time she spent with them planning and it was not only fun and made it more stress-free, but they were a big help which made her life so much easier!!

 Garden rose wedding bouquet

Brittany’s vision for her flowers were for soft colors with a garden feel.  We used a mix of blush and peach garden roses, peach stock, blush astilbe, white ranunculus and mixed greens of assorted eucalyptus and limonium filler.

 floral hair piece, bridal floral comb  flower girl crown, floral crown

Brittany thought of all the little details including a floral hairpiece which she wore in her hair at the reception and sweet little flower girl crowns with darling little spray roses for them to wear in their hair!!

 Flower Girls, flowergirl crowns

Love these ruffly, blush flower girl dresses with their sparkly shoes and so sweetly wearing their floral crowns!!  These gorgeous photos were by Dani Lang Photography.

 floral bridal hair piece  head table decor

We love this pose of Brittany in her gorgeous ivory lace dress holding her wedding bouquet!!  One of our favorite parts of being a wedding florist is handing off the wedding bouquet to the bride and seeing her reaction.  Brittany was overwhelmed with tears of joy at seeing her bouquet and her support system  (mother & bridesmaids) quickly admonished her not to ruin her make-up!!!

 Bride holding peach & pink rose bridal bouquet

The reception was held at the Marriott in uptown Normal, IL.  All the tables had silver lanterns which we surrounded with mixed green garlands and inserted blush and pink roses into the garlands.  The head table had a full mixed green garland running it’s length and to the floor with blooms interspersed as well as candles.

 lantern table decor  garden roses, table decor, wedding decor

Brittany’s best advice to newly engaged couples planning their wedding is to relax and enjoy the process!!  She feels that investing in a planner is a life-saver as it does get stressful at times, but staying organized, not trying to do it all at once and leaning on your support system for help will pay off when you see it all come together on your big day!!  It also helps to drink lots of wine and keep smiling!!!

 Marriott uptown Normal reception, reception decor, lantern decor

Are you wondering how the snowstorm affected the flower delivery?  Well, we played it safe and brought all the flowers to the Marriott ballroom on Friday evening, then checked in ourselves and spent the night so that we found ourselves and the flowers safe from the  brutal road conditions Saturday morning!!!  We would love to work with you to create your vision for your wedding flowers – call or text 309-212-6570 or email us at fancyfloralsbynancy@hotmail.com to receive your free consultation!!

Starved Rock Lodge Wedding – Karl and Sara

Real Weddings, Summer Weddings, , , ,

Karl and Sara’s Starved Rock Lodge wedding took place on September 16th during hurricane season.  Ironically Sara works in the disaster field so when the massive Hurricane Irma shut down the flower imports in Miami, her wedding flowers that we had so carefully sourced and ordered weeks in advance couldn’t all be delivered.  We were left scrambling to find substitute wedding flowers that were already in stock at wholesalers locally and in California.  If any bride would understand this situation, it was Sara!!  Bless her heart, she was working over-time right up to her wedding day helping the recent hurricane victims!!

 bride holding bouquet  wedding dress photo

Deciding on a color palette and theme was extremely difficult for Sara, but in the end she and Karl went with their gut instincts and decided to incorporate things they enjoyed such as agates, geodes, wood and geometric containers.  They chose colors that went well with these elements and that also felt vibrant and organic.  The garden roses were among the wedding flowers that didn’t arrive so we  found miniature garden spray roses  out of California to substitute in the wedding bouquets.  As soon as we heard the hurricane could possibly affect Miami, we went to the local wholesaler and bought what they had in stock to replace the flowers that wouldn’t be able to be delivered.

 dark green bridesmaid dresses

Karl completely surprised Sara when he proposed at the Field Museum.  They were walking around when he asked if she would like to look at the Grainger Hall of Gems.  As they viewed the gems and talked about which ones they thought were pretty, Karl directed Sara to a small case on the wall that contained a beautiful ring and note.  It was such a beautiful and surprising moment, she actually asked Karl if it was real!!

 bride and groom photo  boutonniere

Sara especially loved the process of wedding planning and started a text chain she shared with her bridesmaids (who were all family) so she could share her ideas and they could send her inspiration.  Karl was smart about sharing the things that were important to him and they worked together to find ways to incorporate the designs and ideas they loved into their wedding.  Sara shared her inspiration photos with us and brought us the colorful agates to incorporate into the boutonnieres.

 wedding ceremony

The major hurricanes that hit in the last two months before their wedding made it difficult for her to be fully engaged as she was working 6 days per week (12 hour days) from the disasters.  She felt like her head was spinning but Karl took care of some very important last minute wedding planning and close friends helped them create and craft things they had dreamed of doing in the last few weeks.  They found themselves crafting at odd hours of the evening and the very rare day off!!  Sara’s wedding planning advice to engaged couples is to –  DO YOU!!  Don’t adjust your wedding to fit everyone else – make it truly personal to you!

 Geometric vector vase  geometric diamond flower holder

They found that what they enjoyed most was that they had planned a “wedding weekend” as guests traveled from across the world to Chicago, then had a 2-hour drive to Starved Rock Lodge.  They were fortunate to host all of their guests on Friday for a welcome party giving them the opportunity to spend some relaxing time with everyone.  Her favorite memory from the wedding was a few quiet moments after the ceremony with photographer Seth Morris Photography who pulled them aside for a few photos together while the guests headed on to the cocktail hour.  It was an awesome moment of reality for them where they realized their marriage was “official!”

 Starved Rock Lodge reception

Let us help you make your vision for your wedding flowers a reality!  Call, text 309-212-6570 or email at fancyfloralsbynancy@hotmail.com to receive your free consultation.

What Makes A Non-Traditional Wedding?

Real Weddings, , ,

Isthier and Catherine knew from the beginning that their wedding would be non-traditional as they planned to combine some Chinese and Bengali wedding customs during their ceremony.  As Catherine explained they wouldn’t have it any other way as she had a bride’s man and Isthier had a best lady, as well as the fact that neither of them are religious yet their ceremony was performed by a rabbi who along with his wife are close friends of theirs.

 

On the day that Isthier proposed, they had planned on taking a trip to St. Louis Arboretum.  It’s a funny story now, but at the time Catherine was a little irritated that morning as they had to get up early and he asked her to change what she had on to something a little more fancy!   He found a quiet spot in the Japanese Garden as he knew she didn’t like attention focused on her.  She was so surprised and overwhelmed she doesn’t remember what exactly he said!!

 

Catherine settled on a soft pink palette for her  wedding flowers.  She felt that white was too stark and bright colored flowers would be distracting in photos so she wanted to keep her floral vision soft.  We used a combination of pastel garden roses along with stock and mixed greens for her bridal bouquet and wedding arbor backdrop.

 

The biggest challenge of wedding planning for them was simply getting started and finding a venue.  Originally they wanted to get married in Chicago.  After realizing how much more expensive that would be as well as inconvenient (as they are located in Champaign) they found the Walton Center on a wedding website and liked the character of the charming old building with the arches and large ballroom.  Once they had their venue booked, everything started falling in place.

For their wedding decor, they tried to focus on having unique aspects.  Because she enjoys bargain hunting and re-purposing things, they had fun finding small animal figurines which they spray painted gold to enhance the floral decor.  She offers this tip for brides, “Spray paint makes anything look amazing!!”  This turned out to be her favorite part of wedding planning.

 

Among their favorite memories from their wedding day were dancing and seeing friends.  They both swing dance and their first dance was “Come Fly With Me” by Frank Sinatra.  Two of her best friends finally met each other at the wedding.  They had been blogging pen pals in college but had never met.  When Catherine posted on Facebook about her new job, her childhood friend Stephanie realized that her college pen pal Sue worked there also and that helped break the ice between Sue and Catherine.  They became such good friends that Sue was one of her bridesmaids.  It was a pretty awesome moment for Stephanie and Sue to finally meet!!

 

Are you ready to plan your own unique decor for your wedding?  We are here to help you – call, text or email to schedule your free consultation – 309-212-6570 or fancyfloralsbynancy@hotmail.com

Where Do Today’s Brides Get Wedding Inspiration?

Real Weddings, Summer Weddings, ,

Many of today’s brides are getting their inspiration from Instagram.   Lauren’s vision for wedding decor came from a mixture of research and having personally attended a lot of weddings.  She knew her “must-haves” included an abundance of gorgeous wedding flowers, a classic color scheme and wedding decor that carried a vintage feel.  For inspiration, she followed a lot of wedding resources on Instagram such as Style Me Pretty and Ruffled Blog.  Five years ago when we asked brides this question they all answered Pinterest.  We have found Instagram is equally as important today as Pinterest for wedding inspiration.  You can follow us on Instagram here www.instagram.com/fancyfloralsbynancy/

 

Lauren and David met while students at Illinois State University in 2010 and were introduced by mutual friends.

   

Lauren had decided on the classic all-white color palette for her wedding flowers to create an elegant feel and contrast with the black tuxes and black bridesmaid dresses for their July 1st wedding date.  Because the wedding took place just days before 4th of July, she later decided to add a pop of dark red with blush to the bridal bouquets and looking back over these gorgeous wedding photos by Caitlin and Luke Photography, we are glad she did!!

 

When we asked Lauren what her and David’s favorite memory was from their wedding day, she responded “It would have to be listening to the speeches given by our siblings at the dinner reception.  We both had tears in our eyes as we laughed and reminisced about childhood memories as well as moments we have shared together in adulthood and how they felt about us as a couple.”  “The entire day was a great reminder of all the great people in our lives!”

 

Lauren’s most enjoyable part of wedding planning was being able to cross things off her list for that meant she was getting closer and closer to her wedding day!!   She explained that finding herself very detail oriented, it took her a long time to make decisions as she wanted to ensure everything complimented her overall vision.

   

She stayed with the all-white flower color scheme for her reception centerpiece decor and brought in gold accents with vintage style accessories such as the table number frames, candle holders and gold & black fabric under the centerpieces which she rented from Old Oaks Vintage Rentals.  A third of the centerpieces were lush mixed greens & white blooms in our gold compote vases.

 

Another third of the table centerpieces were created again with lush mixed greens and a mix of white hydrangea, peonies, roses, tulips, snapdragons, astrantia and button mums on our elevated antique gold stands.  The final third of the tables held our antique gold candelabras with mercury votive holders and four matching votive filled with mini white bouquets scattered under the candelabras.

 

The harvest tables and gold chiavari chairs rented from Palace Events completed the magic scene against the charming warm brick walls of Epiphany Farms and Anju Above Restaurant.

David and Lauren found the key to overcoming wedding planning challenges was “compromise!”  Their biggest challenges stemmed from deciding on a budget and other major decisions such as the location of the venue and crafting the guest list.  Like all couples they had some different wants and opinions and being able to be flexible and compromise with each other is such a valuable start for a successful, happy marriage!!  We were honored to be a vendor in this beautiful wedding and offer our sincere congratulations to this couple!!

Let us create your floral vision for your wedding – call, text or email today for your free consultation at 309-212-6570 or fancyfloralsbynancy@hotmail.com

A “Romantic-Vintage” Wedding Styled-Shoot!

Summer Weddings, ,

This vintage styled photo shoot was born from my desire to do some re-branding for our wedding floral business.  I think because I have been a gardener for so long I am drawn to the natural, lush garden style bouquets that are becoming so popular.  A styled-shoot was a good way to try out this vision, get some photos as well as work on getting published.  I didn’t need to look far for a photographer as I had worked with Lauren on a shoot last fall and knew first hand what a talented photographer she is.

 

Because both Adore Bridal Specialty and Spruce Wedding Rentals (formerly Something old Event Rentals) had agreed to partner with us we realized the shoot would best take place close to the Washington/Morton area.   As we scouted around, we were delighted with what we found – in a Washington park this arching branched tree to decorate as a backdrop and the Danforth House with it’s lovely large porch which we initially chose as a rain back-up plan.

The vision for the wedding flowers was pastel, romantic blooms like Quicksand, White O’hara and Upper Secret roses with soft green helleborus to create a soft blend of color.  We added some contrasting darker blooms like black scabiosa, burgundy peonies and blue clematis tucked in for depth and a touch of mystery.   Ferny white nigella added great texture and the addition of white sweet peas and cascading green foliage finished it into a lush garden style bouquet.  Mixing these luscious blooms together was like putting together ingredients for a yummy desert!!

 

Andrea from Adore Bridal was so nice and helpful.  We sent her our inspiration board and described the vintage feel we wanted for our shoot.  We fell in love with the first gown she brought out for us to view!    Altar Ego Spalon did the girls hair and make-up for a beautiful effect.

Lauren had a great experience with Bremer Jewelry and Spruce Wedding Rentals from her last photo shoot so we were happy they partnered with us again.  The table and mismatched chairs are part of Spruce Wedding Rentals extensive collection.

 

 

East To West Studio custom created this lovely one-of-a-kind stationary just for us.

Thank you so much to our models who endured the 90 degree heat and did such a great job!  Our bride and groom Jeni & Stan got to practice for their real wedding which will happen in September.  Emily (blue gown) got married on New Years Eve last year and Lauren (mauve gown) took time from her own wedding planning to help.  She was married just a few weeks after the photo shoot.  All of the models are/were our future/past clients.

The blue and mauve bridesmaid gowns caught our eye in the window of Adore Bridal and were exactly the soft colors and filmy fabric we had envisioned for our vintage, romantic styled shoot.   The bridal bouquets photographed beautifully against these gorgeous gowns and they went perfectly with flowing hand-dyed silk ribbons adorning the bridal bouquets.

Wedding cake

 

Tessa Herr of Bojeannies created this beautiful gilded wedding cake and the gold bar cart  from Spruce Wedding Rentals was perfect  to display and serve from.

We had a beautiful rain-free day for our photo shoot and didn’t really need our rain back-up plan, but who could pass up the opportunity to take photos at the beautiful Danforth House which the Martin’s so graciously extended to us .  The porch and wicker furniture also made the perfect backdrop to photograph the vintage carrom board game.
 

Doesn’t this look enticing to have time to sit on this beautiful porch and play games – so reminiscent of simpler times.

   

The carrom board was my grandmother’s and the vintage croquet set as well as the vintage glassware  was handed down from my husband’s family.  It was a great opportunity to pull these old items out of storage and put them to use!

 

Who can resist a game of croquet on the lawn??

 

Every side of the Danforth House had another pleasant surprise and photo opportunity to photograph the models with their bridal bouquets.

The grande finale came when Mr. Martin offered to start up one of his vintage cars and bring it around for a fantastic get-away-car photo!!  How could it get any better?  It was like the icing on the cake!!

The whole evening was a magical experience for us and we had great fun.  Thanks again to our vendor team, models, and our support helpers,  Kendra & Laine Fehr and Betsy Zimmerman – everyone did such a great job!!

Vendor credits : Photography: Lauren f.otography,  Jewelry: Bremer Jewelry, Gowns/Tux: Adore Bridal,  Furniture: Spruce Wedding Rentals,  Hair/Make-up:  Altar Ego Spalon, Flowers:  Fancy Florals By Nancy,   Cake:  Bojeannies,  Stationary:  East To West Studio

What Was The Most Popular Wedding Color of 2016?

Real Weddings, , , ,

Burgundy

As we look back at our 2016 central Illinois weddings, wine-burgundy-cranberry shades of flowers were chosen by eight of our brides making it the most popular wedding shade out of the forty-five weddings we created bouquets for.  That is not surprising considering Marsala was 2015 color of the year and here in the midwest we aren’t as quick to embrace the newest style.

 

Plum

Coming in second place was plum with six of our central Illinois brides choosing plum colored blooms for their bridal bouquets.

   

Peach

We had three shades tie for third place – Peach, Pink and White.  Five of our 2016 brides chose peach shades for their wedding bouquets.

 

   

Pink

Another five of our central Illinois brides chose pink flowers for their bridal bouquets.

 

White

Classic white is always in and five our 2016 brides picked all white blooms for their wedding flowers.

   

Blush

Coming in fourth place we have blush – this surprised me as it seemed like I had worked with blush roses most of the wedding season!!  We actually did use a lot of blush flowers mixed in with the burgundy colored bouquets and our favorite blush roses we used the most were Quicksand and White O’hara garden rose.   We had four brides choose blush shades of flowers for their wedding bouquets.

   

Blue and Rust

Blue and rust colored flowers tied for fifth place with three brides choosing each color.

   

Yellow, Coral, Red and Lavender

Yellow and coral tied for sixth place with two brides choosing yellow flowers and two choosing coral.   And last but not least we had one bride choose red and one bride choose lavender.

We so enjoyed working with each and every bride and creating their floral vision for each of them.  We are greatly humbled once again by the lovely reviews our brides took time to leave for us and in so doing winning us “The Knot Best Of Weddings 2017”!!  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  While I loved many of the bouquets we created this year, I think my most favorite flowers I worked with this year was the antique lavender wedding – something rare and beautiful (see below right)!!!

 

We already have twenty weddings booked for 2017 and we are looking forward to spring and the returning wedding season.  However, after doing fifty events this past year,  many two and three per weekend, we are restructuring how we do business in 2017.   To be able to fully enjoy and give our full attention to each wedding, we are only booking one per weekend starting now in 2017;  thus we now have a $1,000 minimum to book with us.

We have met so many wonderful people and feel so blessed to be able to use our God-given talents to bring pleasure to others by working with God’s glorious flowers and to be able to use part of our profits to fund our mission trips to Mexico.

Happy New Year to all,

Nancy

How To Infuse Your Personality Into Your Wedding

Real Weddings, Spring Weddings,

For Chris and Amanda Highland, having their reception at Hancock Stadium Club was a given considering Chris played football for the Redbirds.  However when we asked Amanda what her advice would be to other couples planning their weddings, she replied “Find ways to infuse your hobbies and personalities into your special day even if it means abandoning tradition; Come up with your own personal traditions!”

Amanda and Chris

Chris and Amanda personalized their wedding reception with hand-crafted items they made from wood pallets.

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Among the items they created were boxes which they brought to us to fill with flowers and place lanterns on.

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They also created a backdrop for their cake table and a picture display board.

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The wedding photos were taken by Vivid Studios.  They didn’t let a little rain stop them or dampen their joy and it worked out perfectly that the rain stopped between the ceremony and reception and they could take photos on the field.  The table linens were by The Event Experience.

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The Hancock Stadium Club is a wonderful venue for a wedding reception and the staff is great to work with. From a vendor’s perspective it is one of the easiest set-up locations with their large elevator and carts and the staff pitched right in and helped load and unload!  We really appreciated this as those wood boxes with the wet foam and flowers weighed in at 25 pounds!!

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We were so excited for Chris and Amanda when she informed us just a few days after their wedding that Chris had been drafted by the New Orlean Saints!!

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For her bridal bouquets Amanda chose a mix of freesia, stock, roses and eucalyptus. It’s such a joy for us when brides are so excited over their wedding flowers and Amanda was no exception; it was so much fun to present her bridal bouquet to her!!  Amanda’s mother brought us lace from her own wedding dress which we wrapped Amanda’s bridal bouquet with.

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Words of wisdom from Amanda –  Brides, share you wedding vision early on with those who will be helping plan (MOB, MOG, MOH, Groom, etc.) Be sure to have your wedding planners (official or unofficial) at the meetings with your vendors so they can build relationships. Your bridal party and family want your day to be perfect but they all have their own idea of what that means. Come together for a meeting of the minds to discuss how you envision the day going, specifically a hour by hour breakdown.

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Call, text or email us today to receive your free consultation for your wedding flowers.
309-212-6570 or fancyfloralsbynancy@hotmail.com

Do this to make sure your wedding day goes smoothly

Real Weddings, Summer Weddings, , ,

Nick and Sondra Urish were married August 22, 2015 at the lovely Metamora Fields Golf Club in a beautiful outdoor ceremony.  These stunning photos were taken by Kara Kamienski Photography.  As far as the couple knew, everything went perfectly smooth thanks to their team of family and friends who were there to make it happen!!  Sondra’s advice to couples planning their own weddings is to make sure multiple people know your plan for the day so that when vendors arrive and have questions they can help out and you can relax and focus on getting ready.  Designate family and friends to help out in the days prior and the day of so you can enjoy every bit of the day.

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Sondra also encourages engaged couples to not stress over all the planning, and to make sure you have fun with it!  She found it helpful to have an account on Wedding Wire and used their to-do list to help her keep track of what should be done and when.

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Among the moments that stick out in her memory were seeing her husband’s emotion when he saw her for the first look orchestrated by the photographer.  She stated how much they enjoyed having those first few moments to themselves.  Second was when they sealed the deal with a kiss.  Third was taking photos with their awesome bridal party & photographer.  And fourth was their reception and seeing all of their guests having such a great time.   Everyone understands how quickly the wedding day goes by so enjoy every minute of the day with your friends and family and most importantly with your groom.  Make sure you take some time for a SECOND slow dance with your husband and to enjoy the day and moment in time with him!!

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Nick and Sondra met at U of I in agronomy club.  They are both from die-hard Illini families, so Nick planned his marriage proposal to Sondra to coincide with Illini 2014 Homecoming.  As they both currently had siblings attending U of I, Nick gathered them and their friends together for dinner and drinks.   They walked back to the quad where Nick had lined up the perfect spot to propose – in front of Foellinger Auditorium on the south side of the main quad.   He had his brother delay the group with a stop to see the newly renovated Lincoln Hall, so they could wait until everyone else was off the quad where Nick was planning to propose.   After Sondra said “yes” Nick informed her that he had lined up her parents and sister along with his parents to join them all in celebration at tailgate.  The Illini even squeaked out a win at the big game!  It was the perfect spot for the proposal because they both began their journey to where they are today as a couple at the U of I and would never have met each other if it wasn’t for their ties to agriculture at the university.

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The reception was held at the gorgeous Fields Ballroom on the second level of Metamora Fields Club House where the seating capacity is 400 and the staff does an excellent job.  The DJ was Buster from Extreme DJ’s & Lighting who provided a fun evening for everyone.  Flowers were done by Fancy Florals By Nancy.  Sondra chose shades of peach and cream for her bridal bouquets to offer a contrast to the navy blue bridesmaid dresses.  She also chose some choice blooms in cream and peach for reception centerpiece arrangements.

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“Nancy truly goes above and beyond on her floral work and you can put all of your trust in her to design the floral pieces of your dreams for your special day!”  Sondra Urish

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Fancy Florals By Nancy is a wedding florist serving all of central Illinois.  Call, text, or email today to receive your free consultation to plan for your wedding flowers, wedding bouquets and wedding centerpieces.  309-212-6570   fancyfloralsbynancy@hotmail.com

How Did This Groom Propose?

Autumn Weddings, Real Weddings, , , , , , ,

Luke and Erin ~ April 2014

Erin received a romantic surprise while vacationing with Luke’s family at their lake house in Michigan and while playing a game of golf with Luke’s brother and sister-in-law.  As the game progressed to the 7th hole, which was a beautiful spot overlooking the lake, Erin wondered what was going on as Luke’s brother played out of turn and rushed off the green leaving Luke to get down on one knee where he popped the question!!   Erin  joyfully accepted as Luke’s sister-in-law was capturing the entire scenario on video.  Erin was further surprised as they brought out champagne for all to celebrate the happy occasion!!

 Romantic Proposal

 

Luke and Erin met at Wesleyan University and were friends for three years before having their first date at Destihl.  They currently both work in downtown Chicago; Luke as an attorney for government licensing and Erin in research at NYU.  Erin said she had been planning her wedding for four years pinning photos of her dream wedding to a secret Pinterest board.

 Peacock Wedding Colors

What is Luke and Erin’s advice to couples just getting engaged?  No other than a famous Chicago voting mantra, “start early and often”!!  First of all, get your date picked, then create a timeline check-off and get planning!   “All of our friends are getting married” Erin explains.  “We had 5 weddings to attend (including our own) in 7 weeks time from SW Michigan, Chicago to Boston, which made us very, very busy attending bridal showers and related events.  We were so glad that we had so much done for our wedding ahead of time.

Evelyn Chapel Wedding

The wedding was held at the Evelyn Chapel where Erin chose simple white containers of baby’s breath to complement the pristine beauty of the Chapel on the campus where they met.  Congratulations to this happy couple!

 Peacock bridal bouquet  Peacock Wedding  Peacock Boutonniere

 Beautiful reception held at The Chateau Bloomington

The Chateau Bloomington

When we met with Luke and Erin, they had a clear idea of their vision for their wedding flowers.  By using the peacock feathers with the teal bridesmaid dresses, we decided on the rich deep shades of purple, magenta & blue with pops of fresh green to brighten and add contrast to the deeper colors for the bridal bouquets, boutonniere and reception centerpieces.  Erin wanted some of her reception centerpieces to be big, bold and over-the-top, so we created the tall arrangements with showy blooms to make a statement in the venue.

Wedding Reception Head Table decor, gold sparkly linens, peacock themed reception decor

The reception was held at The Chateau Bloomington , a gorgeous, elegant venue where the staff was helpful and easy to work with.

Photographs by Mark Romine of Romine Weddings ~ what a great photographer!!

Wedding flowers ~ Fancy Florals By Nancy ~ a central Illinois wedding florist located in Fairbury.

Call, text or email today to receive your free consultation for your wedding flowers 309-212-6570 or

fancyfloralsbynancy@hotmail.com