Behind the Scenes - Arbor Decor

Our bride wanted to exchange vows under an arbor framed with lush floral and twinkling lights.  So here is what we did...

We started with a bare birch arbor nestled among the plants in the Conservatory.  It's a simple, straight-forward structure, but nothing too special, although the plants surrounding it set a pretty backdrop.  Then our Floral Team created a ceiling by weaving together curly willow branches.  We added the twinkle by weaving strands of petite white lights into the willow branches so the bride and groom would be standing underneath a ceiling of tiny white lights.

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With the arbor built, ready and waiting in the Conservatory, our team retreated to the back-of-house to start creating the floral decor that will make the arbor come alive.

The week before a wedding, we receive boxes and boxes of flowers coming in from growers around the world.  As they arrive the flowers are processed and put in buckets to allow the blooms time to open.  Bright orange buckets filled with flowers line the Floral Department.  These buckets hold the roses, larkspur, hydrangea, thistle, waxflower, protea and greenery that will transform the arbor.

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The day before the wedding, our Floral Team began creating the floral swags that attached to the corner and post of the arbor.  The began with green floral foam and build from there.  They started with a base of greenery and large blooms, like the hydranga, protea and china mums, and then filled in with smaller blooms.

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arb decor 1

Once the swags were constructed, Bill, our Floral Director, was tasked with hanging them on the arbor.

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And finally the installation was complete.

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Now all we need is sunset and our bride and groom.