Blog 1 — Peach Moon Floral

Erin and Blaine

Got married at Erin's Pavilions April 8th, 2023

All photos by- Rachel Marie Photography, Springfield IL

The early spring day was free from the unpredictable last of winter winds, the warmth of the afternoon sunshine was a reminder of spring's renewing beauty.

First flower delivery of the day was a special stop to Meraki salon and spa, Springfield. The handcrafted hair flowers needed to be there for Erin's 'get ready ritual.' The Bride's gasp of delight served as the stamp of approval for the hair flowers and was quickly followed by hello/goodbye hugs from Erin and the beauty crew as there was much more floral work to be done!

A sign outside a salon greets our bride Erin by name. video pans to a white box with flowers inside.

Last trip to the studio to load up all the completed design pieces, the arbor and the floral sprays and elements. Check list says we have all the floral table centerpieces packed and ready to move. Triple check that we have the bride's bouquet, the boutonnieres, any family pieces for this wedding? Mother of the bride wrist corsage? Boutonniere for the celebrant?

The venue was chosen, mostly, for its beauty and its functionality, but the chance of a woman named Erin getting married at a venue named ‘Erin’s Pavilion’. Made it too good to pass up.

The spring sun gave the stone of Erin's Pavilion a warm glow. Erin's is (as always) an excellent choice for an all in one venue. Even more perfect place for a Having a Ball inc and Mission BBq catering are already breathing life into the space. Full scale room design (by Having a Ball) magically transforms what is, ordinarily, a big empty room into an engaging, intimate space using beautiful swathes of draped fabric and string lights. The space is flooded by natural light from the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the patio, pond, and prairie. I love seeing how these event spaces can transport us.

Having a Ball had all the tables placed and had laid the beautiful dusty blue linens over every guest table, ready for Peach Moon Floral centerpieces to arrive. The roomy round guest tables flanked the dancefloor left and right, bridal table front and center. Each guest table would have one of two alternating floral designs, so everywhere one looked the eyes saw something fresh and vibrant. The largest, most solid of the centerpiece designs was a faceted glass bowl, called a compote, overflowing with lush yellow roses with accents of blue. Radiant yellow Creme De La Creme roses, poised tulips, elegant orchid, and iris, accented with blue thistle. The companion centerpiece design was a collection of petite glass bottle vases graced with individual roses, hyacinth, tulips blooms intermixed with foliage, in bright yellows, and dusty blue.

All the guest tables, cocktail tables, the guest book stand, and even the gift tables carrying the floral and color theme across the venue. A bold and unique touch to the day was a dusty blue tiered cake from Incredibly Delicious- expert Melanie deftly used the yellow flowers we provided to Incredibly Delicious the day before by design. Once flowered and set in place, this cake became the room's focal point.

After perfectly placing each alternating guest table centerpiece, it was time to attend to the ceremony space, conveniently…just down the hall.

Once again the beautiful floor to ceiling windows created a beautifully lit showcase for the wooden arbor waiting to be adorned in flowers. The neat rows of chairs faced the window and offered a clear view of the arbor under which the ceremony would take place. Erin's is well designed for load in, our tool cart trundled efficiently down the halls and through the wide doors. Which is good because we have step stools, and giant floral sprays. Each piece of the arbor flowers is arranged in advance, in the studio and transported to be mounted securely on the design structure. It's a little bit art and a little bit architecture. Once each arrangement is hung securely to the arbor form, we tastefully shield the mechanics, replace any broken or wilting blossoms, and fill any blank spots with more flowers. Once the checklist is complete it's time for Final Looks, a walk through all the installations for any final touches and quadruple checks.

Once all is complete, we go about making things look exactly as neat and tidy as we found them, plus breathtaking flowers that is! A lot of sweeping going on during an installation. Once we've swept the last dropped leaf, we pack it all in. Leaving behind only magical flowers and memories to last a lifetime.