A jesGORDON workSHOP

Our first ever Flower Arrangement class was held last Wednesday night, right in our NYC office. Our production/floralMANAGER, arthurBRANTLEY, instructed a small class of eager and attentive participants on the basics of conditioning, arranging, and gift-wrapping a floral arrangement for any occasion.

After explaining the different factors to consider when making an arrangement such as size, occasion, and color, everyone in class had the opportunity to put together their own arrangement from scratch.

With a variety of about 20 kinds of fresh flowers to choose from, everyone’s unique arrangement gave us a hint at their individual personalities.

Those with a delicate eye used a combination of delicate pink and salmon colored spray Roses, Sweet William, and pink and green Hydrangeas. Others let their imaginations run wild mixing orange Tulips, blue Tweedia, purple Hyacinth, and an assortment of Mini Calla Lilies.

We also explored textures and scents, adding Mint, Scented Geranium, Blueberry Plants, and Astilbe. 

The final products were amazing! The color combinations, variation in heights, and overall presentation showed that of an expert level florist…well, almost. Even those that used the exact same combination of flowers had arrangements that looked completely different.

After two short hours, guests left happily with an arrangement in their hand and knowledge in their mind. So if anyone needs a new florist, we now have about ten more out on the town!

 

Red, White, and Barbecue

The start of a new summer is right around the corner! It’s time to open up the backyard pool, invite some friends and family over, and celebrate Memorial Day 2012.

Freedom Food

Some serve the country, others serve food! Make your meal a memorable one with these tips.

- This weekend is the kick off to many gatherings that you’re sure to have this summer. Instead of being stuck with a sink of dishes, go disposable! Head to Costco or Sam’s and buy your dinnerware in bulk.

- Choose a red, white, or blue color scheme that you can re-use throughout the summer for any occasion. 

- Get creative with your presentation. Serve your French fries in a cool colored paper cup with a blue bow on it.

- Add patriotism to your burgers and organize them on different colored platters: red for beef burgers, white for turkey burgers, and blue for veggie burgers! It’s a simple way to identify all of your guests’ needs.

- Grab a cookie cutter and serve your apple pie in style! Find an awesome star shape and present a spectacular dessert for your friends to enjoy. If you can find different sizes, cut out a few of each.

- Give your drinks a splash of fresh fruit. Add fresh blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and apples to pitches of cold water to give your guests some tasty options to choose from.

Stars and Stripes

Here are some sug-JES-tions to enhance your space!

- Great barbecue food is completed with the perfect assortment of condiments. To keep your furniture from getting messy from ketchup and mustard, grab a plaid tablecloth to keep things clean.

- Break the mold of red, white, and blue with a centerpiece of bright yellow Sunflowers. It’ll serve as a reminder of the (hopefully) bright and warm summer ahead without clashing with the stars and stripes.

- Limit your decorations. The staple of Memorial Day is the obvious USA color scheme. Don’t over-do it with tons of paper decorations on the walls and doors. The pops of color in the way you decorate your food, drinks, and tables will show off your American pride.

Memorial Mania

Keep your guests entertained with a few themed games and fun this weekend!

- To keep the kids busy, give them a fun crossword puzzle to complete. Create your own Memorial Day themed crosswords by using them as menu’s to see who can find all the words first! Give the winner an extra serving of some delicious apple pie!

- Set up a poker table for the adults (using red, white and blue chips, of course!) It’s sure to keep the men occupied as you and your girlfriends swap summer vacation plans!

- Enjoy a game of the America’s pastime, baseball, in your backyard. Mix up the teams by drawing red and blue bandanas. You can tweak it to a game of wiffle-ball to keep everyone safe, especially if there are little ones running around, while still having a great time.

-       

-       

We know that a bold color scheme like this one can get a bit hectic, so remember that editing is key if you want to keep your place from looking like an American museum. Focus on the small touches, and the big picture will come together. Whether it’s a little color in your food presentation, flair in your décor, or excitement in your activities, your party is sure to be the hit of Memorial Day weekend. With these tips, your guests will feel like they’re partying with a rock star! Have a flag-tastic Memorial Day!

A Personal Touch and a Pop of Color

This weekend we worked on a boho-chic wedding with the Hudson River as our backdrop. Adding their own personal touch, the groom and his father worked together to build the Chuppah, and topped it with crocheted linens made by the bride’s Great Grandmother. Hanging votives along the edges of the chuppah and floating candles at the base of it created twinkling lights around the ceremony structure, allowing the piece to really come to life.

We teased guests with the bright pink bridal bouquets during the ceremony, and later added the oranges and greens to the centerpieces to give the elegant white tables and décor a pop of color.

The escort table was adorned with various bouquets of flowers, each breed sat in their own vase. We used White Phalaenopsis Orchids, Calla Lilies, Hydrangea, and Spray Roses.  We added a textural element by hanging these awesome Pom Poms in varying sizes and styles above the table, adding soft orange and green touches to the scenery. This installation really set the tone for the rest of the event.

As stated, we then really brought the party to life with these colorful and elegant centerpieces, paired with floating candles and votive candles.  To keep the look interesting, we alternated centerpieces, using either 3 different sized arrangements or one lush arrangement.   For the reception and cocktail hour we used  Gloriosa Lilies, Peonies, Hydrangea, Roses, Viburnum, Spray Roses, and Calla Lilies in a combination of cream, pink, orange, and green.

For the cocktail hour, we topped each table with a single bloom in a bud vase.  

It’s all about taking a natural look with a few elements of surprise to keep it chic, interesting and classic!

Design Dogma

We love designing different environments from scratch. A raw space is like a plain canvas you can transform in six million different ways.  Transforming a space into a world that evokes an emotional response from your guests is possibly the most important part of the party process. Design, is your concept brought to life – your ideas built from the nuts and bolts of different elements harmonizing together- layout, props, lighting and accents and accessories need to meld together to create the most ideal environments.  Our design tips truly are endless, but here are some overall rules for successful event design.

1. To create ambience, you have to appeal to all five senses at once.  One sense shouldn’t outweigh the rest, or the balance of the room will suffer.  In a perfect party world, you will simultaneously hit the pleasure buttons of sight (lighting and décor), scent (natural florals and intoxicating candles), sound (great music), touch (different textures, surfaces, and drapery), and taste (phenomenal food and drink).

2. Be eclectic in your influences, and don’t get matchy – it’s too boring.  You don’t have to have a room that only says cold, white, and sleek.  Fill a room with candles that has a mod interior, and it evolves into something else entirely.  

3. Know your audience, and design a space that everyone can relate to.  The best way to marry different styles in a cohesive way is to come up with common denominators.  Maybe find a color or texture to agree upon.  Once you agree on a baseline, you will be able to add design elements that appeal to a variety of people.  It can be a great idea to put together inspiration pages to help hone in on your design plan.

4. It’s important to always think of design in a way you’ve never thought of before.  You want to make your guests feel as if they crossed over to another dimension.  Design your fantasy, but also make it recognizable so that it is apparent that the expression comes from you.  That could be adding a customized touch or using your signature vintage decor style.

5. Make sure you don’t sacrifice your guests’ comfort to the Design Gods.  Even small things, such as providing chopsticks instead of silverware for an Asian-themed party, could leave many of your guests starving!  Compromise by offering silverware sets with bamboo handles and a cool pair of chopsticks to match.  These tiny ideas can really add to the design of an event while keeping it comfy for your guests.

6. Don’t let your guests get bored experiencing the same environment for several hours.  The light and temperature will change throughout the event, so how cool would it be that when the sun goes down solar-powered lights automatically fire up.  Or simply lighting fire pits or plugging in string lights you set up earlier can keep you in design heaven!  Along with keeping the lighting current, keep the music changing and the food and drink flowing -- always keeping your guests on their toes!

 

Follow these tips and your event is sure to be beautiful, exciting, and express who you are.  Of course the biggest tip we can give is to relax, have fun -- and never ever forget to Party Like A Rock Star no matter where you are!!

jesGORDON flowerARRANGING workSHOP

Ever wonder why your flower arrangements never turn out like the arrangements you see in magazines or at events?  The jesGORDON team is here to help!  Our very own flower expert, Arthur Brantley, will be leading a flower-arranging workshop on May 23rd at the jesGORDON studio in Manhattan. 

Arthur will demonstrate the key steps to creating a fabulous floral arrangement.  From tips on how to select flowers, and exploring different arranging techniques, to creating the perfect wrap to add that finishing touch, Arthur will educate and amuse during his floral tour.  This class will provide a unique experience for each student, since YOU will be the designer.  After learning the dos and don’ts from Arthur, each participant will be encouraged to create his or her own masterpiece.

The class curriculum will include:

• Determining the style of your arrangement
•  The art of selecting flowers
•  Learning how to use a floral knife properly
•  Specifics on conditioning flowers and foliage
•  Selecting and prepping your container
• Step by Step instructions on arranging flowers 

You’ll get to keep your beautiful, picture-perfect arrangement and vase.  After all of your hard work, refreshments will be available.  (Yay for cocktails!)

Whether you are looking for a gift for your mom, a treat for yourself, or an introduction to a new hobby, this class is not one to be miss.  We hope to see you there!  

Fusion Indian Wedding

We proposed a fusion Indian wedding recently--a ceremony and reception that incorporates elements of a traditional Indian ceremony as well as elements of other traditions. Today we are going to share some of our decor ideas.

This particular Hindu and Catholic wedding is scheduled to take place at the Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown NY. The groom, is of Indian heritage.  He was born in the U.S. but travels to India often for business. The bride is Catholic and has an ethereal and romantic style.

We proposed creating an elegant, romantic, and ethereal atmosphere with a hint of Indian flair for the wedding.  Tappan Hill Mansion is a gorgeous venue managed by Abigail Kirsch. If you have not been to the Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarry Town, check out these photos that I pulled from their website.

One fun element in a Hindu wedding is the gorgeous ceremony structure, the mandap.  The mandap is traditionally made of wood although increasingly modern materials are used.  We proposed creating the mandap with four post structures adorned with strings of Marigold and white sheer fabric.

After the Indian ceremony, a short and sweet luncheon will is planned to entertain the guests by the terrace. Our proposed luncheon floral arrangements reflect rich and vibrant hues from the Indian wedding, primarily in orange and yellow, whimsically arranged in mason jars to compliment the bride's style.

The Catholic wedding ceremony will take a place in the late afternoon incorporating the dramatic sunset on the lawn by the Hudson River.  We proposed a second ceremony structure with four birch posts accented with flowers and ribbons in a muted jewel-tone color palette. We also suggested placing satin ribbon wands on each guest's chair to be waived as the newlyweds walk down the aisle at the conclusion of the ceremony.

The reception tables will display a grouping of arrangements in alternating heights and sizes in mason jars. Each arrangement will be composed with an assortment of flowers, including Dahlias, Garden Roses, Ranunculus, Tulips, and Hydrangea. The flowers will all be unique in texture and color making each one stand out from the next. Adding Indian accents to the table by incorporating candle votives, table linens, and napkin ties adds subtle impact to the reception.

Modern lounge vignettes will create a casual and relaxed environment for guests. We proposed lounges featuring three white couches and a custom coffee table, with a table top brimming with marigolds. The modern white couches will be decorated with silk dupioni pillows in jewel tones.

And although the reception may be over, the wedding isn't. Traditionally a Baraat is a bridegroom's wedding procession.  For this couple the Baraat was scheduled to take place after the dinner reception and included a gorgeous white horse. We proposed adorning the horse with garlands composed of vibrant colored flowers.

Oh, how we love seeing all this color!