Parsonage Events

Wrapping Up the Season

2011-10-29T09:20:00.000-04:00

The tricky part of being in such a seasonal industry is that when all of the chaos is going on, there isn't much time to stop and say "wow, we did that". We catch a photo here and there, sneak a peak from the photographer, but we never really get to bask in the glory of what an awesome and adventurous season it really was.

Well guess what??? It's October! We've been harassing the photographers from some of our events for about a month now and I'm finally getting some gorg photos rolling in (I hear they get pretty busy too). We absolutely cannot wait to share them with you!

Prepare yourself this fall/winter season to see photo after photo of our beautiful brides from 2011, raves about some of our industry favs, and a few helpful tips. We'll start to share more of what we're working on, and a behind the scenes look at the fantastic ladies (and a few men) who make it all happen.

For now take a look at some great shots of Casey & Andy's beautiful summer wedding at the Grosse Point Yacht Club, Photographed by the uber talented husband & wife team over at HarrisonStudio.

Couldn't you just look at them all day?

xox
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Flowers Parsonage Events / Photography Harrison Studio / Venue Grosse Point Yacht Club

If you were a vendor for this wedding and would like to be recognized in the photographs please email us and reference this "Wrapping Up the Season" post. We would be happy to credit you :)

Vote For Us!

2011-07-15T17:33:00.001-04:00

Every year City Voter has a little contest called the A-List. Thousands of people vote for their favorite businesses and tell the world what exactly makes their city special. It's super important and dear to our hearts because it's voted for by you, the people... our people!

Currently the top three florists nominated are two giant, big time florists with multiple shops and an enormous clientele. You know who the third is??? Little old us. Us in our tiny little shop around the corner. Us with our fleet of mini vans and tight knit crew of lady's who enjoy a little glass of wine at work every now and again. Us! How fantastic is it that we are not only competing with the big boys, but holding our own!

So we ask you, kindly and sincerely, and because we're not shy about saying how much we would like to win, vote for us. Have your friends and neighbors vote for us. Post it on your facebook page, shout it from the hills, VOTE FOR US.

Here is the link if you would like to repost it:

http://detroit.cityvoter.com/the-parsonage/biz/97003

With Modesty,

Your Parsonage Family

xo

A Nice Day for a White Wedding

2011-07-07T09:14:00.003-04:00

Sometimes the simplest things can make for the most breathtaking! Take a look at these beauties sent over to us by the fabulous Tonya Peterson from a styled shoot back in June. Our very own flower shop super hero, Lizzy just whipped up a little something to compliment this rustic elegance inspired shoot.

Full of neutrals, with a crisp, home grown organic feeling. Her bouquet, a loosely structured breath of fresh air, complimented the more casual tea length of her dress spactacularly. Those peonies really stole the show!

Take a look below and be sure to visit our friends at 100 layer cake who blogged about the shoot and our friend Tonya Peterson for additional images.

Thanks to everyone who had their paws all over this one!

xox

Hungry for more? Check out the video here.

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Photography Tonya Peterson Photography / Styling and Design Rhiannon Nicole, Hey Gorgeous Events / Venue Crooked Creek Ranch / Florals Liz Andre-Stotz, The Parsonage Events / Cake Kelly Kobus, A Piece o’ Cake / Paper Products Michelle Ellen Lee, Papertalk Press / Favors Nicole Ebbitt,The Caramel Jar / Dress Maggie Torongo, Renee Austin Weddings / Hair and Make Up Lydia Terpstra / Wood links West Elm / Videography Paul and Vanessa Filan, Future Focus Media / Models Real life married couple, Nick and Jen Doornbos

Grad Parties Galore

2011-06-27T01:38:00.000-04:00

Graduation season is upon us, and this past weekend we had the pleasure of being a part of a pretty great one. It was full of color and loads of fun! Friend of the Parsonage Laura Allis was the event coordinator who worked with our Lizzy and the mom of the graduate to create this fresh and festive look.

The crisp white of the tent was offset by TONS of blue paper lanterns and the linens contrasted beautifully with the hot pinks, oranges and greens in the florals. Certainly a far cry from the usual school color palette! Ribbons adorned the walls of the tent and Gerbera daisies were absolutely everywhere.

Take a close look at the orange flowers around the rye grass base... carnations! Nearly 70 around each arrangement. These aren't your grandma's carns! Can you believe how fantastic they look?!

Take a look at the highlights below.

How fun was that?!

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Event Planner Laura Allis Events / Florist The Parsonage (Liz)

We Won, We Won, We Won!

2011-06-23T23:44:00.002-04:00

Go team!

A few weeks back The Parsonage had the privilege of being part of an incredible inspiration shoot.

Do you know what an inspiration shoot is?

It's where a ton of local wedding aficionados get together and let the creative juices flow, to create one primo faux event! The photographers take the pictures they want to take, the florist (wink, wink) make the flowers they want to make, the bakers bake the goodies they want to bake... well you get the point. We submit them to various blogs and contests to spread the word and generate fresh ideas and inspiration for new brides. It's really the most fun a girl can have.

Well as it turns out we WON the Mitten Smitten 1st Annual Inspiration Shoot Challenge, and we are quite pleased with every one involved. It was extra close to our hearts because the beautiful bride in these photos is Liz's sister Allison. We like to give her spontaneous modeling gigs when she drops by Michigan for a visit. Take a look at these photos and at the sweet little video near the bottom. You won't be sorry.

Katespiration from forever cherished productions on Vimeo.

Thanks Mitten Smitten for the photo collages :)
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Location Rick Premier, Premier Quarter Horses Farm / Photography Kate Elliott Photography / Photography Tim Mattila Photography / Videography Forever Cherished Productions / Event Planner Laura Allis Events / Florist The Parsonage (Liz) / Papergoods and Design Renee Rodriquez Designs / Hair Stylist Emilee Amon, Hello Gorgeous Day Spa and Salon /Bracelet Wachler Estate Collection / Wedding and Engagement Rings Wachler and Sons Jewelry

Hey, we're workin here!

2011-06-23T16:26:00.001-04:00

You'll have to pardon our dust (and broken links). Like our shop, our blog is getting a makeover in the next 12 hours or so.

Be prepared to be connected with the lovely ladies (and 2 gentlemen) of The Parsonage. We got it all: a Website, a Blog, Twitter and Facebook, bringing us closer to you than ever. Now it will be a sinch to get updates on our daily doings, pics of beautiful brides, and to answer any and every question you may have.

We'll kick off our new social networking launch with a post and some pics that will make your heart sing, so stay tuned!

Orchard Lake Country Club Wedding

2011-04-02T20:56:00.000-04:00

Special thanks to Laurie Tennent Studio for these beautiful photographs

Carly's Bat Mitzvah

2011-03-13T22:19:00.001-04:00

Featured in 944 Magazine

2011-02-02T18:53:00.000-05:00

Cool Colored Bouquets

2010-12-15T20:38:00.000-05:00

Photography by: Heather Saunder Photography

Kara's iTunes Themed Bat Mitzvah

2010-11-28T04:08:00.000-05:00

Kate and Jared

2010-11-18T21:12:00.001-05:00

Photography: Danielle Murphy

How to make a vintage brooch bouquet

2010-10-11T19:25:00.000-04:00

A client of ours approached us when her "do-it-yourself" project wasn't going as well as she had hoped. She had a gorgeous collection of vintage brooches, but wasn't quite sure how to go about making them into a bouquet. We decided to document the process so any future bride, with a collection of vintage brooches, can do it herself!

Step 1. Collect a minimum of 50 vintage brooches.

Step 2: Using 4 pieces of 26 gauge floral wire, curl wire number one around the space between the pin and the clasp and curl wire number two around in the same way from the opposite direction like photos below:

Step 3: Using wire 3 and 4, run them through the center of the first two crossed wires. These wires are for strength. The brooches are heavy and need a strong wire base to assemble. If the pins are loose and floppy, it will make assembly difficult. Twist all wires together at the top.

Step 4: Neatly wrap the wire with corsage tape. Notice how the wire is strong enough to hold the pin without drooping and the pin is upward facing.

Step 5: Begin assembling your bouquet. Think of each brooch as a puzzle piece. Some brooches will nestle snuggly together for a perfect fit. You will have to move the brooches around until they nest neatly next to each other. Use larger brooches first and the smaller brooches to fill in where there may be empty spaces. Don't get frustrated as this takes time.

Step 6: When you're done assembling the bouquet, wrap the "stems" with floral tape to create a nice, even stem to wrap with ribbon. It should look like the photo below from the bottom.

Step 7: Using a ribbon of your choice (we used Linen dupioni silk ribbon from Midori Ribbon) cut the ribbon in small sections (approximately 6 inches) fold them in half and set them across the wires like photo below:

Step 8: Tape the ribbon ends at the top of the bouquet stem.

Step 9: Using two pieces of ribbon, in a criss-cross fashion, cover the end of the stem and then tape.

Step 10: Cover the stem with ribbon from top to bottom covering all the tape. Use pearl pins to secure.

Step 11: Add a band of ribbon and tie with a square knot at the top to finish.

Step 12: We frayed the ribbon to add to the vintage style of the bouquet

Now you have a gorgeous brooch bouquet!

MeadowBrook Hall Wedding

2010-08-25T22:22:00.000-04:00

Peach Finesse roses, Sahara roses, green cymbidium orchids, queen anne's lace and mango mini calla lilies make up this lush bride's bouquet.

These bold bouquets were made up of Yves Piaget garden roses, Peach Finesse roses, hot pink hydrangea, green dendrobium orchid blossoms and eggplant colored mini callas.

The tall centerpiece were made up of Shocking Oriental lilies, hot pink hydrangea, peach colored stock and blue delphinium.

Event Designer: Jan Sauter

Mary Allison's 18th Birthday

2010-08-15T04:21:00.000-04:00

Event Planner: Details by Laura Allis

Catering: Forte Belanger

Linens: Fabulous Events

Fabric Decor: The Whole 9 Yards

Rentals: Special Events Rental

NACE Tabletop Wow 2010

2010-05-01T19:52:00.000-04:00

Parsonage Events participated in their first NACE (National Association of Catering Executives)Tabletop Wow 2010 at Palazzo Grande in Shelby Township, Michigan. What an awesome experience! This year, the theme was the movies. Parsonage Events, along with our team members, Church Street Studio, Sweet & Savory Bake Shop, Janet Martineau from Floral Verde and seamstress, Donna Goodman worked together to create an amazing Moulin Rouge inspired table.

www.parsonageflowers.com
www.sweetandsavoryonline.com
www.6churchstreet.com
www.floralverde.com

Special thanks to Danielle Murphy Photography http://www.daniellemurphyphotography.com/ for providing the images below:

Below: Handmade chair covers inspired by the French can can dancer.

Below: Moulin Rouge "engagement" photos placed under the plate at each setting.

The Cake!

My favorite bouquet - this week!

2010-02-14T23:20:00.000-05:00

I just love this bouquet - That's all I have to say!

Photo Credit: Melissa Prosser Photography

Event Planner: Devine Occasions

Have a Valentine's Day Wedding!

2010-01-29T11:58:00.000-05:00

Vintage heart shaped cufflinks from Ebay

Rosewood wreath from Smith and Hawkins

Beautiful pink and white tulip bouquets from Pure Joy Flowers

Heart shaped centerpiece from Martha Stewart

Vintage locket from Ebay

Heart shaped bouquet from Martha Stewart

Vintage cake topper from Fancy Flours

Valentine themed candy favors from Chasing Fireflies

Gorgeous red anemone bouquet from Chiaroscuro Photo Blog

Red rose boutonniere from Belvedere Flowers

Bright red anthurium - perfect heart shaped flower!

Vintage wedding themed Valentine's Day card, circa 1909

Succulents for Lindsey?

2010-01-06T16:01:00.000-05:00

Photo Sources

1. Green Mitzvot
2. La Partie Events
3. La Partie Events
4. Erin Hearts Court
5. Succulents Cactus Wreaths
6. Country Living
7. Blossom Daily

Lindsey, one of our fine employees, is just itchin' to get out of the cold Michigan weather and settle herself in Austin, Texas. Besides the fact that she wants a little warmth, Lindsey loves to plan a party. I've known Lindsey for a long time, but not until she planned her own beach-side wedding in Northern Michigan, did I find out her knack for party planning. So, in honor of Lindsey's dream to move to warmer weather and her love of special event planning, I decided to showcase the succulent. Y'all are probably wondering - why the succulent? Let's just say, these fleshy plants love dry, arid regions of the U.S. like, well, Texas.

Church Street Studio

2009-12-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

Mary, one of my dearest friends, has shot some amazing photos of our work at Parsonage Events. I'd like to share some of these photos with you! See more of her work at www.6churchstreet.com!

Anne and Nick

2009-11-28T23:31:00.000-05:00

Anne Mazzeo, the third of four sisters I've had the pleasure of making a bridal bouquet for, was married today at St. Daniel's Catholic Church in Clarkston. She and her fiance, Nick, then went on to Indianwood Golf and Country Club for a second ceremony under a gorgeous pine cone and berry covered chuppah. Thank you Mazzeo family!

Holiday Boutonniere

2009-11-27T21:09:00.001-05:00

I love working with wintergreens! Check out this little boutonniere made of tiny berries, pine cones and ranunculus wrapped with felt ribbon - so cute!

Visit us on Facebook!

2009-11-08T20:04:00.000-05:00

Find out more about Parsonage Events on Facebook!

Visit us at Parsonage Events.

Fall Textures

2009-11-04T21:43:00.000-05:00

Venetian wedding at Meadowbrook Hall

2009-10-18T18:59:00.001-04:00

Catherine's love for Venice was the inspiration for her Venetion themed wedding. Each female guest received a beautiful mask like the one nestled in the arrangement above. More photos to follow later...

Jewel Tones

2009-10-12T20:41:00.000-04:00

When Frances told me her wedding colors were chocolate brown and eggplant, and her wedding was to be in late September, I suspected that she would want to use warm, late summer colors for her flowers. It was an unexpected surprise when she said her colors of choice were actually shades of purples and rich pinks with a bit of orange. Each sample bouquet she showed me was full of interest and texture which led me to recommend a wide variety of flowers and greenery such as seeded eucalyptus, sweet peas, lisianthus, buplearum, nerine lilies and phlox to offset larger, bold flowers like the dahlia and garden rose. I also suggested one of my favorite standard roses, Cherry Brandy, for her bouquet. This rose has a gorgeous orange center with it's outer petals going from a soft pink to a deep fuschia. To pull in the chocolate brown, I added another fall favorite - the chocolate cosmo.

Roses are red and so are callas and gerberas and...

2009-10-03T21:56:00.000-04:00

Christy

2009-09-08T22:07:00.000-04:00

Christy was an absolutely stunning bride! She carried a vintage style bouquet with a mix of white garden roses, ivory and champagne standard roses, spray roses, ranunculus, bouvardia and cymbidium orchids. We attached her grandmother's vintage rosary to the stem of her bouquet. Her attendents' wore burgundy cymbidiums orchids in their updos and held a clutch of lilac and champagne roses.

Tricia & Mike

2009-08-11T23:31:00.000-04:00

I love it when I have the opportunity to work with my dear friend and photographer, Mary Koechig, on a wedding. One of our mutual clients, Tricia and Mike, were married a few weeks back and I'm excited to share some of Mary's beautiful images from her day!

Clarkston SCAMP

2009-07-08T20:07:00.000-04:00

The Parsonage is a proud supporter of Clarkston SCAMP. The program offers children and young adults with special needs the opportunity to participate in a summer camp program. No child is turned away so special fundraising events are held throughout the year to raise money for those who need assistance. The Parsonage has been lucky enough to participate in some of these fundraisers including the Clarkston Home Tour and Clarkston Designer Showcase Home coming in September. Above are a few photos of arrangements we created for this year's Home Tour.

Visit http://www.clarkstonscamp.com/ for more information on how you can help this wonderful organization!

Marie Antoinette meets Juicy Couture

2009-05-15T22:08:00.000-04:00

After watching Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" and seeing the film's water-colored mix of blush, champagne and ice blue in the exquisite set and costumes, my newest bride, Kristen, new this was the color palette she wanted for her wedding and reception at Pine Knob Mansion. She also fell in love with the film's soundtrack of 80's music that inspired her to mix modern elements into her event as well. Below are some photos she provided me and other photos I've found since meeting her just a few weeks ago...

Lori and Nate

2009-04-29T21:45:00.000-04:00

Photography by: John Richmond

If I was getting married this Saturday...

2009-04-02T22:56:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a bride will bring me a stack of bouquet photos and tell me she loves them all. I'll ask her "If you were getting married this Saturday, which bouquet would you choose?". With a deadline, she can often shuffle through her photos and select one bouquet that touches her just a little more than the rest - at least at that particular moment.

If it was 12 years ago (I've been married since 7/12/97), this bouquet would be my "this Saturday" bouquet. My style and taste changes almost daily, so I'll keep you posted on my next favorite bouquet...

Clownin' Around

2009-03-31T20:57:00.000-04:00

No delicate pink petals, vintage lace or organza ribbons for this couple! Katie, and her husband, John wanted polka dots and peanuts instead. So, they pitched a tent, heated up the popcorn machines, and invited "one and all" to the greatest show on earth - a union between two people.

Photography by: Church Street Studio

Billy Balls

2009-03-26T19:31:00.000-04:00

Billy Balls, or Craspedia, are one of my favorite flowers to use when creating a playful and whimsical summer bouquet or arrangement. They remind me of a little yellow polka dot bikini or a bowl of gumballs. I just wish they came in every color! I pulled these images from my "Things I Love" file which I will refer to often. I'm crazy when it comes to searching out adorable wedding ideas from the net!