Michelle's Petal Designs

Riverside Receptions - Geneva

2011-10-19T19:58:00.014-05:00

I was so excited to do Jean and Brandon's wedding, I've driven by Riverside hundreds of times so it was nice to see how the inside of this old riverstone building looks. Their room had a very wide, scenic view of the Fox river, it was a perfect setting. Jean's bridesmaids wore eggplant satin dresses and she went with bright reds, oranges and yellow as the main colors in her floral decor. Wheat, lotus pods and branches were added to give an autumn feel throughout.

Indian Lakes Resort

2011-10-19T19:26:00.009-05:00

Melissa and Josh had a beautiful and warm fall day for their wedding. Their reception was at Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale. Their colors were red, black and ivory. They had rented the most gorgeous linens for their reception room. I wish my camera did a better job at capturing how awesome this room turned out!

Bolingbrook Golf Club - Christina and Kevin

2011-10-17T21:15:00.015-05:00

I had another wedding over the Bolingbrook Golf Club, love the venue! The staff is so helpful and easy to work with and it's such a beautiful setting. Christina and Kevin's fall themed wedding incorporated lots of candle light and branches. I had a lot of fun with this wedding, autumn is my favorite time of year and I just love fall flowers. Christina looked absolutely stunning, she was such a happy bride!

Bolingbrook Golf Club

2011-10-02T22:51:00.011-05:00

Lauren and Kyle's wedding reception was held at the Bolingbrook Golf Club. When I first met with Lauren to plan out her flowers her idea was to make half of the centerpieces herself with branches. She ended up changing her mind a few months before her wedding and had me put together arrangements of birch branches with a full floral arrangment and hang glass votives in the branches along with cymbidium orchids strung with fishing line to be suspended in the branches as well. They turned out great and Lauren was so happy! I'm glad she decided not to go DIY route with the centerpieces. There is so much for a bride to juggle when it comes down to the last few weeks and days before her wedding, not having to worry about putting centerpieces together is a huge plus. That's what I'm here for! Lauren was great to work with and her reception decor came together beautiful!

Victoria in the Park

2011-10-02T21:53:00.012-05:00

Our friends Lauren and Kevin married! It was exciting to see them marry after dating for a quite some time. Lauren looked so beautiful and they were both so happy. We had such a fabulous time at their reception which was at Victoria in the Park. Congratulations Lauren and Kevin!

The Westin - Lombard

2011-10-02T20:37:00.016-05:00

Erica and Scott are such a fun cute couple, I had been looking forward to doing their wedding flowers from our first consultation appointment. Their ceremony and reception took place at the Westin in Lombard. I set up my canopy for them to stand under during their ceremony and with the flowers added to the front and also down the aisle it really helped transform the banquet room into a gorgeous space to exchange vows. The flowers were done in hot pink, lime green and purple which complemented well with the black and white accents throughout their decor.

The Grove Redfield Estate

2011-09-12T23:03:00.016-05:00

The Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station

2011-09-12T09:20:00.015-05:00

This was a grand ballroom indeed! Beth and Derrick's wedding colors were green, black and white which was incorporated throughout all the details Beth planned. It all came together perfectly and looked great in the room. I forgot to take pictures of the room, just close ups of the flowers. Cristina G photography did the photography for the day so I'm sure I'll get some pretty fabulous pictures back from Cristina. Her work is always so amazing! Check out her blog at: www.photochickblog.com

Beau Jolie - Schiller Park

2011-09-11T20:38:00.013-05:00

Christina and Jamie had a very classy wedding at Beau Jolie in Schiller Park. The main colors of their wedding were black and champagne with accents of pink. Roses and hydrangeas were the flowers I used throughout the floral decor. Christina wanted some sparkle to her bouquet so I wired in crystals between the ivory roses and pink garden roses of her bridal bouquet, it really added an elegant touch to the flowers.

Pink and Wine Wedding

2011-09-11T20:23:00.005-05:00

Rialto Square Theatre

2011-09-11T18:43:00.014-05:00

Katie and Jeremey's wedding ceremony and reception took place at the elegant Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet. Peacock feathers were the main inspiration for the decor with a variety of shades of purple and greens for the flowers. Hydrangeas were used in the bouquets and centerpieces as well as succulants, berries and artichokes too! It all came together so beautifully.

Groom Boutonierre

Groomsmen Boutonierre

Bridesmaids

Bride's Bouquet

Cupcake Wedding Cake

Salvage One

2011-09-02T07:14:00.010-05:00

Jenny and Matt chose this shabby chic venue, Salvage One in Chicago to host their wedding reception. Salvage One is a large warehouse store full of vintage furniture and decor items. This space is used for events amoungst the items that are for sale. There are conversation pieces everywhere you turn in each of the rooms. Since every table that the guests sits at is so different from the next, Jenny wanted the floral decor to also have variety. She collected various sizes and shapes of mason jars that I filled with clusters of flowers in all different varieties and colors with the addition of lots of candle light. This was the most unique venue I've been to!

July Weddings

2011-07-29T22:28:00.032-05:00

I have been so behind updating my blog! Here are some highlights from my July weddings. Enjoy!

Flower Girl Wand

Hotel Arista

2011-07-29T22:02:00.009-05:00

Allison and Mike's reception was held at the very modern Hotel Arista in Naperville. I've driven by this hotel a million times and have always wondered what the interior of this hotel was like. It's as amazing as I had imagined!
The main colors Allison wanted to see throughout her wedding were hot pink, lime green and tangerine orange...so actual limes and tangerines were incorporated in the centerpieces along with lots of bling. I had a lot fun with this wedding!

Mitchell Park Conservatory (the Domes) Milwaukee, WI

2011-06-12T18:17:00.015-05:00

This weekend was Ben and Brittany's wedding up in Milwaukee at the Mitchell Park Conservatory. I had been looking forward to doing their wedding since I booked with them. Milwaukee is such a cool city! We had a really great time.

Since their ceremony took place in one of the domes they didn't need any additional decor since they were surrounded by gorgeous landscapes of flowers, bushes and trees. We did however bring lots of flowers in various varieties and color for the reception. It is such a unique venue to host a wedding and an interesting place to visit! Congratulations Ben and Brittany!!

The Women's Club of Evanston

2011-06-05T18:48:00.025-05:00

Christine and Adam had a beautiful vintage themed wedding with so many details incoroporated within their ceremony and reception. It was a pleasure working Christine in making her vision for the decor come to life within the church and the Women's Club of Evanston hall. Alot of garden roses, hydrangeas and orchids were used throughout as well as a variety of fillers including dusty miller, meidenheir and queen anne's lace, all were perfect for creating a muted color palette for the bouquets and other floral arrangements.

NIU Campus Naperville

2011-06-05T18:12:00.015-05:00

Amanda and Jeff married in Elmhurst at Wilder Park and had their reception at the NIU campus in Naperville. When I first met with Amanda to discuss wedding flowers she had a picture of a centerpiece she envisioned for her reception decor. The vase was covered in ti leaves and the arrangement had a very earthy feel. I made something similar in Amanda's color scheme and added feather accents which were also used in the bouquets. They turned out great and it made for a unique presentation.

The Patrick Haley Mansion

2011-06-05T17:39:00.019-05:00

Johnna and John married at the gorgeous Patrick Haley Mansion in Joliet. I've always heard what pretty venue it is and have always wanted to set up flowers there and happy to have finally had a chance too! The grounds, the house and reception room are exquisite! Here are some pictures from their wedding day..

Seating Chart Table

The Narnia Estate

2011-05-25T21:05:00.007-05:00

I had another wedding over at The Narnia Estate in Lemont, last weekend. Love that venue! The mansion and grounds are so breathtaking! Here are the pictures of Kim's flowers, very sweet bride. Congratulations Kim and Joe!

Spring Weddings

2011-05-19T23:03:00.028-05:00

I'm so behind on blog entries!!! It's been a busy spring so far. Here are some pictures of weddings I've done in the past serveral weeks...Enjoy!

Park Ridge Country Club

2011-04-19T20:25:00.016-05:00

I first met Kelly, from Kelly Angeline Photography, last fall at a wedding we both were working at. Well, It was her turn this past weekend! Kelly and Nat married and held their reception at Park Ridge Country Club. The ceremony was supposed to take place on the grounds but due to the uncooperative weather had to be moved inside. The room had a quick turn over time to get ready for the reception so during the ceremony, the tables were set and pushed to the other end of the room hiding behind room dividers. Actually, not only were they set but stacked! I've never seen anything like it so I took a picture!

Not only is Kelly a super sweet girl, she is also a VERY talented photographer! Please check out her work on her website at: http://www.kellyangelinephoto.com/

Victoria in the Park

2011-04-03T19:37:00.019-05:00

This weekend was Natalie & Javier's wedding at St. Bartholomew in Chicago and their reception took place at Victoria in the Park in Mt. Prospect. This is the newest venue of the Victoria Group and it is awesome!! I was very impressed and their staff was super friendly. The wedding colors were various shades of purple and the couple incorporated their love for the Cubs. Javier and some family members made the wrigley field background for the card table and did such a fabulous job! Natalie wanted a classic looking bouquet so we went with ivory roses and mini callas and also incorporated rhinestone crystals throughout, it went perfectly with her dress.

Grand Geneva Resort

2011-03-12T07:06:00.022-06:00

Last weekend was my first wedding of 2011 at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva Wisconsin. I couldn't wait to do this wedding and everything turned out just beautifully. The bride Megan was awesome to work with and looked stunning on her big day. She was looking for a spring garden feel for the flowers and I acheived this with a wide variety of flowers, fillers, greenery and moss. I couldn't have been happier with how the bridal bouquet turned out and it smelled awesome with white lilacs, lilies, roses, freesia and hydrangea...I think it was my favorite bridal bouquet I've made.

Congratulations Megan and Phil!!

Shower Flowers

2011-01-10T09:03:00.006-06:00

A past bride contacted me to provide flowers for her baby shower this past weekend. She's having a baby girl so we went with pink, pink and more pink! The shower was hosted at Odyssey CC where the wedding took place in 09'. Congratulations Lois!

Winter Wonderland Wedding

2010-12-05T17:23:00.029-06:00

The snow arrived just in time for Michelle and Nick's winter wonderland themed wedding yesterday! White branches and hanging crystals were used throughout their reception room to create the look of a frosty forest. Michelle was gorgeous! I wish I had a picture of her in her wedding dress, so pretty! This was my last wedding of 2010, where did the year go??

Card Table

Toss Bouquet

Ice Sculpture Topper

Ruffled Feathers Golf Club

2010-11-30T19:52:00.015-06:00

Travis and Bridgette married this past Saturday in Lombard at the Maple Street Chapel and their reception was held at Ruffled Feathers Golf Club in Lemont. I loved Bridgette's color palette she chose for her wedding: navy, apple green and ivory. She wanted full and fluffy bouquets and arrangements in which lots of hydrangeas and roses were used to create the look. They had a gorgeous sunny day for a late fall wedding!

Thanksgiving Wedding

2010-11-29T20:35:00.017-06:00

I had my first mid-week wedding last week on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving for Adriana and Rob. Adriana's bouquet turned out awesome!! I think it was my favorite bridal bouquet I made this year. She wanted feathers incoorporated in her red, white and black wedding. I added the feathers everywhere, in the bouquets, boutonierres, pew trims, arrangements and floral centerpieces. The other half of her centerpieces I filled cylinders with fresh cranberries and water with a floating candle on top...very appropriate for Thanksgiving time!

Halloween Wedding

2010-10-31T17:17:00.020-05:00

Alice and Cole married on Saturday, October 30th in Franklin Park. The ceremony was held at St. Maria Goretti and the reception was at The Center at Park North. She had a fall theme in oranges, yellow and brown. Little pumpkins held the place cards and carmel apples were the favors for the guests, along with a candy table to trick-or-treat at!

Toss Bouquet

Butterfield Country Club

2010-10-24T18:05:00.025-05:00

Kendra and Ryan's wedding was yesterday at Butterfield Country Club in Oakbrook, their ceremony took place at St. James the Appostle in Glen Ellyn. Ryan has been a friend of my brother's since high school so it was really special that I was able to be part of their big day. Birch was a big accent to the decor throughout the reception. I used birch branches with hanging votives on half of the guest tables while the other half contained short, full floral arrangements set in birch containers that I burnt a heart with their initials in it.. great idea by Kendra! I took birch logs and drilled out holes which then I sunk votive candles in for the head table. The cake was also set up on a slice of a tree stump..it looked awesome!

Lisa and Scott

2010-10-17T19:29:00.009-05:00

Saturday, Lisa and Scott wed at the Wheaton Bible Church and their reception was held at Holiday Inn in Carol Stream. Their wedding colors were chocolate brown with accents of a variety of pinks. They had such perfect weather for a fall wedding

Danada House

2010-10-17T10:05:00.025-05:00

It's been 2 years since I did wedding flowers over at Danada House in Wheaton. I was shocked to see all the improvements! It's such a beautiful venue ecspecially this time of the year. The colors for Mallory and Alex's wedding were pumpkin orange and plum purple. Alex gave me fishing lures to add to his and the groomsmen boutonierres, it's always fun when the couple adds their personal touches in the details for their big day.

Flowergirl Wand, with bells

Toss Bouquet

10-10-10

2010-10-12T21:23:00.024-05:00

Ana Marie and Augie married at Venuti's in Addison. Their color palette was a wide range of fall colors of chocolate brown, bronze, copper, red and oranges. Ana Marie put alot of work into the details of her wedding and it was nice to see it all come together. The big bridal party was dressed in brown, guys too in their brown tuxes! it looked great and the orange flowers looked beautiful against the brown. Ana Marie was so great to work with, I wish I had a picture of her in her dress, she looked so beautiful!

Another small order I had over the weekend was Sijournai and Gregory's wedding. Another gorgeous fall wedding in golds, oranges, red and ivory. I used gold sparkle gyp accented throughtout the bouquets and corsages, it was a nice touch mixed in with flowers.

Rob and Vicki

2010-10-12T20:11:00.022-05:00

My husband's cousin Rob married his highschool sweetheart this weekend and I was so honored they asked me to do their wedding flowers. Rob and Vicki started dating 10 years ago when my Isaac and I started dating. Vicki had her bridesmaids in eggplant dresses and her maid of honor in sage green. Their ceremony took place at the First Congregational Church in Des Plaines and reception was at Independence Grove in Libertyville. Congrats Vicki and Rob, your wedding was a blast!!!

Toni and Mickey

2010-10-03T19:44:00.018-05:00

Toni and Mickey married this past Friday at St. Christina's in Chicago and their reception was held at the Double Tree Hotel in Alsip. I used succulants in the bridesmaids bouquets and smaller ones in the boutonierres, so fun! Purple and charcoal grey were the main colors used throughout their wedding. Dark purple hydrangeas on all the tables with lots of candle light made for a very elegant ballroom.

Klein Creek Golf Club

2010-10-03T16:32:00.015-05:00

Sarah and Curtis's wedding ceremony and reception took place at Klein Creek Golf Club in Winfield. Despite the chilly wind, their outdoor ceremony was beautiful. Sarah's color scheme was chocolate brown, lime green and white; such a pretty combination for fall! Sarah and I met to discuss her flower choice back in spring of 09' It was a long wait for her big day to get here but it was so nice to see it all come together.

Lynette and Craig

2010-09-26T09:47:00.029-05:00

Lynette and Craig married at the very old St. John United Church of Christ in Palatine. This chapel was built in the 1840's! The reception was held at Metropolis Ballroom in Arlington Heights. The couple had a travel to Paris theme and their color scheme was a variety of fall colors. I love doing flowers for fall weddings and had so much fun with this wedding. Lynette didn't want typical, cookie-cutter wedding decor and was looking for something unique that went with their style and theme. She had vintage luggage displayed outside the ballroom with luggage tags as seating cards for their guests. Lots of candle light, moss, flowers, branches and a variety of greenery was used to create this look for them.

Mother's bouquet

Groom Boutonierre

Morton Arboretum

2010-09-25T21:47:00.012-05:00

Catie and Jim married at the lovely Morton Arboretum. What a fantastic time of the year to not only visit but to have a wedding! The trees are starting to turn all brilliant shades of red and orange. Their ceremony took place in their Hedge Garden and the reception was in their Ginko Ballroom. The views in the reception were amazing with floor to ceiling windows that over looked a pond and landscape. The bright hues of the flowers really stood against the black bridesmaids dresses and black linens in the hall.

Toss Bouquet

Narnia Estates

2010-09-19T08:37:00.016-05:00

Amy and Keith's wedding took place in Lemont at Narnia Estate. This venue was so, so beautiful! I'm sure they are going to have some terrific pictures from their photographer. The reception was held in an attached tent to the mansion and had gorgeous views of the grounds. The late afternoon sun coming through the windows along with the soft gold linens made the room glow!

The Happy Couple

Flowergirl Ring Pillow

Diana and Dave

2010-08-23T09:47:00.008-05:00

Diana and Dave's wedding was held at the 63rd Street Beach House this Saturday. I loved making her bouquets; presentation arm bouquets in hot pink calla lilies! This style is one that isn't used very often but I think it was perfect for her beach setting. The other flower variety used for her wedding was white dendrobium orchids which were added to her bouquet, the groom's boutonniere and the corsages.

Flowergirl Pomander

Card Table Arrangement

First Vow Renewal

2010-08-16T09:35:00.008-05:00

C.C. contacted me to make her flowers for her and her husband's ten year wedding anniversary this weekend in which they renewed their vows at the Riverview Banquets in Batavia. She was looking for a very bright bouquet with a little bit of bling! A purple butterfly is symbolic for a missed family member in their family and C.C. wanted to incorporate a silk butterfly somewhere in the ceremony so one was added to the flowergirl pomander. I think it was a very special touch to the day.

C.C. is the owner of Payton's Photography. She is a fabulous photographer! You have to check out her work at http://www.paytonsphotography.com/ !!

Metropolis Ballroom

2010-08-02T16:55:00.016-05:00

Becky and Daniel's wedding took place Sunday at Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows and the reception was held at the Metropolis Ballroom in downtown Arlington Heights. They had an ultra chic wedding in ivory and black with accents of yellow. Majority of the flowers I used were bright yellow, which stood out perfectly. I wish I had more pictures to post, but this is what I have...

Flowergirl Bouquet

Kim and Mike

2010-07-25T22:15:00.017-05:00

Kim and Mike married this weekend as well at Sacred Heart Church in Lomband and their reception was at Drury Lane in Oak Brook Terrace. Kim's beach themed wedding was achieved by using lots of seashells, sand and bright colored flowers!! It was nice to see all her details she planned for the day come together. Gerbera Daisies were the main wedding flower which complimented her bridesmaids ocean blue dresses. This was such a fun wedding to put together!

Cindy and Matt

2010-07-25T09:55:00.013-05:00

Cindy and Matt's wedding was this weekend. Cindy's bridesmaids wore tea length black satin dresses with fuscia pink sashes. Their bouquets consisted of hot pink roses, green hypericum berries, dark purple Lisianthus and medium Purple Stock. I wrapped their bouquets in fuscia with a thinner black ribbon detail. Her maid of honor was the same except wrapped in black with a fuscia ribbon accent. Cindy's bouquet contained the same flowers with large white roses mixed in. The reception took place at the Cottillion in Palatine, very elegant! For the centerpieces, we kept them simple and sleek with gerbera daisies twirled inside a large bubble vase with lily grass and black river rocks. They are such a great couple and I really enjoyed making their wedding flowers!

Oak Brook Hills Marriott - Marquis

2010-07-18T20:54:00.021-05:00

Amy and Matt's very summery wedding was Saturday at St. Elizabeth Seton and their reception was held in the Marquis at the Oakbrook Hills Marriott. I loved the colors Amy chose to go along with her modern, elegant garden themed wedding. Her 10 bridesmaids wore tea length dark coral dresses and I made vibrant bouquets for them to carry of roses, dahlias, freesia, orchids, stock and astilbe. Amy's flowers were similar but in toned down hues. The bright, full centerpieces really stood out, and smelled wonderful, in the all white tent.

Garland's Wedding

2010-07-12T16:07:00.016-05:00

Garland and Johnnie's wedding was this past weekend at Chateau Bu-Sche in Alsip. Their wedding colors were black, ivory and red. Their 11 bridesmaids carried Dark Red Roses and Dark Red Gerbera Daisies while Garland carried Dark Red Roses, Red spray roses and Red Calla Lillies with crystals. Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures! The guest tables in the reception room glowed with candle light and red roses, it looked so elegant!

Galleria Marchetti

2010-07-05T13:17:00.012-05:00

Lorraine and Davy's wedding was last Saturday in the Pavillion at Galleria Marchetti in Chicago. It was a perfect venue for an outdoor party in the city. Lorraine's bridesmaids were in eggplant purple dresses and the accent colors throughout the rest of the wedding details were ivory, shades of purple and lots of lavender. It was quite the party, every guest was still there at midnight when I picked up vases!

June Wedding

2010-06-27T12:39:00.015-05:00

Kelly and Dan's wedding this weekend had the perfect colors for a summer wedding..canary yellow and cornflower blue. Kelly is awesome, she had a vision for her bouquet but left the rest of the flower choices and bouquet designs up to me. I used yellow 'Skyline' roses, blue Delphinium, Thistle, Tweedia, 'Lemonchello' spray roses, Craspedia and Dutch blue Hydrangeas in the bridesmaids bouquets. I loved how they turned out. Their ceremony was at St. Scholastica in Woodridge and their reception was held at Edgewood Valley Country Club in LaGrange.

Corsage

Bride's Bouquet

Half of the BM bouquets wrapped in yellow...

Other half of bouquets wrapped in blue.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-31T12:18:00.015-05:00

This holiday weekend was Beth and Jason's wedding as well as Lisa and Bill's. Beth's wedding colors were hot pink, light pink and white. I used beautiful hot pink phalaenopsis orchids, hot pink dendro orchids with shades of pink and white roses. Their reception was held at the William Tell in Countryside.

Flower Girl Bouquet

Mom Bouquet

Centerpiece Style 1

Centerpiece Style 2

Cocktail Tables

Lisa and Bill got married in Hawaii earlier in the month and had their wedding reception on Sunday. This was a fun order. I added fern curls (also called Monkey Tails) sprayed silver in the bouquet and also in the boutonierres. It was a great way to add their silver accent color in with the flowers. The boutonierre I made for Bill is my favorite one I've made this year!

Erin and Adam

2010-05-24T08:51:00.023-05:00

Over the weekend was Erin and Adam's wedding at St. Stephen's church in Orland Hills and their reception was held at the Bolingbrook Country Club, both were gorgeous venues to host a wedding. Erin's main colors were ivory and a soft blue with accents of pale pink, raspberry pink and green. They used one of my favorite photographers..Dean Thorsen. I can't wait to see his work from this wedding, I know they are going to very happy with their pictures!

Maid of Honor

Bridesmaids

Flowergirl

Loved the stained glass window!

Pink & Purple Spring Wedding

2010-05-18T14:06:00.011-05:00

Lori and Jason's spring wedding was beautiful with a pink and purple color scheme. The ceremony was held at St. Domitilla in Hillside and the reception was held at Empress Banquets in Addison. Lori looked radiant as well as her 8 bridesmaids.

Centerpieces

Toss Bouquet

Lizzie and Peter

2010-05-03T10:30:00.016-05:00

Lizzie and Peter's spring wedding took place at St. Catherine of Labourne in Glenview and they hosted their reception at the Chevy Chase Country Club in Wheeling. The girls wore eggplant satin dresses and their bright bouquets cordinated beautifully with them. They were such a nice couple to work with and their wedding day was perfect!

Bridesmaids Bouquet

Bride's Bouquet

Toss Bouquet

March 20th Wedding

2010-03-22T08:08:00.016-05:00

First day of spring!!!...though not so springy kind of day. It snowed on Saturday unfortuantely after a sunny week in the 50's and 60's. Aside from the icky weather, Lauren and Atif's wedding went great. Peacock feathers were Lauren's main inspiration for her wedding colors and decor. The girls carried purple and green pomanders hung with gold metallic ribbon and they wore teal satin dresses. The bridal bouquet contained white Peonies, Gardenias, purple Freesia, purple Ranuculous, purple Orchids, green Orchids and accented with crystals and Peacock feathers. Peacock wreaths hung on the front doors of the Church which made for great pictures, however, due to the weather the couple had to use the enclosed side entrance for their exit from the ceremony.

Baby Shower Flowers

2010-03-15T10:39:00.004-05:00

I had a flower order this weekend for centerpieces for a baby shower. I included a variety of pastel spring flowers and a few white birch branches in clear square glass vases. Can't wait to hear if she has a boy or a girl!

Facebook

2010-03-05T09:52:00.002-06:00

Michelle's Petal Designs is now of Facebook! Become a fan today!

Sweet Thoughts Cookies

2010-02-26T12:04:00.005-06:00

Jamie Tyrrell is the queen of cookie making! She runs a successful cookie business in the western suburbs called Sweet Thoughts Cookies and these cookies are the BEST! Not only is her detailed work amazing, the cookies are super yummy! Brides who are in need of shower favors, wedding favors or cookies to add in your out-of-town guest bags call Jamie. She can customize anything you are looking for whether you want something simple and classy or very elaborate and detailed, she can do it! Check out more examples of her work at http://www.sweetthoughtscookies.com/

Jamie gave me this cookie bouquet last night - Love it!!

Post Valentine's Day Wedding

2010-02-26T11:48:00.004-06:00

Elena and Chris married last weekend at the Naper Settlement's Century Memorial Chapel and followed by their reception at the Lisle Hilton. They had a big bridal party and all 10 girls wore beautiful red satin dresses and carried large white roses while Elena carried all red.
Even though it was a chilly February day they were able to catch a few pictures down at Naperville's Riverwalk. I can't wait to see their professional pictures!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2010-02-16T15:06:00.002-06:00

Cristinagphoto.com

2010-02-05T09:18:00.012-06:00

I just had to post these pictures I received last night from photographer Crisitina Giurgea, these pictures are from a wedding I had done this past September. Cristina rocks! She is the furthest from a "cookie-cutter" wedding photographer, she is a true artist. It is obvious that photography is her life's passion by the way she captures the special moments and details of the wedding day. I highly recommend contacting her for not only for your wedding day photography needs but any other special moments you would like to capture forever! ...you will not be disappointed!

Cristina Giurgea

www.cristinagphoto.com

312-316-3631

Germania Place

2010-01-18T11:44:00.020-06:00

Last Saturday's wedding at Germania Place in Chicago's Gold Coast went beautifully. Even though there was several inches of snow outside we made the inside springtime with an array of pink spring flowers of peonies, tulips, daisies and roses. Kelly's wedding colors were Navy, Grey and Gold with accents of light pink and dark pink. The flowers complemented the classic decor of Germania and smelled wonderful!

Bride's Bouquet

(the above picture was taken by Kelly's photographer

Sarah Parisi at http://www.parisi-images.com/)

Cocktail Area

Card Table Arrangement

Congratulations Erin and Rob!!

2009-12-22T18:58:00.035-06:00

This past weekend our friends Erin and Rob married and I'm glad they decided to have a Christmas wedding, it was amazing! Their colors used throughout their flowers and decor were deep red, bright yellow, orange with metallic gold accents. Both the church and reception room were full out decorated with white lights, Christmas trees, garlands and candles. They chose the best place to celebrate their reception at the William Tell in Countryside. The room looked warm and inviting from the glow of the large stone fireplaces in the center of the room. Instead of table numbers they were each named titles of popular holiday movies, very festive! Thanks guys, we had a terrific time!

Boutonierre and Corsage

Erin's Bouquet

Bridesmaids Bouquets- Sunset Lilies, Black Magic Roses, Hypericum Berries, Orange Mookara Orchids, Yellow spray roses, Myrtle and Gold Sparkle Gyp wrapped in Metallic Gold Ribbon.

Flower Girl Pomander

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T20:37:00.012-06:00

My latest wedding took place on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Thinking I would be stuck in horrible shopping traffic we made sure we had plenty of time to get to where we needed to be on time. It wasn't an issue and the day went smoothly. Jake and Amanda wed at St. John the Baptist in Winfield and their reception was at the Carlisle in Lombard.

Presentation bouquet that Jake and Amanda presented to Jakes' Grandparents for their anniversary. I thought it was a beautiful gesture to honor them and now they will be sharing a wedding date!

The Ivy Room at Tree Studios

2009-10-12T08:16:00.018-05:00

Emily and Jim's wedding on Friday was so amazing!! The venue they chose for their special day was the The Ivy Room at Tree Studios in Chicago. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and the ceremony had to be moved indoors instead of it being outside in their courtyard. The ceremony was still so beautiful and Emily was a radiant bride. This sweet couple invited Isaac and myself to stay for the reception and celebrate with them. We had such a fantastic time and everything turned out just beautifully. This is definately my new favorite venue in Chicago!

Picture of the Courtyard where the Ceremony was planned to take place.

The Ballroom at the Ivy Room.

Bride's Bouquet

Matron-of-Honor's Bouquet

Swarovski Crystals hung from each of the tree centerpieces and sparkled in the candlelight, it was a very elegant setting.

Oak Brook Hills Marriott Resort

2009-09-28T08:43:00.011-05:00

Lyndsy and Alex also wed this past weekend at the Oakbrook Hills Marriott in their Marquis. This tented reception area was a really nice set up with an attached outside patio for the cocktail hour. The reception was not a typical sitdown dinner style but instead there were numerous types of food, dessert and specialty drink stations for their guests to chose from. The rented blue lighting gave the space a very modern "nightclub" feel.

Riverforest Country Club

2009-09-28T08:03:00.017-05:00

Michelle and Robert's wedding this past weekend took place at Riverforest Country Club in Elmhurst. Unfortunately the ceremony had to be moved from the golf course greens to a tented patio area due to the weather. Their wedding colors were eggplant purple and charcoal grey to which I used a variety of purple and green flowers with a touch of moss.

Michelle's Bouquet

Bridesmaids Bouquets

Bird Cage Card Holder

Bridal Party Table

Independence Grove

2009-09-21T12:47:00.025-05:00

Colleen and Steve also wed this past Saturday in Libertyville. Their ceremony took place at St. Gilbert's in Grayslake and their reception was at Indepence Grove. I'd been really looking forward to doing their wedding and had so much with it. Colleen definately had a vision from the start when we were picking out her flowers. It all started with a moss ball and evolved from there. Independence Grove's banquet room is quite rustic but elegant with floor to ceiling windows with a beautiful view of a lake, beach and trees. With their "nature themed" wedding we incorporated alot of moss, berries, branches and grass but kept it elegant with roses and orchids.

Mother's Bouquets

I can't take credit for this...the bride made these green pomanders for the pews out of tissue paper, don't they look like real flowers? She's so talented!

She also made the white altar pomanders as well. They were beautiful!

How cool is this card table?! I used flats of Wheat Grass and had Isaac build a frame around it.

Lemont Historical Society

2009-09-21T12:08:00.005-05:00

Katie and Jeff married this past Saturday at the Lemont Historical Society's Chapel. Her bridesmaids wore pretty deep purple satin dresses and Katie was in ivory. Their reception was at the Diplomat West in Elmhurst. It was a gorgeous day for a wedding!

Modern Wing

2009-09-08T10:39:00.017-05:00

Another wedding I had this past holiday weekend was for Rosemary and Gus. They married at St. Clement's in Chicago and their beautiful reception was at the Art Institute Chicago's Modern Wing. What a cool venue to host a wedding reception at. They had a covered veranda area for guests to mingle outside during the cocktail hour and throughout the evening. There were also a variety of glass enclosures with sculptures and artwork within the reception room. I wish I took a picture of how the room looked when the sun went down, above each table was a pin light highlighting each centerpiece like a piece of artwork...it looked awesome!

Diana and Michael

2009-09-08T08:19:00.010-05:00

Diana and Michael's wedding was this Saturday at St. Raymond's in Mount Prospect and their reception took place at the Westin Itasca. Her bridesmaids wore royal blue and her made of honor was in cornflower blue, very pretty! I wish I had a picture of Diana in her wedding dress, she looked gorgeous. When I brought the bouquets to her and her girls in the morning, she had me attach a locket with a picture of her passed Grandpa to her bouquet. I thought it was such a lovely way for her to honor her Grandpa and have him close to her all day.

Maid of Honor Bouquet

Bridesmaids Bouquet

Wilder Mansion

2009-08-31T11:24:00.018-05:00

My other wedding this weekend was on Saturday in Elmhurst at the Wilder Mansion. I had to keep reminding myself that it was August because it felt like a cool early October day. I'm not complaining, I love autumn time! Megan and Jay's wedding mainly consisted of Gerbera Daisies..so fun and their colors were black, white and hot pink with a Chicago Sox theme. Congrats Megan and Jay!!

Bridesmaids Bouquets

Maid of Honor Bouquet

Megan's Bouquet

Wilder Mansion...how beautiful!

Centerpiece Style #1

Centerpiece Style #2

Centerpiece Style #3

The inside was just as beautiful as the facade

Cool Head Table Plaque...would have liked it more if it were Cubs!

Beach Wedding

2009-08-31T10:28:00.013-05:00

Brittany and Jeff married earlier this month on a beach in Mexico and this past Friday night was their wedding reception at Palos Country Club in Orland Park. I also had the privledge of doing their flowers for Mexico as well. No, they didn't fly me down there with them...darn! but they did fly down with silk bouquets and boutonierres I made. The first set of pictures are the fresh flowers from this Friday and the second set are the silk flowers from earlier this month. I had so much fun with this wedding..the bright colors and sea shells made me dream of being on vacation..ahh!!

Centerpiece Style #1

Centerpiece Style #2

(I did a variety of Pink/yellow, Yellow/Orange, Orange/Pink)

*Silk Flowers*

Centerpiece Orders

2009-08-24T13:53:00.011-05:00

Gerbera Daisy arrangements for a bridal shower this past Sunday at the Edgewood Valley Country Club in LaGrange.

Centerpieces for a United Airlines Training Department meeting this past Monday.
(I should have taken a picture of the flowers outside, the fluorescent lights dulled the colors in the pictures a bit)

Shower Flowers

2009-08-17T14:50:00.007-05:00

This past Sunday, I had an order for a bridal shower at the Hilton in Lisle. Lauren (the bride-to-be), is having a fall wedding so the centerpieces on the guests' tables were to match what her bridesmaids will be carrying: burgandy and orange gerbera daisies with dark blue delphinium.

Some More Pretty Purple

2009-08-17T10:00:00.023-05:00

I think purple is the color of the year! I had another purple wedding this past Saturday. Jennifer's bridesmaids wore the prettiest auborigine satin dresses and their bouquets consisted of lavender freesia, lavender roses, ruby red stock, dark purple hydrengeas and green hypericum berries. Her maid of honor carried the same bouquet except hers was a little more special with the addition of eggplant mini calla lilies. Jennifer and Robert's ceremony took place at St. Mary's of the Angels Church in Chicago and oh my gosh, this church was AMAZING! I took a few extra pictures, I couldn't get over how beautiful and grand it was. Their reception was at Beau Jolie in Schiller Park, I've become quite familiar with this venue being that it was the third wedding I've set up there.

Bridesmaids

Maid of Honor's

Jennifer's Bouquet

My Little Cousin's Wedding

2009-08-04T09:52:00.022-05:00

I guess I can't call her my "little" cousin anymore, she's all grown up and married now. Her wedding this past Saturday was a blast! I had so much fun and doing her flowers didn't feel like work at all. Her favorite color is purple, you can tell by the pictures! We did about every shade of purple flowers, it was really pretty. Her ceremony took place at Holy Angels in Aurora and her reception was at the Holiday Inn Naperville/Lisle. I wish I had more pictures from that night, here is what I have. Congrats Justine and Jon!!!

Bridesmaids Bouquets

Maid of Honor's bouquet was similar with the addition of white and lavender dendro orchids.

Justine's Bouquet

My Favorite Cake topper I've made all year! I added purple aluminum wire accents to the flowers.

Some table had these dark purple Mookari orchids, some had lavender and the others had white while all the vases were wrapped in lavender satin ribbon.

Card Table

Prarie Landing

2009-07-27T08:15:00.016-05:00

Well, the weathermen were wrong about Saturday's weather, it did not rain but it was quite breezy which made set up a little interesting. Michelle and Michael had an outdoor ceremony at Prarie Lakes Golf Club in West Chicago. The rose petals down the aisle didn't stay put so right before the ceremony was to begin, as all the guests took their seats, I played flowergirl and sprinkled the petals down the aisle....never had to do that before! The scenery was absolutley gorgeous! They picked the perfect venue for their wedding day.

Very long aisle for the bride to walk down.

Amazing view of the hills on the golf course.

Purple & Green

2009-07-20T09:13:00.015-05:00

I'm often asked what my favorite flowers and colors are, which changes on a pretty regular basis. My new favorite color combination is purple and green! Jennifer and Brian's wedding this past Saturday had these colors in their flowers and accents while their main colors were black and champagne. Their wedding reception room at the Odyssey Country Club looked awesome with their tables draped in black with the bright colored centerpieces and candles.

The green flower hanging is amaranthus which was also used in the tall centerpieces.

Such a great idea, a candy table! It looked so pretty and smelled soo good!

Lisa and Dan

2009-07-13T09:29:00.019-05:00

This past Friday's wedding went flawlessly and alot of it had to do with wedding coordinator Jamie Wojtkow. She was hired by Lisa and Dan to oversee the day's details and she did a phenomenal job. I was very impressed with her organization skills and her attention to all the day's details. I don't think Lisa and Dan had much to stress over for their big day, Jamie had it all under control! Jamie and her assistant Heather were such terrific help, not just to me but to all of the other vendors involved in Lisa and Dan's big day. To Brides and Grooms who are looking for help with your wedding planning or who need a day-of wedding coordinator, contact Jamie to solve all your planning needs.

jamiew2824@hotmail.com

Here are some pictures of the flowers I took, her bridesmaids wore the prettiest black satin strapless dresses and their bouquets of pink, white and ivory stood out beautifully against them. Lisa was a picture perfect bride, just gorgeous! She and Dan looked so incredibly happy!

Lisa's Bouquet

Bridesmaids Bouquets

Ceremony took place at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Aurora

Reception took place at the Belvedere Chateau in Palos Hills

Elegant 4th of July

2009-07-06T10:33:00.021-05:00

Saturday's wedding for Michelle and Brian was the most elaborate and elegant wedding I have done. I had been preparing and looking forward to this wedding all year and can't believe it's here and gone. The ceremony and reception took place at the Hyatt Regency Chicago in the Crystal Ballroom. We provided all of the floral arrangements, lighting, candles, chuppah, fabric, vases and columns. When the set up was complete and I was taking pictures of my work, the sting quartet was warming up in the background..it was just so lovely!

What a Cool Bride

2009-07-01T11:08:00.005-05:00

I just received a few pics from a wedding I did a few weeks ago..had forgotten to bring my camera with me that day. Anyways, this bride Kelly, was awesome!! She had her bridesmaids go pick out an all black dress that they'd be comfortable in for her wedding day, how wonderful is that?! Not only did they have their own style dress (which they can wear many times again) but each girl had her own color/flower bouquet.

Beautiful June Wedding

2009-06-29T07:57:00.014-05:00

Meghan and Joe's wedding this past weekend went flawlessly! It was an absolutely gorgeous June day and the flowers turned out just as I had hoped. The delivery was so easy..Carol Stream to St. Irene's in Warrenville to The Wyndham in Lisle, piece of cake! I'm also happy that my camera actually coorporated and I have several pictures that turned out pretty well....

(I think this is my favorite Bride bouquet I've made this year)

(Yes, the cake is still in the cooler...this was a chilly setup!)

Back Tracking

2009-06-23T14:41:00.002-05:00

I received some pictures from a wedding I did back in April (Wow, April feels so long ago!)...

Double Wedding Weekend

2009-06-19T09:24:00.023-05:00

Lois and Tom's wedding was this past weekend...big, big wedding with lots and lots of flowers. I met Lois in May of 08' so that sure was a long wait for her wedding date to arrive. The day went beautifully! She was a stunning bride and it was amazing to see all the details that we talked about for so long come together. The morning was the pits with torrential downpours which made it interesting loading up the flowers to be delivered but it all worked out just fine. The sun came out later in the day and they had the opportunity to take outdoor pictures while at their reception at the Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park.

Our friends Dave and Kim got married over the past weekend too! Congrats guys!! It was a super fun wedding and so nice to relax and catch up with friends we haven't seen in a while. Their wedding colors were navy with vibrant shades of hot pink, orange, yellow and lime green...very colorful and happy. I've never been to a wedding that had a photo booth provided for the guests and it was the biggest hit, so fun! The company that supplied it was http://www.shutterboxphotobooth.com/

I took some pictures of the flowers but there should be more to come...

Just Peachy

2009-06-08T07:29:00.010-05:00

This weekend consisted of two weddings, both contained very similar colors..peach and ivory. It's official, I need a new camera! Majority of the pictures I took didn't turn out very well. So, that's on my list of things I need to purchase. Hopefully, I will be able to buy pictures from their photographers for my portfolio. Well, everything went smoothly for both weddings with the exception of the church coordinator showing up late and unlocking the church 7 minutes before the ceremony was to begin at the first one. That made my job a little hectic to say the least, though it all worked out in the end. Here are some of the pictures that actually turned out...

(The lovely hand model is my husband Isaac)

www.petaldesigns.net

2009-06-02T10:22:00.007-05:00

I'm super excited to have my new and improved website up and running this week!! It's been a few years since it's been updated so it was long overdue. A huge, huge thank you to Doug Calay with C4Studios for all his hard work in making this happen. His efficiency, skills and patience with me, made him very easy to work with. I would highly recommend anyone who is in need of a web designer to give him a call. His company also specializes in video slideshows, printing and even iPhone applications. Contact information can be found on his website at....

http://www.c4studios.net/

Thanks again Doug!! you Rock : )

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-26T08:10:00.019-05:00

BBQ's, Family, Fun and weddings of course! Both Friday and Saturday's weddings were up in the northern suburbs which meant a lot of time in the car but that's okay, the traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it would be for a holiday weekend. It was a very busy weekend but I'm so happy with how both weddings turned out and the brides were happy which is most important! The first set of pictures are from Susan and Michael's wedding at Kemper Lakes Country Club in Kildeer and the other set of pictures are from Kelly and Kevin's wedding at Chevy Chase Country Club in Wheeling.

Prairie Productions, Chicago

2009-05-19T08:58:00.008-05:00

I just received some pictures from a wedding I did last October in Chicago at Prairie Productions. This room was beautiful!! Very sleek and modern with it's white walls, white tables and lots of windows. I remember it was a cool but very sunny, perfect October day. The hotpink gerbera daisies really stood out in this room, and it didn't take much. Sometimes the setting calls for "less is more" when it comes to flowers and this was definately one of those places.

Deanna & Matt's Wedding

2009-05-11T07:47:00.011-05:00

Well, the weather held up for the wedding this past weekend and the day was a success! I didn't have a whole lot of flowers to deliver so I went solo and Isaac had the day off. I came home to a freshly cut lawn and lots of other chores done..nice! Here are some pictures from Saturday, I loved the purple orchids we used, I think orchids make for the best boutonierres.

Jessica & Matt's Wedding

2009-05-08T11:18:00.010-05:00

Jessica & Matt's wedding ceremony took place at Park Community Church in Chicago. I did two weddings back to back weekends there. Everyone I came across at the church was so helpful and friendly, it made my set-up very easy. This very sweet couple were such a joy to work with and I had so much fun putting together their wedding flowers!

I loved how these centerpieces turned out!!

(Super Blurry, I know..)

Modern Chic

2009-04-27T14:25:00.016-05:00

Jacinta and Bret's spring wedding turned out gorgeous! I loved the linens she picked for her reception decor..black and white damask print. Not only was this print in her linens but also throughout the rest of her wedding details. The shades of bright yellow flowers used were a perfect match to this very modern, chic wedding. Isaac and I showed up at the end of the evening to pick up our rental items and their wedding was still rockin' until the very last minute, I think every guest was still on the dance floor at midnight!

Bride's Bouquet with her Grandmother's rosary wrapped around the stems.

Bridesmaid's Bouquet

Pretty in Pink

2009-04-27T14:05:00.010-05:00

I had so much fun with my first wedding of the 2009 wedding season. Ashley and Mike were so great to work with and together we came up with a unique and fun centerpiece for their evening reception. Their colors were hotpink and watermelon with charcoal grey accents. I think the stargazer lilies were the perfect flower choice to highlight these shades of pink.

First Blog Entry!!

2009-04-27T13:33:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my blog! This will be the spot where I'll be uploading current pictures of my work and talk a little bit about my business. Thanks for visiting!