It’s not every weekend that we get to design floral arrangements for two weddings – for the same couple! Elisabeth “Elise” Terlato and Luke Joyce decided to celebrate their love for each other in two wedding ceremonies, both planned by Affairs with Linda.
An Intimate Wedding at the Church
The first ceremony took place in a Catholic church on a Thursday, officiated by family friend Monsignor Velo, and attended by their intimate circle of “those who matter most”. The bride described this wedding as, “No fuss, not a lot of frills.” The attire was more conservative, “with a touch of glam”. Naturally, we designed the flowers to match the bride’s vision.
The small wedding bouquet was made up of white tweedia, astilbe, and myrtle leaves wrapped in ribbon. Since the ceremony was for their nearest and dearest, it was fitting that the bouquet was secured with a special locket that housed photos of loved ones.
The landmark church, St. Mary of the Angels in Chicago, provided such a gorgeous and dramatic backdrop that the couple opted for simple décor to let the church’s attributes – stained-glass windows, mural paintings, and large archways – shine through.
The Second Ceremony & Celebration
The second wedding ceremony and celebration was at the Tangley Oaks Armor Estate in Lake Bluff, which also happens to be the headquarters for the bride’s family’s business. Elise’s dress was a stunningly romantic yet traditional dress with intricate lace, varying textures, and layers of ivory and white. When we designed Elise’s all-white cascading bouquet with roses, ranunculus, and calla lilies, we did so with her exquisite dress in mind.
The bridesmaids donned dresses in shades of blush and rust as a nod to the season of autumn, when the wedding took place. They carried long-stemmed calla lilies, known for their beauty and simplicity, and evoking feelings of purity, marital bliss, and devotion. An elegant choice for any wedding.
For the cutest flower girls that we’ve ever seen, we made them hoops of white astilbe and ranunculus with myrtle leaves. The hoops – or circles – are meant to symbolize wholeness, infinity, and timelessness.
Guests made their way to the reception by first stopping at a garden-inspired escort card wall that was covered in moss to find their seat.
The enchanting reception took place outdoors under a tent with floral chandeliers that hung over wooden banquet tables and round tables wrapped in mauve linens. Tall and low floral arrangements sat at the center of each table, with white votive candles of varying heights.
For the table floral arrangements, we chose flowers in hues of fall colors. The table arrangements were made up of roses, hydrangea, hanging amaranthus, wisteria, eucalyptus, and olive branches.
Working with Elise and Luke to create magical floral pieces for their two weddings was twice the fun! We wish them a happy and wonderful life together.
VH Designs also provided the rentals. The photography shown here was by Oliva Leigh Photographie.
To read more about both weddings, visit this article from Brides.com.