Saturday, December 29, 2012

4 Most Beautiful Wedding Venues in Houston TX

One aspect that could complete a wedding experience of the couple who are about to wed is the wedding venue. Houston wedding venues are the best places that you could celebrate your special moment; it only happens almost once in a lifetime so it should be special. Here in Houston, you will never be disappointed as the place offers variety of wedding venues perfect for your expectations.

So far, here are the top 4 most stunning venues where weddings in Houston are mostly celebrated:
1. Demers Banquet Hall. If you want your event to be memorable, this place is perfect. So far, this is the most requested wedding venue due to its flexibility. The banquet hall is huge and classy; it could be arranged to whatever setting you prefer. Because of its customizable ability, this hall can also serve as a theatre if you have some presentations during your wedding reception. Guests will never be bored. They can go swimming afterwards in the pool provided by the venue.

2. Ashton Gardens. There are some couples who wanted their wedding to be private. Well, this venue is perfect for a peaceful wedding as it is situated near the forest. The chapel is made of glass so it creates drama as the bride is walking through the aisle. The place itself is also proud in presenting their highly customizable set up. You will never be disappointed with the dishes they serve; they got a talented chef over there.

3. La Tranquila Ranch. This one belongs to the list of affordable wedding venues in Houston TX.  if you want an outdoor wedding venue, this place will serve you well. This place is so perfect with the view of the lake while walking of the paved stone walkways. This place also has an indoor hall that could accommodate your guest.

4. Courtyard. If you want your wedding to be the grandest wedding like what you can see on Hollywood movies, you can choose this place. This place can provide you with a royal treatment from its service down to the very intricate interior design of its hall. Celebrating your reception in this place is like a dream come true. This place will forever be memorable to you. 

Choosing a wedding reception is indeed the most difficult job to do when you don’t know what you want. The above choices are the frontrunners of wedding venues that you could pick. Each venue may offer different types of feel so you need to determine first what kind of set up you really wanted on the day of the wedding. Choose well and the rest will be magical.

If you have a hard time to choose a wedding venue in Houston, you’ll definitely find a perfect match to your event by visiting these two helpful websites that help you find the perfect venue: weddingvenuesinhoustontx.net and receptionhallsinhouston.org.

How to Find Affordable Wedding Caterer in Houston TX

Looking for Houston wedding caterers could be a complicated and tiring process especially if you are tight of budget. Like any other problems, getting a caterer has so many options or perhaps solutions. Whether you are preparing for an important event like birthday party, anniversary, wedding celebration or other types of events, your goal is to get a dependable caterer. 

First, you need to determine what kind of event you will be having so that you can determine how much you will be spending. Here are some simple steps on how to find an affordable wedding catering in Houston: 

List the top 3 caterers in your area. If you want a very good catering service, make sure that you only get the most trusted ones. How you can do this? Well, it is very simple. Start by asking around from your friends who have experienced using the catering service beforehand. 

Call out. Once you have the top 3 list, make sure you call them out. You can conduct a short interview to the owner. Ask simple questions like “what type of events do you cater?”, “how many people can you cater?”, “what type of food do you cater?” and many others. 

Ask for a package. If your party is catering a huge crowd, you will need a package. Make sure that you ask them so that you can cut down the cost of your expenses big time. Many caterers offer different packages which are low cost; you can take advantage of them depending on your preference. 

Getting cheap catering service is very easy as long as you have a simple system that you follow. Try it out. It is effective. Check out these two impeccable wedding caterers in Houston: corporatecateringhouston.com and astralcatering.com


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Finding the perfect Wedding Venue for you!

Your wedding day is generally known as the best day of your life and one that all brides want to run efficiently.  One of (many) things that a new bride concerns herself about is her dress and what she will look like on the day however this is carefully followed by issues regarding what Wedding venue she should choose.  

Some brides plan their entire day around their dream wedding location whereas others start with a totally blank canvas.  Either way deciding where to hold your wedding is one of the most important planning decisions you will need to make.

Before looking at any potential Wedding Venues it can be helpful to ascertain whether you are looking for a venue purely to host your wedding reception or whether you would like somewhere that holds a civil ceremony licence enabling you to also get married on the premises.  In addition you should also need to have a clear idea of how many guests you intend to invite.  Whilst many venues have a number of different rooms available each one will of course have a maximum capacity.  Room capacities can also be impacted by the type of reception you have so you will need to decide whether you want a formal sit down meal or a stand up buffet.  Lastly you will need to give some thought to what entertainment you would like.  Bands and other types of entertainment can take up a lot of room and you will need to check that the room can accommodate this and your guests within the space available.

Clearly defining your requirements at the outset will ensure that you only consider venues that meet your criteria.  Not only will you not waste time looking at unsuitable venues but you will also minimize the risk of falling for somewhere that you later realize doesn’t work for you.

 With so many Wedding Venues available to choose from it can all be a bit of a minefield though.  Choosing a venue often comes down to the type of feel a bride is looking to create.  Some brides want a low key relaxed and informal affair whereas others seek something much more lavish.

A popular option with many brides that are looking for something more extravagant is somewhere that offers an upmarket Country Club feel.  There are plenty of venues in London of this type however if a bride is seeking somewhere set in acres of landscaped grounds then there is a high likelihood that she will need to broaden her search field and look outside of the actual capital itself.  

If a bride doesn’t want to be too far away from London choosing a Wedding Venue in Surrey can be a great alternative.  Away from the hustle and bustle of city life Wedding Venues Surrey are often set in beautiful grounds offering splendid views of picturesque scenery on all sides yet still have fantastic transport links to both train stations and airports for those attending guests.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Peonies For Destination Weddings

We often get requests for peonies for destination weddings.   If your wedding is in the USA we are can ship to any location in the US and have shipped peonies flowers for destination weddings in Hawaii and Florida.  There are many great places in the USA for weddings.   I have vacationed in Key West, Florida several times and have thought it would be a great place for a destination wedding.

At this time we do not ship peonies internationally so if your destination wedding is outside of the US we recommend working with a florist or peony grower in the country where your wedding will be held.

When ordering peonies for your destination wedding be sure to let us know that your flowers are for a destination wedding and include the delivery address,cell phone number, and any other helpful information that will help the carrier find your location.   We normally use either Fedex Priority overnight delivery which is delivery by 10:30am or 12 noon to most  locations.

Bridgewater Gardens ships peonies for weddings beginning in late May through the month of June and sometimes into the first weekend of July.  For information on ordering peonies for your destination wedding please contact us.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Wedding Photography

To see photos of our beautiful peony flowers used at our actual customers weddings please visit Peonies Wedding Flower Photos    Scroll down and click on the brides names you will see our peonies at her wedding.   We really enjoy seeing photos of our flowers at our customers weddings so we really appreciate it when they send the photos.

We also take alot of our own photos of the peonies each year and we are always trying to improve our photography skills.   While researching wedding photography I came across this site Asian Capture and thought they had some really cool and creative wedding photos.  My favorite was of the bridesmaids and groomsmen on the chess board.   The beach wedding photo is really cool too!  I hope you enjoy it.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Destination Weddings in Italy

Each year we seem to get a request or two from brides who are having destination weddings outside of the USA and they want to know if we can ship peonies for their weddings.   We ship our beautiful peony flowers to locations in the US only at this time so our  advice is to work with a florist in the country of their destination wedding and hopefully if it is possible the florist can obtain peonies for them.

Having really enjoyed travelling in  Italy in the past and having a friend who is a wedding photographer in Tuscany I thought I would share his guest post below.  I hope you enjoy reading it.




Wedding destinations in Tuscany: Pietrasanta

In the hills of Tuscany lays the small town of Pietrasanta. It is a located in the foot hills of the Alps on the sea side, which makes it a perfect destination for any wedding or honeymoon. It is not far from many of the sites that make Tuscany such a romantic place for couples. The Pisa Tower is not too far from the town as well as many other famous sites in the Tuscan hills. There is nothing more beautiful than a wedding or honeymoon in a small Tuscan town that has literally thousands of year worth of history and romance.

The History of This Romantic Tuscan Town

Pietrasanta has a long history from its medieval founding in 1255. It was once the sight of a town of the Roman Empire and the medieval town was built on the remains of the ancient Roman wall that was built to protect the city. In 1255 when it was founded it was a medieval town to later become part of the Republic of Genoa in the 12th century. It prospered for many years until Charles VIII of France seized control in 1494, and remained under control of the crown until it was returned to Medici family of Pope Leo X. The town then entered a period of decline in the 17th and 18th centuries until the Duke of Tuscany initiated several reconstruction projects in the early 19th century. Of the construction came many schools that were dedicated to art and carving, which some of the culture and art that came from the reconstruction can still be seen in the town today. It lived a short period of rebirth of art and opening of historic quarries until eventually becoming part of the new Italian Kingdom in 1861.

The Town Today in All Its Romantic Glory

Today, the town is a quaint Tuscan town that is perfect for wedding pictures of any bride and groom that are looking for a historic getaway with a romantic touch. You can see many of the sites that aristocrats have walked through during the centuries, and there is no shortage of photo opportunities at Romanesque churches like Cathedral of St. Martin. There is no lack of romantic photo ops in the city. The city is a sea side town and the beautiful Tuscan beaches with the Tuscan hills in the background make the perfect wedding pictures.

Finding the Perfect Photographer in this Quaint Tuscan Town

In a town so quaint and quite, it may seem that finding a modern day photographer for your wedding photos may be a bit difficult but there are many places that have great wedding photography services. One website that you can visit to see some beautiful pictures of  weddings in Pietrasanta is http://www.photographertuscany.com, a website of an Italian Wedding Photographer which has some of the most beautiful photos of weddings in this historic town as well as in other towns and cities in Tuscany and Italy.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Vintage White Peonies Wedding Bouquet

We love it when our customers send us photos of our beautiful peony flowers at their wedding.  Since we cut most of our flowers in a tightly closed bud stage we don't get to see too many of the peony flowers in full bloom.    We have  just posted photos from one of our 2012 weddings that used our beautiful pure white chinese peony flowers.   To view the photos please visit Vintage White Peonies Bouquet  

Thanks to Jo and Tammi of My Wedding Creations for sending us photos from their brides' Heathers wedding.  Jo and Tammi did an outstanding job with the floral design. If you are in the Highland, Michigan area and need a wedding florist be sure to give them a call.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

2012 Peony Season

Our 2012 Peony Season will be officially over next Wed. June 27 when we ship out the last of our wedding peony orders.  It was a very early season and we began cutting peonies flowers on May 20.  In the ten years that we have been tracking the peony season this definitely has to be the earliest season we have ever had.  A few years in the past we have began cutting on May 26 or May 27 but May 20 definitely takes the cake as our earliest peony season ever.  

With all of the hustle and bustle involved in (cutting, packing, shipping, local pickups and deliveries, etc.) selling peony flowers just about over we will be taking a much needed couple of weeks off.   Then when we return we will begin preparing the soil for our new peony roots that will arrive this fall and continue with our routine mulching and weeding program.  And of course we'll be admiring all of the photos that we took of our peony flowers this year.   We updated last years peony calendar but are also thinking about designing a completely new calendar with photos from our 2012 peony bloom.  So stay tuned and we'll post a link to the new calendar once it is completed.  For now we have our old peony calendar updated for 2013.
Peonies Flower Calendar 2013
Peonies Flower Calendar 2013 by bridgewaterpeonies
Browse more Peonies Calendars

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Yesterday morning I cut the first peony flowers of the season. It is a beautiful bright pink color.   I think will be the earliest peony season we have ever had.  The warm weather we have enjoyed all spring is definitely helping our peonies to bloom.  I don't know the name of this flower but we suspect it might be Big Ben or Detroit.   My husband bought the roots from an older friend of his who brought the roots with him from Kentucky when he moved to Michigan in the 1960s.



I'll post more photos fo the flower when it opens.  And if anyone has an idea of what the name of this peony variety is I would love to know.

If you need peonies flowers for 2012 summer weddings please be sure to visit Bridgewater Gardens and fill out our contact form.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Peonies Wedding 2012 Season

We often get asked if we get repeat customers for our peonies.  Each year we have a regular customers who order peonies for their own enjoyment or for their mom, wife, etc..   In our ten years of shipping peonies for weddings we have not had a bride as a repeat customer for her second wedding.  We do have florists who are repeat customers and order from us every year.  


Yesterday I received an e-mail from Sidnee Barrett, a florist in Charlevoix, Michigan  who ordered peonies from us last June for one of her brides.   She wrote to inquire about ordering more peonies for her June weddings this year. And I was delighted at what she had to say about the peonies that we sent her for a wedding that she did last year.  Here were her comments:


"We ordered beautiful peonies from Bridgewater last June and I must say  they were the best I've ever seen. Even our floral wholesalers commented on them! Most important our Bride was totally thrilled!?


I love it when we get an e-mail like this so Sidnee thank you for your feedback.  If you are in the Charlevoix area of northern Michigan and need a wedding florist Sidnee is a great one and I will be posting her contact info soon.     Bridgewater Gardens is taking orders for peonies flowers for 2012 weddings.  To inquire about peonies for 2012 weddings please complete our Contact form.

Peonies Wedding Photos Just Posted

Peonies Wedding photos have just been posted from Anastasias' wedding from our 2011 peony season.   To see more peony photos from Anastasias wedding please visit Anastasias Wedding


peonies



The beautiful floral design work was by Pavika Wilson of Pavi Designs in Cleveland, Ohio.   


To inquire about ordering peonies for the 2012 wedding season please complete the Bridgewater Gardens Contact Us form.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Wedding Invitations

In the past year or so I have discovered that photos of our peonies make beautiful gift and weding related items.   Recently I came across a wedding invitation site called Wedding Needs that had these beautiful peony floral wedding invitations. They are not described as peonies but this is a very common hand drawn depiction of peonies flowers.  I just love the artwork and the contrast of the white and pink on this wedding invitation. 





To see more affordable wedding invitations you can visit the Wedding Needs site directly.  They also sell birthday, baby shower, holiday, and graduation cards and invitations.

Friday, February 24, 2012

White Peonies Brides Bouquet Looks Fabulous!

A few days ago I  ran into the blog of Denise Spears Weddings and was delighted to see photos of our beautiful peony flowers that she ordered from us last June for a wedding that she was coordinating.  Denise is a wedding planner based in NC and she did a fabulous job making the brides white peony bouquet and boutonnieres for Chris and Beths June 18, 2011 wedding.

Since we cut our peonies flowers when they are in bud stage and have not opened yet I don't get to see them too often so I really appreciate seeing photos of our beautiful peonies. I just love how the grooms burgundy red boutonniere and how it matches the high heeled wedding shoes.  Check out these lovely peony wedding flower photos.  Clicking on the image will reveal a nice large photo of the flowers (this only works on the last flower photo for some reason)


Wedding Photography By True2Life
Wedding Photography By True2Life



Wedding Photography by True2Life


I hope you enjoyed seeing these beautiful peony wedding flower photos.  To see more photos of our flowers be sure to visit our Peonies Wedding page.  Scroll down and click on the brides name to see how she used our peonies flowers for her wedding.

Friday, February 17, 2012

How Many Peony Plants Do You Have?


This is a question that we seem to get asked at least a couple of times a year.  We were talking to an acquaintance that we ran into in a restaurant at lunchtime the other day and she asked the question "How many peony plants do you have?"     I always have to stop and think since we are planting new peony plants every year so the number is constantly changing and I seem to lose track as soon as I figure it out.

The truth is right now I have lost count of how many peony plants we actually have.   I knew at one point a few years ago but then we planted more, and more, and I have lost count.
Our son is in 4th grade and always seems to need math help so I always try to find creative ways to get him to learn math without letting him think it is schoolwork.  I learned about this trick from a site I found called Math Goodies and I use it whenever I get a chance. If he thinks its related to homework or schoolwork then he won't want to do it. 

So I got out some old charts of our peony fields that I had made a few years ago by walking around with a clipboard and drawing a sketch of each peony field with the number of rows of plants in each area and asked him to help me tally the numbers up so I could remember how many peony plants we have.  He did a good job in tallying up the first few sheets for me but then found something more interesting to do and left me to do the counting myself.

In the spring once our peony plants are up out of the ground which will probably be mid to late April  I plan to do another inventory by walking around and counting our peony plants.  Until then I will just use the estimate I came up with from my old inventory which is around 6000 plants.

Another question that we are also asked often is how to grow peonies.  This article gives some good background info on growing peonies

Monday, February 13, 2012

Do You Ship Peonies Flowers Outside of the USA?

Each year we get asked this question at least a couple of times and the answer is no.  In the past we have shipped our fresh cut peonies flowers only within the USA including Alaska and Hawaii.  

A few years ago we tried to ship peonies flowers to Spain and found that the shipping companies were all confused on whether or not a phytosanitary certificat was required.  For Spain one is not required but al lof th shippers insisted that it was.  The closest place I could get on was 85 miles away so in the end we were not able to ship and decided not to persuit international orders.

Recently we have become approved to ship flowers as air cargo on Delta airlines.  We are currently checking to see what is involved for international shipments and hope to gain some international customers in Europe or other parts of the world.

Last year while doing some research on peony availability in the UK I came across this UK based flower site Serenata Flowers Online and was impressed with the varity of different types of flowers offered.  While they do not seem to sell peonies I was impressed with their site.  They also had great photos which I always like.

Another site that I really like is gardening.  I am always amazed by all of the great, free information I find on Wikipdia.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Peonies Wedding Bouquets

I just discovered a site called Pinterest.  Actually, I discovered it a while back but just got around to checking it out and have set up a pinboard focused on Peonies Wedding Bouquets  It is a collection of my favorite photos that our customers have sent us showing their beautiful peony bridal bouquets they have made using our beautiful peony flowers. 

I have alot of other peony related ideas for additional pinboards so please follow us on Pinterest to get updates.

Follow Me on Pinterest

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Peonies Themed Home Decorating

It is the middle of winter here in Michigan right now so there is nothing I can do outside so I have been thinking about home decorating.  Being a lover of peonies my thoughts naturally turn to decorating using a peony theme.  I came across a home decorating site callled Houzz while searching for information on remodeling and  found some fantastic peony themed home decorating inspirations.  

Houzz is a different type of website home decorating website and I don't think I have ever seen one quite like it.  They allow interior designers to submit their portfolios online.  Houzz users can then add search through the portfolios and add photos that they like to their online idea book. So you can add different inspirations from different designers to make your own unique decorating ideabook.    What a neat concept!

The photo below was submitted by Melissa Miranda Interior Design in Boston.  What I love about the photo is the clean marbled counter top surface and how fantastic the cylinder shaped vase full of pink peonies looks on it.    The cylinder vase is normally not what I would have selected for peonies.  I almost always recommend a flared vase of hour glass shaped vase.  But I do love the look of this cylinder vase crammed full of pink peonies.  You can bet I will be experimenting with cylinder shaped vases this summer!
Claremont Park modern kitchen

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Peonies Wedding

We were just made aware that  our website is not displaying correctly for Mozilla Firefox and Chrome users. The Peonies Flowers Photos on the home page are wrapping. Our site is best viewed with Internet Explorer. We are trying to figure out what the issue might be. Until we resolve it please use Internet Explorer.

We are accepting order for peonies flowers for 2012 spring and summer weddings.  Please use the Contact Form on our website to get in touch with us.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Peonies Wedding Stamps

Are you having a peony themed wedding complete with peonies flowers for your bridal bouquets, wedding centerpieces, and ceremony flowers? 

We have taken many photos of our beautiful peony flowers over the years and have designed the most beautiful wedding stationary and accessories like stickers, wedding stamps with our photos including:

peony wedding stamps, peony stickers, peony wedding programs   

Below are a few of our peony wedding stamps.  
Light Pink Peony Wedding Postage Stamps Peonies stamp
Red Peony Wedding Stamps by bridgewaterpeonies
See more Peony Postage

To see the rest of our beautiful peony wedding stamps please visit Peonies Wedding Postage

Friday, January 13, 2012

Peonies Wedding Photos Just Posted

We have just posted beautiful photos of Jordans wedding flowers photos from Jordans wedding last June 11, 2011.  What a beautiful bride and look at those peonies too!  She sent us the photos last summer after her wedding but updating the website is always a good winter time thing to do since there is no outdoor work that can be done since we are in the dead of winter here in Michigan.
Peonies Wedding Flowers
Jordan mixed the peonies with roses, hydrangeas, and what looks either like white snapdragon or white stock.   The two flowers look similar so its hard to tell.   You can see more photos from Jordans wedding here including peony bridesmaid bouquets and peonies used as a cake topper.