Urban Glamor

The Sir Francis Drake hotel is smack dab in the middle of San Francisco, around the corner from the historic Union Square, and right next door to Saks Fifth Avenue (the mother ship of all high fashion!). Sky scrapers, Tourists, cable cars, shopping, and gorgeous display windows surround this beautiful hotel built in 1928. When I received an email from a lovely bride-to-be about designing her wedding flowers at this venue, I was jumping out of my skin. This was going to be the perfect mixture of urban living and glamor!

The first time I met with the bride, it was obvious that we were on the same wavelength. She wanted centerpieces with sculptural branches, and was envisioning dark purple, cream, and yellow as her colors. After seeing the two gorgeous rooms in which the couple was having their ceremony and reception in, my creative juices were flowing and I started to sketch out the entire mood of the event in my head.

The Ceremony: The ornate and high ceiling in the Franciscan Room along with the decadent floor to ceiling Navy blue draperies called for a lot of height in the altar arrangement. The table where the candle lighting ceremony was to take place was the focal point of the room and was flanked by a trio arrangement of curly willow, white calla lilies, and roses which flanked either side of the table.

The Bridal Party: The bride’s bouquet and groom’s boutonniere were in dark shades of purple, while the bridesmaids and groomsmen had bright yellow rose arrangements. Parents and grandparents of the bride and groom were each given a deep burgundy orchid boutonniere to set them apart from the rest of the bridal party.

After the ceremony, the guests sauntered on upstairs to the Empire Ballroom where they were greeted by a forest of jewel adorned Manzanita branches potted to perfection in a bed of white Hydrangeas and Lisianthus.

The bride and groom’s sweetheart table was the focal point of the room and was decorated with a Grape wood branch, Eucalyptus leaves, white Freesia, Purple Lisianthus, and couple of floating candles. This was the perfect complement to the bride’s bouquet which sat in a vase on the table. 

As my brilliant team and I were finishing the final touches to the centerpieces, the pastry chef rolled out the gorgeous cake for which we provided a floral topping. 

Another successful wedding,and another happy couple and we’re ready to take on the next special event! Congratulations to Susan and Christopher!