Real Wedding: Merrill and Ryan

Ryan and Merrill might be two of my most favorite people ever. I first met Merrill when I did the flowers for her sister's wedding in 2006, and then I was lucky enough to be their wedding planner and florist for her and Ryan's wedding in 2008. When you first meet this couple you just can't help but love them. Merrill had an infectious laugh that is usually followed up by a cute snort and Ryan is just an all around great guy. These guys got married at the end of September last year, normally a very safe time weather wise, however for this wedding we weren't so fortunate. Sun Valley had gone something like 53 days with out rain, but on the day of their wedding it decide to monsoon. I have never seen weather like that up here ever. There was not only crazy amounts of rain, but huge hail, thunder and lightning. But through it all Ryan and Merrill were troopers and the wedding turned out to be stunning.


We were so lucky, right before the ceremony started the sun decided to come out, and the umbrellas were all put away. The bridesmaids wore silver and carried mounds of white roses, and Merrill wore a stunning dress that couldn't have fit her personality better. And Ryan and the groomsmen looked handsome in their dark suits.


The inside of the tent was sparkly and magical. We hung 200 votives from the ceiling of the tent and the tables were set with tons of votives and floating candles. In addition to the candles we had mounds of white roses in julep cups and floated gardenias in clear globes. We made sure we had plenty of heaters to drive the cold and rain back out the door.


After dinner the tent was filled with music from the Freddy Pink Band. A great group out of Seattle. The guests danced the night away and had a great time. Even though the rain in the beginning of the day was not fun, in the end everything turned out to be the perfect wedding. I am so lucky Ryan and Merrill allowed me to be a part of their big day!

event planning and flowers by Taylor'd Events
photography by Kirstin Shultz

Real Wedding: Tessa and Todd

Let me start off by saying Happy Anniversary Tessa and Todd! These guys were married here in Sun Valley two years ago this November. They had a small, intimate wedding at Todd's parents house on the golf course. The ceremony was small with just family and very close friends.


For the reception, Tessa and Todd, were very clear that they wanted to serve amazing food. The the caterer, Karina from H & G Reserve, did just that. The menu was multi-course; everything from ahi tuna to duck, and Karina set the table with her signature hand-made flat breads.

The dinner took place in the living room in front of a roaring fire. We set two wide rectangle tables to to make room for the multiple courses and all of the wine pairings. Tessa let me pretty much have free range with the flowers, and since we weren't outside and there was no wind in the room, obviously, I thought going with super tall arrangements would be the most fun. The arrangements included light blue hydrangea, orchids, magnolia, and eucalyptus.


The entire evening was just perfect with love, family, and great food and wine. I am so lucky to still see Tessa and Todd when they come to town to visit. Happy Anniversary!!

wedding planning and flowers by Taylor'd Events
photos by Kirstin Shultz

Real Wedding: Elizabeth and Paul

This wedding of Elizabeth and Paul actually occurred July 7th, 2007, but decor wise it is one of my very favorites, so I thought I would share it with you all. I was very fortunate to have such great people like Paul and Elizabeth, allow me to design their wedding. They gave me very free reign to design everything, and I was allowed to create something I had wanted to do for years! The biggest challenge of this wedding was we started with an empty horse pasture with no power or water. But with the help of my good friends at Classic Party Rental and King Dahl Designs, we quickly got over that hurdle!

The layout of the wedding consisted of four main areas. The first was the welcome cocktail area.
Since we were in a pasture, we brought in a landscaper to lay grass down and put in a fire pit. We added bistro tables, umbrellas and two large bars. The second area was the ceremony tent. Elizabeth loves chandeliers, so we hung one in the center of the tent as well as under the arch.


Next we had the dinning tent. This tent was placed upon a sub floor, we had built to give a very even stable surface. We then laid navy and white carpet on the floor. Because Sun Valley has the best views ever, we decide to use a clear tent to take advantage of our surrounding. We suspended chandeliers and lit votive candles from the top of the tent to give the ceiling a sparkly look when the sun went down. For the tables Elizabeth wanted tall arrangements which did not impede on the views across the table. We achieved this with skinny fluted vases with 30 to 40 stems of phalaenopsis orchids in each.


The final tent was the dance tent. We draped the entrance to this tent with fabric so you could not see in. At the end of the meal we had the emcee announce the first dance, the fabric was pulled back to reveal the party tent, and the band Wonder Bread 5 launched into an evening of super fun music. Inside this tent you first encountered a giant round white dance floor. We had a ton of fun with the lights and made the dance floor look like a giant pool of water one minute and the next it looked like a giant ball of fire. We had a candy buffet for the kids, and a fully stocked bar for the adults.

This wedding was one of my most fun and challenging weddings I have ever had. But in the end it all paid off, the bride, groom and all of the guest had a fabulous time, and I was lucky enough to have the wedding published in Bride and Bloom.

photos: Kirsten Shultz
wedding planning and floral: Taylor'd Events
Rentals and decor: Classic Party Rentals and King Dahl Event Designs