An Evening with Jerry Colangelo

Language of Flowers

Language of Flowers

The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken. This language was most commonly communicated through Tussie-Mussies, an art which has a following today.

The nuances of the language are now mostly forgotten, but red roses still imply passionate, romantic love and pink roses a lesser affection; white roses suggest virtue and chastity and yellow roses still stand for friendship or devotion. Also commonly known meanings are sunflowers, which can indicate either haughtiness or respect - they were the favorite flower of St. Julie Billiart for this reason. Gerbera (daisy) means innocence or purity. The iris, being named for the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology, still represents the sending of a message. A pansy signifies thought, a daffodil regard, and a strand of ivy; fidelity.

History

Though most popular in the Victorian period, the symbolic use of flowers dates back to antiquity. In medieval and Renaissance culture, flowers were often given moral meanings. This is most apparent in art in which saints are often depicted with flowers that are symbolic of their virtues. Liana DeGirolami Cheney notes that "some of the Christian symbols for Virginity or Chastity are the white rose, the myrtle, a vessel or vase, the lily, and the unicorn". Victorian sources also used flowers to describe moral, spiritual, or emotional truths.


Rose

More than any other flower, the rose has been prized for its beauty the world over. Symbolic associations with the rose have existed since the days of the ancient Romans and Greeks. Roses have been identified with love and passion since those times, beginning with their association with the goddesses Aphrodite, Isis and Venus. Cleopatra is said to have received Marc Anthony in a room literally knee-deep in roses.

The flower symbolism associated with roses is love, remembrance, passion (red); purity (white); happiness (pink); infidelity (yellow); unconscious beauty, and I love you. Wild roses have five petals. This has led to their symbolic connection to the wounds of Christ in Christian iconography. The rose also symbolizes the Virgin Mary herself, who was known as the "Mystic Rose.

The History of Roses
There are fossil records dating roses back some 35 million years. Roses are native to the United States. Montana and Oregon have the oldest rose fossils. The rose has the most complex family tree of any known flower species with over 30,000 varieties.
Roses were first cultivated 5,000 years ago in Asian gardens. In the Orient, ladies carried rose petals in their purses and gentlemen made wine and herbal medicine with the flowers. Along with the name Orchid, Rose is one of the most popular names for girls in China. Confucius wrote that the emperor of China owned over 600 books on the cultivation of roses.

Roses were introduced to Europe during the Roman Empire and were thereafter used for ornamental purposes. Romans were known to carpet huge banquet halls with rose petals.
Experts divide roses into two groups. "Old roses" are those cultivated in Europe before 1800. "Modern roses" have been cultivated since about the turn of the 19th century.
Before cultivation, roses typically bloomed only once per year. Now roses are blooming somewhere every day of the year.
©2008-2009 Living Arts Enterprises, LLC

Meaning of Different Color of Roses



red

True love

blue
Mystery, attaining the impossible

white
Eternal Love, Silence or innocence, wistfulness, virtue, purity, secrecy, reverence and humility

black
Death, hatred, farewell, rejuvenation or rebirth

yellow
Friendship, or dying love (or platonic love) or jealousy, infidelity

pink
Grace

dark pink Gratitude

light pink Desire, passion, joy of life, youth, energy

burgundy
Unconscious Beauty
coral or orange
Desire, passion

lavender(violet)
Love at first sight

red and white together Unity

red and yellowtogether Joy, happiness, and excitement

thornless Love at first sight

Mike and Mandy's Wedding at the Wigwam

Mandy and Mike's wedding... this was a day that dreams are made of! You wouldn't have known it was a chilly December day in Arizona, because the Beautiful Bright Spring Colors gave the feeling of Spring! Mandy was the epitome of a beautiful, sweet fairy bride and , she even got hand warmers for all of her bridesmaids. The Intimate Outdoor Ceremony on the Kokopelli Terrace at Wigwam Resort transformed into a sea of Bright Orange and Pink with the accents of Gerber Daisies and Oranges chosen by Mandy and arranged by Jacque & her team, at Thee Wedding Warehouse, home of Endearing Floral Design. Her reception was in the Mohave Ball Room one of the Wigwams newest additions and it spark with energy as the DJ, Kevin with Fanning Flames Entertainment kept things flowing and people dancing the night away. Memories by Karen was able to capture all the days special moments and Kathy & Melanie “Thee Wedding Fairy” was the on-site coordinator there to keep every detail as imagined by Mandy and Mike and be sure all vendors chosen for their dream wedding day worked together seamlessly; proof that a moderate budget can still produce a perfect wedding! Surely, this December day will remain a very special memory in the minds and hearts of all who attended the wedding of Mandy and Mike and everyone involved will remain enchanted by the thoughts that they had a helping hand in their fairytale.

2nd Anniversary Event and Thee Bridal Show

Please Join Us for our
2nd Anniversary Event &
“Thee Bridal Show”!
Saturday, January 23rd 9am-3pm

Our Wedding Professionals will be here to help make planning your wedding effortless!

Surprise Sales to be announced on-the-hour – every hour for specials from 30-75% off of In-Store Merchandise!

Guess how many hearts are in our Giant Vase! There will be First, Second and Third place Prizes for the Three Closest Guesses!

Raffle Prizes Include:
1st Prize – 2 Night Las Vegas Trip w/ Airfare
2nd Prize – Getaway Weekend at Wigwam Resort with Breakfast
3rd Prize – Complimentary Digital Seating Chart for your Event

Exciting Happenings all day long!

~1000’s of Dollars in Prizes will be given away throughout the day!~

~Enjoy Tantalizing Appetizers provided by All About Catering Co.~

~Our Cake Designers will be on site with Cake Tasting & available to help ~
you create the perfect cake.

~Kevin of Fanning Flames Entertainment will be providing DJ services for ~
our listening Enjoyment and answering all your Event Entertainment questions.

~Jody from the Wigwam Resort will be escorting a group tour of ~
The Wigwam Wedding Sites at 2pm with a Surprise Treat at the end!

We look forward to seeing you at Thee Wedding Warehouse!
Saturday, January 23rd 9am-3pm
500 N Bullard Rd #C29
Goodyear AZ 85338
623-536-0995
Info@theeweddingwarehouse.com
http://www.theeweddingwarehouse.com/

See our event on facebook, become a fan for specials and updates.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=801398&id=1540522217#/event.php?eid=266229874275&ref=ts

]

Thee Wedding Fairy with Carly and Marc

Pictures taken by Fresh Look Images of Carly and Marc's wedding on 1/6/2010 at the Raven Golf Club at Verrado.

Congrats Carly and Marc.... we wish you lots of happy years together!

Ode to Background Music

Ode to Background Music

Curtis Whipple 480 634 6127 www.curtiswhipple.com

Most people only think of the value of a good DJ in terms of the dancing portion of an event. At most weddings or other social occasions, dancing may not happen until 3 hours into the event, but the DJ will have already provided a great deal of value to the event up until that point. Background music is one of those things that nobody is really listening to, but they'd sure miss it if it wasn't there.
As a society, we have become pretty casual. Nothing wrong with that, but weddings are one of the few things left that are still rather formal. Women wear nice dresses to weddings. Even the most casual of men wear a jacket and button down shirt. A wedding gives everyone a reason to consider their own relationships and there is always a bit of anticipation in the air.
During a sales presentation, I'll ask brides about the moments leading up to the ceremony. I explain that attendees are dressed up and there is excitement about seeing friends and cousins they haven't seen in a while and even old married couples are flirting with each other a bit because they have a special occasion for which to get dressed up. I'll ask brides, "What kind of music do you hear as your guests are arriving before the ceremony?" Owing to the formal nature of the occasion, classical music SPEAKS the moment. Even for people who don't know classical music very well, it feels familiar to them. It adds body and life and it compliments those feelings of anticipation.
People, individually, are pretty smart, but crowds, collectively, have a separate mentality and they need to be told what to do. I like to have the music provide the instructions so that the DJ or wedding minister doesn't need to speak any instructions. If the background music has been strings, I like to switch to a piano song and turn it up 15% to signal the start of the formalities. If it has been piano music, I like to switch to classical guitar and turn it up 15%. People know that something is different and they quiet down and sit up straight in their seats and turn their attention to the entrance of the bridal party without being told specifically to do so. The oft-overlooked background music has spoken it.
A mistake that many DJs make is #1) being too loud in general and #2) not taking advantage of the natural energy of the crowd and the occasion and then, not using good musical selections to enhance that energy. There will always be several animated and electric conversations going on and those conversations add to the energy of the space and that is a good thing! When a spoken announcement cuts into that, it can be jarring as people have to disconnect from their conversations to hear what is being said and then they will be more disruptive to the announced instruction as they now attempt to finish what was being said ANYWAYS! However, if the music speaks it, it can be far more profound and effective at quieting those conversations more naturally and having attendees direct their attention to the matter at hand- like the officiant and groom having taken their places in advance of the ceremony.
I like to keep the music about 5% below whatever the current level of conversation is in the space. I understand that a few voices rise specifically in response to the level of background music but please don't bust my chops over that issue. I've been around the block enough times to know how to gauge the level of music. I contend that more people raise their voices because they are excited and they feel comfortable being animated and gesturing largely with their hands and speaking excitedly. They want to be heard and they want to speak freely, but they would be embarrassed being heard above anybody else. The music needs to be there to mask each voice so that no single voice ever rises above the overall volume and people can feel comfortable being so animated.
Please take this next part as it is intended- with a smile. Most hotels and golf/racquet clubs have music playing in the restrooms. There are certain sounds that are rather satisfying to make in a restroom, but entirely unpleasant to hear or to worry about being heard. Background music masks it- thus adding to your comfortable experience.
I use a computerized DJ system that can play background music automatically with playlists that I have defined and I also determine how I want the computer to mix it and how many seconds each song will overlap with the next one. During automated background music, every once in awhile, a song may have a long "fade." The song may be effectively over, as it has faded from the range of hearing, but the computer does not know to start the next song because the file hasn't approached its actual end- it's still fading. As the music falls silent for 6 or 7 seconds before the next file plays, you'll see and hear a few of the animated conversations go into a brief pause, waiting for that next song before they can finish the exciting thing they were talking about because they don't want their voice to be heard above the rest. I usually make a mental note of such a song and edit it during the week to end a bit sooner so that the next song starts at the "effective" end and not the "actual" end for future airings. If a radio DJ ever spoke or played a commercial over the long fading "strike" piano note at the end of the Beatles' A Day in the Life, even though the song is effectively over, I'd have to call up the radio station and threaten a boycott of some sort.
Side note- during the dancing portion, I always mix live because there are several simultaneous queues that I may not want triggered automatically. I may want a lighting effect and a pose or hand gesture along with a dramatic musical element all timed exactly when I want them not when the computer thinks I may want them. I saw rock group "Styx" recently and witnessed a few such "Spinal Tap" moments. It was the second night of the tour and Tommy Shaw stepped up to his spot after the second song and shouted "Hello Friends!" and a computer triggered spotlight illuminated a empty mic stand on the other side of the stage. For my purpose, during most background music applications, such queues are not as crucial.
Another important element of background music is the flavor and the energy level of it. The ceremony portion may have one musical "flavor" and then the cocktail hour may be some traditional music that represents an ethnic heritage, the dinner hour may have yet another flavor. During dinner, does the customer want classic standards mixed with new school- Sinatra/Rod Stewart/Michael Buble? Or perhaps something more contemporary like Jack Johnson/Dave Matthews/Jason Mraz? Latin guitar? Old Jazz mixed with some Classic R&B? Classic rock like Van Morrison/Beatles? Properly selected background music will take the guests from what has been a formal ceremony to what will be a dance party after dinner without the DJ saying something stupid like "Yo people! Get up out ya seats!" The background music will have taken them there and naturally created an energy level conducive to dancing and they will fly out of their chairs and dance.
I like music that is rhythmic but not necessarily a vocal. For many of the reasons already described, a sung lyric may inadvertently disconnect people from that electric conversation as they tune in to the song lyric and tune out of the moment they are having at the table. I also generally avoid "elevator muzak" where all elements of a familiar song are intact but with a saxophone taking what would have been the lead vocal. It's vapid and it can still have the same effect of people tuning in to the music and out of their moments.
At about the time that the last table is served dinner, I begin to switch ever-so-slightly from background to dance music even though I don't really want anybody to dance before the bride and groom officially open the dancefloor with their first dance.
A song like "My Girl" by the Temptations is somewhere in the middle. It's a well known song, rhythmic, has a memorable vocal and it begins to naturally help people wrap up their conversation and disconnect from it and turn their attention to what will be a more communal experience as we celebrate the wedding with 3 generations of people out on the dancefloor dancing to the same song- together. After a couple of songs like that, I'll start to see tapping toes and snapping fingers and I'll see some attention starting to turn to me waiting for some direction on what to do next. At that point, it IS the intention to disconnect from those conversations. The energy that is lost as those conversations come to a close will be replaced with the energy that is contributed to the space by a packed dancefloor. Strangely, this will be the first introduction of the abilities of the DJ even though I will have provided a lot up to this point.



Here's a recent pic of me imparting some sage wisdom to the masses on a couple of cool dance steps. The magic really happens when the crowd and the DJ become one. People are out there dancing and getting into it, hugging each other, singing along with every word and they send that energy to me and I feel it and I dig down a bit deeper and amp it up and send a renewed energy back to them and they feel it and they get down and they send it back to me and I send it back to them... it's a party!

The "411" On Selecting and Ordering Your Wedding Cake by the Cake Contessa!

When should I order my wedding cake?

You should order your cake after you have a venue, picked your colors, and most importantly when you’re ready. Being ready doesn’t necessarily mean you know exactly what you want, but at least you’re ready to entertain the idea. We recommend a few different things. Are you set on a certain baker but your wedding is still 9 mouths to a year away? and its in the middle of wedding season then book it. Usually 6-9 mounts is plenty of time but it really depends on your date. However if you got engaged and getting married in 1-3 months it’s still ok to go ahead and call your favorite baker if it’s possible they will do their best to accommodate you.

Can my cake sit outside?

We understand that this is Arizona a beautiful place for a fall wedding, if it is October 3^rd and your thinking the 70’s think again, Last October it was over 85. Many factors fall into place is it in the shade? Can it be brought outside right before? We do not recommend having your cake in the direct sunlight cake? ever, butter melts at 78 degrees. Also think about that before putting it in front of a window.

What other options besides cake can I use instead of a traditional wedding

There are so many options! Lollycakes, donuts, ice cream cake, cake balls, fruit tarts, All can be arranged to look spectacular!

I have dietary restrictions can I still have a cake?

We understand that today more than ever people are much more aware of food allergies. Just ask for exactly what you can have and tell your baker what you can’t. I’m sure they will come up with the perfect ~egg free, gluten free, nut free, non-dairy, no sugar dessert just for you.

Saving the top tier?

Do people really eat their top cakes after 1 year, of course they do! Are they still good? Yes when packaged correctly they can be quite tasty, Many couples also take them on their honey moon. And I have heard that they eat them on the plane with Champagne, How Romantic!!

What should I bring to my cake tasting?

Color swatches, any pictures of cakes that you have already found that we can incorporate into your cake design. We have several pictures and magazines. It’s great to also include your groom in this step of the wedding planning process. He will be excited to taste the cake.