Flowers Make My Day.

I really do love flowers. I know that when I get married, the flower portion of the budget will be *slightly* bigger than the average. The thing I really love about flowers (especially in weddings) its something you can really see where the money goes. I certainly won't lie and say flowers are cheap. They're not. But, when you purchase $1500 worth of lilies - it shows! There are other items that just don't show quite as nicely :)

Brian over at Inspired Home & Flower Studio brought over a lovely little garden this week for me to stare at all week. Nestled in this little square pot are beautiful light pink Asiatic Lilies, Purple Billy Buttons and a beautiful, whopping pink King Kong Rose (which is officially my new favorite rose).

Pink King Kong Rose & Purple Billy Buttons.

Wouldn't this make a lovely centerpiece for a wedding? First off, Asiatic Lilies come in a variety of colors so you can easily incorporate your specific color. And of course, you could find a rose in just about any color of the rainbow for some accent colors (or the other way around!) I also think something like this has so much character to it - its like adding a miniature garden to each table! And, me being a flower/garden lover - how you can I not love that!

St. James Hotel Pajama Party

Last weekend was the 5th Annual Pajama Party here in Red Wing! We all had tons of fun! - Even when the tornado sirens went off! Luckily, the St. James Hotel has a fabulous (complete with a bar!) that everyone was able to fit comfortably into. And, the tornado missed Red Wing :).

Here's some pictures from the PJ Party!
The Very-Berry Martini, served in a specially decorated PJ-Party keepsake martini glass!

(Photo courtesy of Kate Myers, a.k.a The Rad Housewife!)
For those who pre-registered for this great party, they received a Pajama Party Goody Bag - full of great things! (Chocolate...candles...lotion...and tons of other great items!)

This is the group of girls who competed in the Kid's PJ fashion show! The girls who won had quite the PJ style & personality!
The judges table with the St. James Hotel girls!

Be sure to check back for updates on the 6th Annual PJ Party coming up next June!

As I walked into my office on Tuesday morning, it was immediately obvious what the flowers on my desk were going to be. The Casablanca Lily is one of the more potent varieties. The smell is almost intoxicating. And of course, they are beautiful!

As always, thanks Brian! If you're looking for some fantastic flowers for your wedding, I highly recommend Brian. Brian can do everything from simple little Gerbera daisies to brighten up any room or mood.

Brian also recently enhanced some of our Victorian-style lanterns with a wreath of carnations and sterling roses.

As always, thanks to Brian over at Inspired Home & Flower Studio!

The Brightest of Bright Pink Weddings!

So, a couple weeks back we had such a fun wedding! Adam & Emily had a perfect day here in Red Wing. It was a little touch & go in the morning - there was a scare of rain - but as you can see, by the time the afternoon & ceremony rolled around, it was a perfect summer day!

Our beautiful bride!
And her fancy new bling-bling!
I love this picture. Love love love! This is how happy you should be at your wedding.

But above all else, I love first glance pictures. This is when the couple sees each other for the first time. They are so full of emotion - its such a special moment between the bride & groom.

Heading back inside to begin the festivities :)

Congratulations to this wonderful couple! They were so much fun to work with! Also, a big thanks to the Ultimate Pink bride's wedding crew:

Photography: Brandon M Sweet

Videography: Sarah @ Princess Bride Cinematic Video

Photobooth: Xtreme Photobooths

And a big - HUGE - thank you to Brooke @ Affordable Elegance! Brooke is the kind of person who will help you out in the biggest pinch you could come across. Imagine this little scenario:

220 chair covers don't fit my chairs. Doors open in less than 2 hours. Eeeek!

Luckily - with the swift help of Brooke, our Ultimate Pink Bride walked into this:

For more pictures of this great wedding, check out Brandon Sweet's blog!

Introducing....the all new St. James Hotel Candy Buffet!

This weekend was wonderful. We had a beautiful wedding. We also debuted the fantastic new St. James Hotel Candy Buffet! We're pretty excited about it.

Peanut M&Ms were the big winner in the candy buffet!

And of course, a local Red Wing favorite, Knudsen Caramels, which are made locally! You can talk to anyone within a 50 mile radius - Knudsen Caramels are the best! And, also, one of our bride's favorite sweets!

Candy buffets can be a whole lot of fun - this particular one was ATTACKED. For many of the guests, this was their first time seeing a candy buffet - and oh-my-god, were they pleasantly surprised. Guests were able to fill up their own bags to save a little treat for later! This candy buffet included some other favorites such as: Swedish Fish, mini-Candy Bars & chocolates from Red Wing Confectionary (also made local!), among many other items and of course, wedding cake!

The Big Boot: Bridal Style

I am a true Minnesota girl. However, many of my friends & family are not. When I began working here, I of course told all my friends & family that I would be working at the historic St. James Hotel in Red Wing, Minnesota. Everyone's response?

"You mean where the boots are made???"

Heck yes where the boots are made! Red Wing, Minnesota is home to Red Wing Shoes!

Now, if you've been reading the St. James Hotel blog for quite some time now, you'll remember when we moved the Big Boot. Just joining us? Click here for the original post about our 'Big Boot on the Move.' Here's a general summary: Red Wing Shoes built a Big Boot. It's pretty awesome. (See below).

Ever since the Big Boot was stowed in its permanent home over at the Red Wing Shoe store, I have been eagerly awaiting a wedding picture involving the Big Boot. So you can only imagine my excitement when Jenna Sefkow, of Jenna Sefkow Photography posted these two little gems to her site.

Yes...she's sitting on the classic Red Wing Boot Style No. 877. It is a size 638 1/2 D. She is also wearing the matching boots - of course in a much more appropriate size.

If you'd like to see some more pictures of this adorable baseball-inspired wedding, check out Jenna's facebook page!

Me = bad blogger on occasion. We've been really busy at the St. James Hotel this last few weeks that I haven't even gotten a chance to blog! Of course, I'll never be too upset if I'm too busy with weddings!

Brian brought over some great flowers last week for me. Tulips are always lovely as well as roses. He also put in some big, full green spider mums, which I really love!

Interestingly enough, our wedding last weekend uses the green spider mums as a base for their very beautiful centerpieces. Check those out here! Jenna Sefkow did a great job behind the camera!

So this week, Brian over at Inspired Home & Flower Studio brought over some lovely lilies in a very unique vase that is suspended in a wrought iron arm. Pretty nifty!

Brian shared with my a great little piece of advice as well! If you look closely, you'll notice the little pollen-pods inside the lily are missing. Those are, in fact, the part of the lily that can stain your dress! So, a quick tip to a no-mess bouquet? Pop those little pollen-pods right off, and you'll be clean & pollen free!

It's Finally May!

Well, May is finally here! Minnesota is officially in bloom! The lilacs have bloomed, and my flowering crab-apple tree at home is a beautiful shade of pink.

The view from the Summit Room is just as gorgeous as ever. With a little bit of rain in the upcoming week, this lush & picturesque paradise will be even prettier!

While I'm sure many of you don't want to have rain on your wedding day; rain before your wedding day is very good thing! (Some people say that rain on your wedding is actually good luck). However, a nice shower a day or two before the big day makes everything super fresh and green. So...remember pray for rain before the wedding!

And speaking of water, I got a little ambitious when watering my arrangement from Brian over at Inspired Home & Flower Studio and managed to spill water all over my desk. See it in the bottom corner of the picture? Oops!

This week Brian brought over Pink Lilies coupled with Purple Lisianthus and Gorse for the greenery. I really love the lisianthus. They look to me like frilly roses. And the purple & pink is perfect for this beautiful May day! Thanks Brian!

How do you pronounce that?

I'm always shocked by some of the names of flowers and specifically how are they are to pronounce. The most popular culprit would have to be the Orchid family, full of names like Phalaenopsis, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, and Paphiopedilum.

So, when Brian over at Inspired Home & Flower Studio brought over my flowers this week and said,

Alstroemeria

I said, "Alstro....what?"

Needless to say, the flowers on my desk are lovely. The Red Alstroemeria looks lovely with the Cherry Brandy Ecuadorian Roses - the colors fit together so nicely. I am a very big fan of the vase that he used this week as well.

For a small arrangement, it really gives it a little something extra, don't you think?

Back to the subject to which the post is actually about...I've been learning so much about different flowers, and particularly their uses in table-top arrangements. Some drink up the water much quicker than others.

It also gives me an idea of what a bride is feeling like during a floral meeting. Phala-what? Dendro-who? Ridiculous, wait - redonculous....hold up, renunculous? A floral meeting can be quite intense for someone not 'in-the-know' of the floral biz. My recommendation? Pictures.

Elbow Grease

We have this old candelabra here at the St. James Hotel. Last week it looked like this.
I can't quite figure out where this lovely piece came from, or how old it actually is. I decided that this would be a lovely centerpiece for the head table at the wedding tonight. The wedding is having simple candles & mirrors on the table for a classy & elegant look. I thought the candelabra would add a nice touch to the special table.

However, as you can plainly see...it definitely looks aged. It also had wax all over every nook & cranny (of which there are many.) So I decided to give it a go and see what I could do for this poor old candelabra.

And let me tell you what! With just a little silver polish & some elbow grease, its looking wonderful!

Flora

I realized this morning that I had not posted my weekly flower delivery from Brian over at Inspired Home & Flower Studio. I've been very busy around the office for the passed couple of days - in fact we actually had a trade show yesterday!

Anyway, this week Brian brought me beautiful orange lilies with some greenery. I also really like the vase that he used this week. Not to mention...look at all those beautiful buds about to burst open!

The New Trend That I LOVE.

As usual, I've been cruising all my favorite weddings blogs (as any good, self-respecting wedding coordinator does...). StyleMePretty, The Wedding Chicks (we were featured there too!), Ruffled, Snippet & Ink, the Ritzy Bee...and many more of course.

I have to say I think I've stumbled upon my new favorite trend: the matching bridesmaid's outfit (that isn't a dress). For example, this little gem (on StyleMePretty earlier today), the bridesmaids wore matching Pucci skirts and varied white tops. OR...this one where the ladies wore classy, grey pencil skirts (with pockets!) and ruffled white shirts. Or how about this spectacular parking garage wedding (again from StyleMePretty, and yes, that's really a parking ramp!) where the girls wore plaid skirts and cardigans!

First off, the 'wear-it-again' factor is great. Your ladies will actually be able to wear it again - not like in 27 Dresses:

"The best part is; you could just shorten it and wear it again!!!!!"

I think all of these look really great on the ladies as well. After all, isn't the cardigan & pencil skirt a woman's bread & butter?

This wardrobe choice is definitely not for an extreme black-tie event...obviously. But I really think that its catching on!

Victorian Dining Room!

Today I wanted to share some pictures of the Victorian Dining Room. The was the original 'dining option' at the hotel when it was originally built in 1875. I love this room because there is very little decoration needed (assuming you like the Victorian style!). The room has 14' ceilings that are pressed tin. It also has beautiful old gas-lamp chandeliers that have been converted to electricity, so the historical charm is very rich.

This group chose to do a 'Harvest Table' which can seat 12 guests. This was a nice way to incorporate their whole family without doing the traditional head table.

This group did a small half-moon table for them and their two attendants.

Her centerpieces were very simple - she really didn't want to over-power the already present ambiance of the room.

The Victorian Dining Room is great for small groups under 80 guests.

My Weekly Flowers!

I realize I haven't blogged since my LAST weekly flower delivery - sorry about that! I'll try to get better - but we're just so busy here at the St. James Hotel!

Our wedding/event season officially (at least in my book!) kicks off on April 24, which is only 11 days away! We're starting out with a bang (230 guests...yes, a bang)...although as many of you know, that's pretty average for Minnesota! We're all very excited here at the St. James for our wedding season.

Because when it comes down to it, who doesn't love a great party? Our catering coordinator here at the hotel just had her wedding (Congratulations Mrs. Ryan!) and my-oh-my was it a great party! With only a few minor issues (dress straps snapping off...) everything went great! Actually, looking back on it, I don't think I've ever had a wedding go that smoothly. Seriously.

Well, back to my actual post - my weekly flower delivery from Brian over at Inspired Home & Flower Studio!

This week's arrangement is lovely. The Cherry Brandy Ecuadorian Roses remind me of a beautiful sunset in South Florida. And the bright magenta heather fits in perfectly! As always, thanks Brian!

Flowers!

Well, here in the Red Wing area, Spring is just raging right on! After a beautiful sunny (sans precipitation) March, April is in full-force with rain!

Its amazing how green the world turns with just a quick shot of rain! Well, with all the new budding life, it has made me yearn for fresh flowers.

*because who doesn't love fresh flowers on their desk*

Brian over at Inspired Home & Flower Studio put together this lovely little bouquet for me of beautiful pink, yellow and purple tulips. The photo doesn't do it justice, bu he also put some river rock in the bottom of the vase as well. It looks great with the lush green stems!

Keep Calm & Carry On

Have you noticed anything different about the St. James Hotel wedding blog? I sure hope so! Recently, I stumbled upon the ridiculously cute and chic, Shabby Blogs! If you haven't checked out all their unique blog backgrounds yet, you really should!

Check them out! shabbyblogs.com

They frequently add new things as well! This morning, I just added a saying that I found on their site,

"Keep calm & carry on." (Please see to the right!)

Of course, this phrase can apply to almost any/every walk of life. In fact, I'm finding it more and more useful in my own daily travels.

But I really think the concept of 'Keep calm & carry on,' really works if you're planning a wedding. Afterall, before you know it, it will be your wedding day. There's no stopping it! So, you only have one choice, and that is to carry on. And usually its a lot more fun if you're calm.

Remember this about planning a wedding, various things will go wrong. If you're hoping for a day without any hiccups at all, I'm sorry but that probably won't happen.

I'm not saying that everything bad will happen. But not everything will go exactly as planned. However, it can still be a perfect day. Just remember to Keep Calm & Carry On!

Iron Works Suite

Well friends, I can't tell you how excited I am to finally post some pictures about the St. James Hotel's newest room (its really more of a suite!) It's actually a fully-furnished apartment! I like to call it the Iron Works Suite, as it resides in the old Red Wing Iron Works building - which is actually older than the hotel! The Iron Works building was built in 1857! However, on the inside...you would never know!

Note the granite counter-tops!

Beautiful & modern, the Iron Works suite has all the features you could ask for - spacious living room area, a wonderful kitchen with granite counter tops, a full refrigerator, laundry and a wonderful master bath with both a shower and a whirlpool. It also has two sinks!

Give us call if you'd like to stay here!

March Madness

Looking for a place to get married in March? How about the St. James Hotel! Book your wedding for any time in March we'll waive the room rental and you'll receive a complimentary champagne toast! Any wedding, 3 to 300!

Photo Credit: Shelly Mosman

Call or Email Jessica Today!

Jessica Hazelton

651-385-5548

jessica.hazelton@st-james-hotel.com