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!