November 25, 2018
As a well-known local restauranteur, John knew his sumptuous Italian eatery, Francesco’s Ristorante in Maitland, FL, could be the perfect location to celebrate his marriage to Chocky. The food would be outstanding, the location was perfect, but the challenge would be how they could turn this traditional restaurant into an intimate wedding reception venue.
However, Chocky knew just who to turn to.
Friends for years, Chocky and Marelize Dingman (designer at Fairbanks Florist), had worked together on numerous charity events thoughout the years, including the Orlando Museum of Art’s Festival of Trees. Chocky knew Marelize held the talent and skills to exceed all expectations and immediately realized Marelize would be the perfect designer for their wedding.
“I worked almost exclusively with Marelize. She handled everything. The only words I can use to describe her are dream come true. She listened to everything we wanted and came up with solutions and ideas that were better than we expected.” - Chocky
Wedding Professionals: The Roots and Stones Wedding Photography and Video, Fairbanks Florist, A Chair Affair, Inc., Orlando Wedding and Party Rentals, Kraft Azalea Garden, Francesco’s Ristorante, Over The Top Rental Linens
The ceremony, at Kraft Azalea Garden, was structured with two large, white pedestals, overflowing with ivory, peach, and deep pink roses, white hydrangea, dark red dahlias and peonies, thistle, burgundy hanging amaranthus, and flowing vines. Complementing these pieces and Chocky’s bouquet were miniature flower girl bouquets and matching floral halos. It was the perfect touch for the 5 flower girls!
Back at Francesco’s, Marelize and the Fairbanks Florist team had transformed the restaurant into an upscale rustic environment with an unstructured garden design, boasting rich dimension, textures, and colors.
Curry willow, grapevine, and manzanita branches were constructed into specially designed pieces for above the restaurant’s arches. They were created at the floral shop and completed during installation with fresh floral and hanging crystals.
Tables lit up with romantic candlelight, donning sophisticated arrangements. And behind the head table, Marelize designed a floral header board with cascading drapery to bring intimate attention to the bride and groom. The ceremony floral arrangements were brought back to the reception, completing the overall look.
John and Chocky’s wedding was a stunning affair that Fairbanks Florist, particularly Marelize, made uniquely exquisite. It was so well-received, that many arrangements (such as the arch decor) stayed for the holidays! Additional holiday decor such as decorated trees, were brought in to the restaurant as soon as the wedding was over and Francesco’s opened the following day perfectly ready for the holiday season!
“Marelize immediately got my vision and improved on every idea. The flowers were amazing and just gorgeous. We only met about three times and she gave me confidence because she instinctively understood what we wanted. I have to say it turned out to be exactly what I wanted. Everyone that attended said how lovely everything was.” - Chocky
