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Vogue
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
21 Wedding Arch Ideas to Transform Your Ceremony Setting
If you're looking for wedding arch ideas to decorate your own ceremony, it's not a bad idea to peruse the choices of couples whose celebrations have been featured in Vogue. These constructions of greenery, florals, and other natural elements have made stunning backdrops for to-be-weds as they exchanged vows and entered into the next phase of their relationship. These ceremony backdrop ideas run the gamut from ethereal, romantic displays to constructions that feel a little more avant-garde. So how does a wedding arch get made, exactly? 'Behind every wedding arch is an engineering feat,' explains Amanda Luu, principal of floral design firm Studio Mondine. 'The flowers and foliage appear lilting and naturalized, but they're layered over a frame—steel, wood, or even acrylic—that we secure to handle weight and wind. As we're a foam-free studio, you'll find a tangle of chicken wire, bind wire, and zip ties that holds pails of water in place. We install everything in situ, which often takes several hours and careful coordination with the venue and event leadership. We contend with sunlight, temperature, wind, and a photographer's shot list. It's closer to building a set than arranging a bouquet. The beauty looks effortless, but the logistics are meticulous.' Choosing which style of wedding arch would look best at your celebration depends all on your own aesthetic and the location of your ceremony. 'The most striking arches feel rooted in their surroundings,' advises Luu. 'A cliffside ceremony on the ragged Sonoma Coast might borrow windswept branches of bay laurel or toyon; a historic estate might echo its architecture and grounds with clipped boxwoods or a singular expression of rose canes. Our team would rather push the materials through manipulation to express stronger movement, form, or scale than to merely add more flowers. For us, it's about capturing a sentiment and a sense of place.' Ready to craft your ceremony vision? Get some inspiration ahead with 21 beautiful wedding arches from real weddings in Vogue. 1. Triple Arch With Hydrangea, Roses, and Baby's Breath
New York Times
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How a Floral Design Master Spends His Day With Roses and Rosé
Calvert Crary, the executive director of FlowerSchool New York, approaches blooms with humility and delight, saying he is 'not a great genius florist.' 'Let's face it, the flowers are doing all the heavy lifting,' he said, adding that he finally considered himself a 'real master' after 20 years of refining his craft. 'To find beautiful product and make it look good is not the hard part. The hard part is really trying to make a business out of the whole thing.' To that end, Mr. Crary, 48, who has 'severe' dyslexia and began his career as a photographer, created his floral design school's curriculum for someone who 'needs to learn in a different way.' 'I got teased a lot about my dyslexia when I was younger, but I think now it was almost a gift,' he said. 'I'm able to be very flexible, and accept a lot of different learning styles.' Mr. Crary's former students include Ingrid Carozzi, who designed the flowers for Katie Couric's daughter's wedding, and his school often hosts master classes by world-renowned florists like Christian Tortu and Lewis Miller. Mr. Crary lives in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, with his partner, Liz Brown, 44, an artist and part owner of FlowerSchool New York; his two daughters from a prior marriage, Magalie, 15, and Marion, 12; and his and Ms. Brown's son, Calvert Roscoe James, 5. During the summer, Ms. Brown and the children decamp to Westchester County, while Mr. Crary maintains a busy schedule in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NJ florist that employs people with disabilities offers blooms with a purpose
Vaseful, with locations in Edison and Princeton, is not your typical florist. While abundant with blooms and bouquets, the full-service floral business is also fulfilling a mission to provide experience and employment for people with disabilities in an integrated setting. The nonprofit florist is owned by Community Options, which has developed housing and employment for people with disabilities for over 35 years. Its programs serve more than 700 people, offering them paychecks as well as opportunities for growth. Among the Edison Vaseful team is Joe Wood, a passionate employee who joined to gain job skills before discovering a love for floral design. Beyond prepping flowers and watering plants, Wood creates floral arrangements, thoughtfully choosing blooms, coordinating color palettes and anticipating what customers will love most. His creativity and eye for design have made him a valued part of the team. "I love working here," said Wood. "It feels good to help people celebrate something meaningful." Because of employees like Wood, customers leave Vaseful with not only beautiful arrangements, but also a sense of connection and care. The Edison Vaseful location was even voted "Best Florist and Flower Shop" in the 2025 CommunityVotes Edison Awards. "Vaseful has an amazing team of dedicated staff that creates beautiful flower arrangements while making an impact on persons with disabilities," said Robert Stack, president of Community Options. "It is inspiring to see that the Edison community feels the same way as we do about our flower shop." More: Middlesex College offers free program helping students with disabilities gain independence Supporting thousands of people from more than 50 offices across 12 states, Community Options has 10 offices in New Jersey, plus the Princeton-based national headquarters. Depending on the program, Community Options can serve individuals ages 16 and up, as long as they're able to work. Besides the Vaseful initiative, Community Options runs Presents of Mind, a gift shop in Morris County, and eight Daily Plan It locations. Daily Plan It offers coworking and private offices for tenants as well as entrepreneurial opportunities for people with disabilities. Community Options also operates day programs such as Red Ribbon Academy I in Wayne and Red Ribbon Academy II in Hillsborough, as well as residential housing and the S.T.E.P.- School To Employment Program. Those interested in working with Community Options typically participate in pre-vocational training that includes computer usage, work attire, hygiene, stranger danger, traffic control and safety. More: NJ Transit expands ride-sharing for people with disabilities to more companies After their jobs with Community Options, the nonprofit can help them find positions at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, local law firms, retail stores and more thanks to transition programs. One person even went on to work at NASA. "While they're with us, we're also training them to get gainfully employed in the community independently," said Dina Casalaspro, Community Options managing director of employment and development services. "It's almost like a stepping stone for them to see what it's like to work with coworkers, come to work dressed appropriately every day, be on time, be prepared, pack a lunch, figure out their transportation to and from work, and then receive a paycheck. And our individuals love it. Some want to stay with us forever." Go: 256 Route 1, Edison; 732-545-5894, email: cmakin@ Cheryl Makin is an award-winning feature, news and education reporter for part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@ or @CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Vaseful florist in Edison, Princeton employs people with disabilities Solve the daily Crossword
Times
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
By royal approval: Van Cleef & Arpels' floral jewels
A century ago, the jewellery designer Alfred Van Cleef introduced an extraordinary floral bracelet at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels in Paris, the fair that is credited with launching the art deco movement. Adorned with diamonds, rubies and emeralds set in platinum, Van Cleef's Fleurs enlacées, roses rouges et blanches (Entwined Flowers) cuff evoked a border of blowsy red and white roses and stunned the judges, who awarded the jewel the Grand Prix. Since then, bejewelled buds, sparkling corollas and golden leaves have flourished within Van Cleef & Arpels' design repertoire. 'Nature has been a perennial source of inspiration,' says the company's CEO, Catherine Rénier. 'For me, this theme embodies freshness, vitality and joy.' As the techniques of its craftsmen have evolved, so have the jeweller's motifs. Patented in 1933, its signature Mystery setting allowed precious stones to be arranged tightly together without any visible metal, giving the petals of rose, peony and chrysanthemum brooches an unprecedented volume, depth of colour and almost velvety texture. With the sleek lines and pared-back silhouettes of early mid-century modernism came a plethora of stylised florals, such as the Fleur Silhouette brooch from 1937, which was crafted from loops of gold wire and curved rows of precious stones. Around the same time, Hélène Arpels — the glamorous wife of Louis, the youngest of the Arpels brothers, who regularly appeared on international best-dressed lists — was pictured wearing the house's iconic Passe-Partout collection at the Prix de Diane horse race in Chantilly. These multipurpose jewels had chunky sapphire, ruby and diamond flower clips threaded onto flexible gold 'Tubogas' chains, allowing them to be worn as bracelets, necklaces or belts. By 1939, one of the maison's gem-set posies had found its way into the wardrobe of one of the era's most infamous women, Wallis Simpson. The Duchess of Windsor was a longtime admirer of Van Cleef & Arpels' work, and many of the spectacular jewels in her collection (so large it has been dubbed the 'alternative Crown Jewels') hailed from its atelier, including a ruby and diamond bracelet gifted to her in 1936 by the Duke of Windsor (memorably inscribed with the words 'Hold tight'); a ruby-studded 'cravat' necklace that was a 40th birthday present, and a polished sapphire and diamond clip that she wore for her marriage to the Duke in 1937. For Christmas the following year, the Duchess received an ornate brooch shaped like a bouquet of ruby and sapphire flowers from her doting husband. The 8in-long jewel came from a new Van Cleef & Arpels collection called Hawaï, which featured miniature red and blue blossoms dotted about 18-carat gold stems and leaves. The gift was a hit: the Duchess wore it to sit for the artist Gerald Leslie Brockhurst in 1939 and the resulting portrait was given pride of place in the library at the Windsors' villa in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. (It is now displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in London.) Next month, Van Cleef & Arpels will unveil the latest take on its Hawaï design, entitled Fleurs d'Hawaï, in a garden with a modern royal connection. The capsule line of graphic floral earrings, rings and three 'secret' watches — all composed with vibrant, pear-cut gemstone petals and white diamond pistils set in gold — will debut in a sunny spot within the five-acre Queen Elizabeth walled garden at Dumfries House, the 18th-century Palladian mansion in East Ayrshire that was saved for the nation by King Charles in 2007. The 2,000-acre estate is now also the headquarters of the King's Foundation, a charity founded in 1990 to champion regenerative community projects and sustainability. Since 2023, the maison has been the principal patron of the King's Foundation Gardens and Estates (which also includes the Castle of Mey in Scotland and Highgrove in Gloucestershire), helping to fund its extensive horticultural projects, such as boosting biodiversity and the creation of new woodlands and hedgerows. Among its first initiatives was preserving the rose garden at Dumfries House. The 3,300-plus plants that fill its beds and scramble over its arbours bear luxuriant, fragrant blooms resembling clusters of deep red rubies, pink spinels and peach-tinted sapphires in the summer sunlight. 'It is such a focal point for the celebration of nature and the gardens,' says Simon Sadinsky, executive director at the King's Foundation. 'Dumfries and Van Cleef & Arpels both understand the importance of preserving traditional skills and crafts, and of providing the next generation with the opportunity to learn these traditions. In our one-acre education garden, we teach young people about seasonal growing and sustainable waste. You'll find students from local schools there, as well as trainees and experts from around the world. An appreciation of nature and understanding our part in the ecosystem is really fundamental to the King.' Much like the youth programmes at Dumfries House, a key part of Van Cleef & Arpels' strategy is its own educational platform, De Mains en Mains (From Hands to Hands), which introduces school pupils to the heritage crafts of jewellery making and goldsmithing, and offers mentorship to adults who hope to work in the jewellery sector. It is also growing its manufacturing ateliers in France to meet the demand for its bestsellers, such as the clover-shaped Alhambra design, an evergreen favourite of the Queen and the Princess of Wales. Each 18-carat gold four-leaf motif is still finished entirely by hand and every one of its colourful ornamental stone centres is cut and polished by an artisan, just as they were when the collection first appeared in 1968.
Harpers Bazaar Arabia
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Harpers Bazaar Arabia
Chattels & More Has Launched The UrArtU Flower Studio, Filled With Blooms To Brighten Your Home
Chattels & More elevates home and interior design with the opening of the UrArtU Flower Studio, at its flagship boutique in Mall of the Emirates Floral storytelling has the transformative power to enhance interiors, homes and special occasions. That's because flowers and art are universal languages that connect people through colour, imagination and expression. Dubai's homegrown interior brand, Chattels & More, takes this transformative power to new heights with the opening of the UrArtU Gallery. Of it's launch, founder Gurgen Yeritsyan explains, 'Some of my most artistic and bold floral creations have been inspired by a deep connection to nature, art, emotion, and storytelling. Each arrangement is more than just flowers – it's a composition of mood, meaning, and moment.' The studio offers an experiential invitation to explore the possibilities of floral storytelling. Imagine texture, tone and unconventional shapes and colours blended together to reveal depth, character and soul. Each fresh or dried flower bouquet comes alive in varying shapes and sizes, curated according to specifications, and the occasion. 'I love creating arrangements that tell a story without words, using flowers to express different emotions: grief through dark, moody florals and trailing vines; celebration through bold colours and dynamic, upward movement; romance through delicate, soft petals and blush tones,' adds Gurgen. With creations taking anywhere from 15 minutes to 10 hours to make, and ranging from three to five types of flowers to elaborate or large-scale installations, there is much to explore within these mesmerising displays. 'Boldness often comes from breaking rules. Whether it's using unexpected materials like burnt branches, industrial wire, or fruit, or challenging traditional shapes with asymmetry and motion, I enjoy exploring the line between floral design and conceptual art,' shares Gurgen, who is known for elevating any occasion or space with his unique selection of rare flowers and unexpected non-floral elements. Often becoming conversation starters, some of these arrangements and exotic flowers include King Protea, Ranunculus and Fritillaria – each selected for its form, appearance or patterns to create artistic designs using twisted elements like branches, bark, seed pods, driftwood, fabric or wire art. Aligning with the vision of Chattels & More, this new collaboration offers customers endless options to enhance any space. A choice of art-inspired vases, with sculptural and seasonal floral compositions, is also available to experiment with. And if you don't know where to begin, you can request a made-to-order design, beautifully arranged in a vase of your own.
