Millie V's

We won the Bride's Choice Awards 2012!

2012-01-17T12:18:00.003-05:00

Good news! We won the Bride's Choice Awards 2012! That means we are in the top 5% of Wedding Pros nationwide! Thank's to all our wonderful clients who posted their review!

Inspiration Shoot Featured on Southern Wedding Magazine

2011-08-19T15:33:00.003-04:00

Click here to see the full page over at Southern Wedding Magazine

About a month ago I was invited by the great Chelsey Boatwright (my South Florida photog crush) and Desiree Dawn (my new wedding planner crush!) to participate in an inspiration shoot. I have been dying to show you the shoot! This week, to my excitement, Southern Wedding Magazine decided to feature our shoot on their page! The shoot, designed by Desiree, was cabo inspired. She did a great job with the styling and Chelsey captured everything beautifully. Here is what Desiree had to say about it:

Our inspiration was from all of the beautiful combinations of Spanish and
Latino cultures in South Florida – a Cabo Hacienda Fiesta! South Florida is just
so lush and tropical almost year round, it seems silly not to enjoy all of the
bright and happy colors of the greenery and fruits – and the people! We created
a “Dinner for Two” scene showcasing beautiful pottery and fresh mangos – and
Tequila Sunrise cocktails. A Tequila Tasting table provided “guests” with a
chance to enjoy five tequilas – salt and lime included. And a “Toss Table” gives
“guests” the option of choosing petals, oats, salts, rice crispies or lavender
to toss towards the bride and groom. The bouquet was made of peonies, tulips,
roses and lavender, and the table decor was made of palm leaves, roses,
bougainvillea, tulips and artichokes! Our bride and groom, Sara and Kevin, were
gracious enough to pose for some post-wedding shots, and they were a delight!

I can't wait to show you Sara and Kevin's wedding which I did the flowers for and Chelsey photographed! I also can't wait to work with this great group of ladies again.

Kevin and Sara's Bridal Shower

2011-03-29T14:38:00.004-04:00

We wanted to do something really special for this particular bridal shower. Last minute I decided to make a sail boat out of flowers. Here it is:

For the rest of the tables the host used burlap table covers on which we added some driftwood and some other wispy flowers. We also used some simple vases with blue dendrobium orchids to create a colorful beach/seaside shower.

And here are some other details just for fun:

(By the way, I know the adorable favor boxes came from an Etsy seller, but I don't know which one.)

Wine Barrel Rental

2011-01-11T15:33:00.006-05:00

Breaking news--Millie V's will have a high quality wine barrel for rent ($50.00 a day) as of February 2011! It is a 59 gallon aged barrel from California. Please contact us if you would like to rent one or more.

Looks like these:

Here is some wine barrel inspiration:

Source: www.steelcitybrides.com

Source: http://www.projectwedding.com/

Source: www.scottandersonblog.com Source: www.weddingbycolor.com

Source: http://www.inspiredbride.net/

Details from Yaima and Joe's Wedding

2010-12-09T12:16:00.002-05:00

In order to not lower the quality of our dear friends Jaco Photo's work, let me make sure you guys know that all of the following pictures were taken by me and not Tony Pavone. (The difference in picture quality is pretty obvious).

The following is a closer look at the details Millie V's prepared for Joe and Yaima's wedding (particularly, the arch, the runner, the cylinders with the calla lillies and the cocktail arrangements).

Yaima and Joe Lightfoot Wedding

2010-12-01T11:11:00.009-05:00

Ok. It's been a while. Sorry folks! In better news, we have been busy and have lots of swoonworthy pictures for you. First, however, let's finally get to Yaima and Joe's wedding at the Doubletree Grand in downtown Miami.

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Yaima Luzardo and Joe Lightfoot were married on July 31, 2010 at the Double Tree Grand Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. It was a bright and sunny Miami type of day with the gorgeous view of the bay and Miami Beach in the distance. Yaima and Joe along with their bridal party got ready at the hotel where their ceremony and reception was held. Since they are both graduates of the University of Florida, Yaima made her own garter to pay tribute to her alma matter (Gator colors and her something blue!).

Once they were ready they moved to the marina at the rear of the hotel where they saw each other from the first time. A few fun pictures later, they moved out to the ceremony where they were finally wed. Joe's brother played the ceremony music which was very special for the bride and groom (he played Love Song by The Cure). After that the guests were moved to the rear of the balcony where they enjoyed refreshments by the cocktail tables. Then, it was all fun and dancing at the reception. Afterwards, Yaima slipped into another gorgeous dress and they moved to the restaurant next door for the after party!

The wedding was filled with circus roses, mango mini callas and hot lady pink roses. We created a different styled arrangement for the cocktail tables because the bride was hooked on the modern style of the swirling mini-callas, but felt they would not be enough for the indoor space. We also took the mini callas and lined the aisle with long vases containing pink crystals and mango mini-callas with floating candles. The orange and pink theme was carried inside by the placecards and table numbers created by the bride to match the invitations which she placed on gumballs. The guest book contained some of their beautiful engagement pictures.

The event was memorable and really reflected the fun loving couple. The colors were bright and cheery, perfect for summer and downtown Miami’s sleek and fun style.

Statement from the bride and groom:
We wanted a simple wedding that reflected our personalities, but also included as many personal details as possible, which we accomplished by taking on different DIY projects. We wanted it to feel like it was our wedding, organized by us, but with the help of very talented vendors.

Credits:
Photography: Jaco Photo
Ceremony and Reception Venue, linens and catering: Doubletree Grand, Biscayne Bay, Downtown, Miami
Cake: Cake Design by Edda (my favorite!)
Ceremony Music: Shawn Lightfoot (brother of the groom)
DJ: Vision DJs
Stationary: DIY kits purchased from Daisy Days
Shoes: Pour la Victorie
Bridesmaids Dresses: David's Bridal
Makeup: Aimee Ortega
Hair: Jorge Penn

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Yaima and Joe-Sneak Peak!

2010-08-24T21:24:00.015-04:00

Just wanted to give you a sneak peek on Yaima and Joe's wedding this past month. The photographs are a courtesy of Tony Pavone at http://www.jacophoto.com/. Make sure to check his site out!

Tiffany Blue Glam Wedding Mock Up

2010-08-03T22:18:00.004-04:00

I realized that I have never shown you what a mock up is! Most of the brides that call Millie V’s ask to see an example of their centerpiece once we have decided on a potential centerpiece. Over here we call that a “mock-up.” The phrase, as we use it, came about from thinking of mock-trials. Similarly, we love to show our clients how their tables will look almost like a run-through. This is a great way to envision your event and ensure that your centerpieces will look exactly how you are dreaming of them to look.

The pictures below are from a mock-up session with a client. The bride loves blue, especially Tiffany blue, but wanted to include soft white and ivory tones to make the arrangements sophisticated and romantic. She also wanted to include crystals which we made sure to do via hanging crystals and scattered crystals in some of the roses. The crystals really catch your eye and make the arrangement glamorous. Continuing the glam look, we used floating “crystal” candles on two vases to the side of the centerpieces.

We also showed the bride how the arrangement would look if it was used on a shorter vase.

Mariana and Mariano at the Ritz

2010-08-01T21:15:00.011-04:00

Every wedding has a unique style as does every bride. Mariana and Mariano certainly have their own style and I would categorize it as ultra glam. The two were married at a very intimate ceremony at the Ritz Carlton in South Beach with Miami Beach as their ceremony’s back drop. Mariana is tall and gorgeous (read-model like) to begin with, but her friend, photographer Daniel Lugo, took it to the next level with these amazing photographs.

The following three photographs were taken by Millie. Mariana's and Mariano’s boutonniere were made with white mini calla lilies.

A small replica of her bouquet was made for the flower girl with the tiniest mini callas around as was the small boutonniere for this little guy. Again, isn't Daniel Lugu amazing?

Now for the main pieces. The huge pieces were made with different shades of green hydrangeas, wax flower, lotus pods and white hiperconium berries. They were about four ½ to five feet tall.

Pardon our dust

2010-07-06T22:57:00.002-04:00

You may have noticed a new layout for our blog. We are not finished yet. Please pardon our dust while we work to bring you a slicker blog layout.

Julie and Andrew’s Wedding—Elegant, Whimsical and Classical

2010-02-15T22:36:00.011-05:00

In January, Julie and Andrew were married at the amazing and beautiful Iron Horse Country Club (http://www.ironhorsecountryclub.com) in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was our first wedding of the year and it was definitely an amazing one. For starters, Julie and Andrew were an absolute delight to work with. They had a unique style and you can tell how in love they are just from the way they look at each other.

The centerpieces were made with Esperance roses, white hydrangeas, curly willow, green carnations and white dendrobium orchids. The trumpet vase had crystals dangling from them to mirror the effect of the chandeliers in the cealing.

The bouquet turned out amazing (I am biased… to say the least!). It had green cymbidium orchids with green hyperconium berries, white hydrangea and Esperance roses. The groom’s boutonniere was a green cymbidium orchid.

The bridesmaids’ bouquets were white hydrangea, the maid of honors’ bouquets were made with white hydrangea and Esperance roses and finally the groomsmens’ boutonnieres were Esperance roses. The mothers, fathers and grandparents’ corsages and boutonnieres included white cymbidium orchids.

One of the vendors we worked with on this event were Ashley and Phillip Colhouer from 13:13 Photography (www.1313blog.com). I fell in love with their photography as soon as I saw the photographs. Check them out for yourself and you will be sold!

The ceremony was beautiful as well. More pictures with the ceremony chuppah coming soon! Meanwhile, for more photographs click here.

Silver Lining

2010-02-15T21:12:00.014-05:00

We had a very busy December and January and have not even had a minute to post, but what that really means is many more pictures for the blog. This was an event we worked on in December with several wonderful vendors. The event planners, Lucy and Ray Acosta from Ray and Lucy’s Special Events approached us for a last minute job. The theme was a glamorous event with silver, white and a bit of black as the color palate.

Sometimes all white is the way to go. Of course, it does not hurt to add some glamorous silver linens and silver printed vases. The smaller four person tables selected by the event planners for the dining area were scaled perfectly for the tent. For the flowers we selected white hydrangea, white mini calla lilies and white gerbera daisies. The vases were custom made for the event and are uniquely made by Millie V’s. We can also make them in many different sizes and shapes! Wouldn’t these make a fabulous statement for a silver colored wedding?

Event Planners and Designers: Lucy and Ray Acosta from Ray and Lucy’s Special Events (raylucy2@yahoo.com)

DJ: DJ Ray (Raymondacosta13@yahoo.com)

Photographer: Joe Palomino from Energy Studios Photography (http://www.energystudiosphotography.com/)

We were also asked to make an orchid arrangement for the hosts’ guest bathroom.

For more photographs click here.

Glamour Alert

2009-12-22T23:30:00.010-05:00

What’s nicer than coming in to work and having a multihued floral arrangement sitting on your desk? The client for this arrangement wanted a multi-hued and glamorous floral arrangement and we were thrilled to oblige. We made three different arrangements on varying vases to make a big statement.

We used only roses in a variety of hues and added some sparkling crystals on some of the roses to really accentuate the glamorous/sexy feel. The bottom part of two of the arrangements had some rose petals thrown on the bottom for a softer feel.

Even though this was for a special delivery, can you imagine a similar concept as the centerpieces for a wedding reception? It would be utterly glamorous.

Here is to a Fun and Very Bright Retirement!

2009-12-15T21:33:00.012-05:00

What kind of florals do you do for a person who is retiring? That was the question I have been mulling through my mind for the last month and a half.

At Millie V’s we like to do things that are unique to the person for whom the event is being hosted. In other words, something that reflects them. After all, that is the person who should enjoy the florals! For this event we asked the client what the retiree liked to do for fun and what she was planning on doing once she retired. Well the retiree for whom the party below was hosted plans on traveling, gardening and dedicating more time to her hobby-crafting and painting (sounds like my kind of girl). From this information we started the design process considering the client’s requirements—bright flowers which must include spider mums for a “fireworks” effect.

We came up with something to include all the things the retiree was planning on doing for her retirement (while making it bright and happy as the client requested)—a suitcase with flowers bursting out (complete with soap, a travel-soap-carrier-box and luggage tags), a bucket with paintbrushes sticking out from it (including mini canvases and easels, wood containers to be painted by retiree, paint and palette), a garden floral topiary (with gardening tools, gardening gloves and mini planters) and two long trumpet glass arrangements (I like to think of them as mainly just statement or tall wow pieces).

The event was hosted in a conference room at the retirees workplace (a room I had never seen before the delivery of the florals).

So what are you going to do when you retire?

Blooming Baby Shower

2009-12-14T19:40:00.006-05:00

This weekend included a beautiful baby shower at Matheson Hammocks Park. Can you believe that in all the years I have lived in Miami I had never been to Matheson? It’s a great place to have an event (especially a garden themed baby shower!). The location is peaceful and has lush greenery surrounding the main picnic area which casually overlooks a lake. The party centered around pink and green birdhouses mixed in with a green garden gerbera daisy bloom. The birdhouses were ordered online, spray-painted green and pink and later decorated with little wooden accents and birds.

The mommy-to-be had dreamed up a wooden box with wheat grass and gerbera daisies poking through the grass even though she had never seen something like it in the past. We got to work and built the boxes and stained them a red oak color. Then, once the flowers and wheat grass arrived we tried to recreate a planted look.

The one thing to keep in mind with outdoor events is that you can never control the weather. In Miami we are usually blessed with wonderful weather but it does rain a lot! Thankfully, even though it looked like it was going to rain, the day turned out nice and sunny (although really windy)!

Main Website Coming Soon

2009-10-07T11:14:00.002-04:00

Over here at Millie V’s we have been hard at work planning the arrangements for some upcoming events and working on developing our main website. The website is almost complete and will be located at www.millievs.com. Look for it in the coming weeks!

Spanish Heat

2009-09-20T20:11:00.003-04:00

This weekend consisted of these beauties:
The host wanted to do a Spanish themed anniversary party for her parents. She first picked the linens which were orange, burgundy and red. We decided to do red carnations and roses (these are the flowers I think of when I think of Spain and flamenco). The ribbons were made orange with a sheer burgundy on top to tie all the colors together. Doesn’t it remind you of sipping some red wine and nibbling on some paella in Cadiz? All it needs is candles and wine bottles.

Pink Garden

2009-09-11T19:04:00.006-04:00

Here is another little pink flower arrangement. This was for a mixed gender bridal shower. The bride loves pink and the groom loves orchids. Both of them like gardens and the outdoors. The solution—a pink garden. The flowers were white hydrangeas which I spray painted pink, roses (slightly different shades of pink) and orchids for the groom. All the planters were from Ikea as were the candle holders and candles. I also found some neat pink lightbulbs at a local light bulb specialty store and put them up around the tent. As the night fell, I lit the candles and the pink lights started to flood the tent. Sure enough, by the end of the night we were all bathed in pink.

The Wedding of the Mr. & Mrs.

2009-08-30T19:34:00.005-04:00

My own wedding was kind of crazy. It was really what started me on the floral part of my talents. The quote I was given for my wedding flowers were over $5,000.00 for what I call “flores de muerto” (dead people flowers). I decided I would do my own flowers since dead people flowers were not going to match my envisioned wedding. I was fortunate enough to have a mentor of sorts—a very nice old Cuban lady who is a florist. Her style however was very “flores de muerto” and she practically had a heart attack when I showed her the sketch of my flowers. She eventually gave in and showed me the skills required for bringing my vision alive and I (as usual) then took it to the next level. The result:

This did however take an entire day and a lot of helpers. I had about 20 centerpieces, one for my table, some for the ceremony and all the bouquets and corsages. If it wasn’t for my helpers I don’t think we could have accomplished it. Besides the flowers I had envisioned an arch with the seating cards which we wound up using our extra flowers to decorate.

Fortunately, since then I have had much more experience and even some formal education at a local college and it no longer takes me an entire day and a room full of helpers. Every time I tell people this story they ask me: “Are you crazy?” My response- “Yes, but I would do it all over again.” That was one of my favorite parts of my wedding and it has lead to developing my talents.

Tea Party Baby Shower

2009-08-13T20:54:00.009-04:00

About a month ago, I worked on a floral arrangement for a small gathering in honor of a mommy-to-be. The theme was tea party, but the budget was tight. That meant that I would have to refrain from any crazy ideas that had to do with drilling holes and mounting things one on top of the other. Think Alice-in-Wonderland-Mad-Hatter-Cake meets flowers. Maybe for some other party.

After much thought I decided to do a simple teapot arrangement which incorporated both green and pink. Originally, the party was going to be held outside near a pool and the host had envisioned circular tables with a simple teapot with flowers in the center of the table. I was not too thrilled about the idea of such a small arrangement in the center of a table which would seat ten people, but decided to let it be.

The teapots were a steal at Ross (ranging from five to seven dollars). I had to visit a couple of Ross' until I found enough teapots, but I fell in love with them immediately. The teacups and saucers were also an incredible find ($1.00 for the set!) at your local Cuban Abuelita's favorite store--Government Discount.

The day before the party I called the host to confirm our set-up arrangements only to find out that the party had been changed to her indoor family room (an incredibly small room) and (yes, it gets worse) the tables had been changed to rectangular tables. Knowing that the flowers would drown in a rectangular table, I quickly decided to build boxes and gift wrap them to give the arrangement height and grandeur.

“A quick run to Target for gift paper and all will be fine!” I thought.

I spent the night building boxes with some help from my Mom who is the best gift-wrapper I know. Her gifts are always wrapped so neatly and with such perfectly crisp lines that you feel like you are ripping up a Monet as you tear through the paper.

The next day I picked up my flowers and began to make the arrangements only to realize I did not really like the finished look. Something was missing. Another quick run to my supplier for some pearls and a stop at Publix for some food coloring. I used some leftover vases and floating candles from another party and some ribbon to finish the look. Overall a very hectic day (as usual) leading to the following result:

The day of the event and the day before the event always seem to get complicated. That is why I always plan a couple of extra hours in my set-up time. If everything goes well, you have some time to kill. If it doesn’t, you have bought yourself some time to fix whatever problem comes your way. I guess the number one thing is not to panic!

Meet Me-Millie V

2009-08-13T18:33:00.004-04:00

Hello all! My name is Millie Vega Van Dyk—hence “Millie V’s.” Millie V’s, Inc., is a family owned and run business based in Miami, Florida. We provide floral designs for events of any size in the counties of Miami-Dade, Broward and West Palm Beach. Our motto is “affordable, chic and unique.” Flustered by the lack of ingenuity and uniqueness in the industry, we strive to create the most innovative designs we can even if it means cutting wood, plastic and floral foam to build our own containers.

My passion has always lied in the arts and exploring new ways to express myself. Through this blog I plan on sharing these projects with you and maybe even some helpful information for planning your events. Enjoy!