spring // 2013
a n i t s o d a R
a k c u &L
Even though you are now browsing the spring issue of You&Me, it doesn’t look a lot like spring outside. Well, at least if you are located in Central Europe. The weather is playing jokes with us this year so it was quite a challenge to plan and do spring photo sessions. We still can’t believe our luck to have few sunny days so we can realize our plans. At least we are gaining experience with each new issue and we can’t wait for the first sun rays and the first coffee outside on the balcony or in the garden.
The blooming spring is still to come but you can already have plenty of pastel inspirations in the next pages. This spring the pastel colors are our favorite thing and after we found those gorgeous dresses it was an easy decision -we combined these two things. You can expect an editorial full of sweet, irresistible, pastel cakes; a bride with her girlfriends and a bouquet which perfectly describes the term Bohemian. To all this we add those most beautiful real weddings and one adorable enamored couple. Read what is it to shoot with Simona and Kamil and find some interesting DIY projects. We would like to thank each and every contributor who helped to make this issue come true. Whether it was a contribution at room temperature or temperatures slightly above zero. Whether with the text in front of them or with lunch in hand. Without you it would have been impossible. Thank you.
Peter & Veronika
Soňa Havlenová
Markéta Hartmanová
Fotografové
Sonka Nutribju Visage
Vyber šaty.cz
Veronika Böhmová
Věrka Vtípilová
Markéta Střechová
Prague City Cake
Samodiva
Rosebud
Ondřej & Kateřina
Ivona Horváth Souralová
Veronika Kutnarová
Svatba s příběhem
Save the Date
Frezia Fleur
g n i t a e r c e r u s a e l p r s e a h t w e g t o t I e u s s i this
Vladimír, Alena & Jan The Moments
location: Martinic Palace, Grand Monastery restaurant, Prague photography: Pavlína Jarošová
Ivona met Andrej at the disco, where she went with her girlfriend. It was one of those nights, when they were sure that nothing significant would happen that day. Maybe they really believed it, because it was not only Ivona who met her future significant other, but also her friend and future maid of honor. At the beginning, Andrej drew her attention by the way he was openly staring at her. Ivona did not feel well about it, but she decided, that if Andrej asks politely, she might go for a dance with him, but certainly nothing more. What else to do with a stranger from Hungary, who is just spending holidays with his friends in Prague? Man proposes, God disposes. Ivona really likes to tell the story as Andrej took his toothbrush to her place the other day and in her empty, single fridge, where until then there was only butter and two bottles of Evian, he put few beers. Since then, they were meeting each other almost every weekend. Andrej often jumped in the car on Friday after work, he drove 500 km to her place and on Sunday he drove 500 km back. That was yet another example that he was serious about the relationship.
They started to talk about marriage three months into their relationship, which they consider a little bit crazy today. But romantic! Also Ivona started looking around for a ring. Neither of them is keen on ostentatious things, so she felt that it would probably happen in an intimate atmosphere. One night, when Andrej was at her place, out of the blue, he jumped off the sofa and he started to search his bag, Ivona was slyly smiling and she tried to pretend that she does not know anything. But his searching in the bag seemed endless. So she did not resist and she asked what is he trying to find out so hard and he answered unconvincingly: “Pajamas!”. After few minutes Andrej did find the engagement ring after all and he proposed to Ivona. They got married on 21st May 2011, exactly one year after they met each other.
Ivona never imagined her wedding day before, so she felt very confused about all those offers and options. But she knew she wants to use services of wedding agency, which would make it much easier for her. But then there is deciding again - which one to choose? At the end, together with Andrej, they decided to choose “Báječná svatba” agency, because it resides nearby and they know today that they bet on the right card.
Ivana could almost write a book about planning, because she dedicated days and nights to this. She was swallowed by preparations, mostly because of foreign wedding blogs, which provide various ideas and inspirations that fit her taste. She often says that with those blogs, she discovered absolutely new world she never knew about before. She was most impressed by the combination of old and new, wonderful dresses of latest collections, next to the decoration as from the grandmother´s attic. She also spent a lot of time on a social network for brides - Beremese.cz, where she was sharing ideas and others were tautly watching how she would make her dreams and plans come true. Reality exceeded all expectations. It was also due to work of the skillful photographs. Ivona asked her friend, Pavlína Jarošová, because she considers her photos to be the best in the wedding business around.
Ivona was really excited about trying the wedding dress, but she also didn’t have high expectations - stereotypically, she was imagining that she is going to marry in a creamy dress. She remembers, she once was waiting for a meeting and in the meantime she went to check out the wedding house “Nuance”. At the beginning, she tried two princess dresses with a rich skirt, but it just did not sit right. She felt tight and clumpy, as she would have plaster cast on herself. But then, a lady brought in a lace dress in an ivory color, decorated with grey ribbon and rosette brace. Finding the right shoes was even a greater challenge. At the start she was worried about finding the right shade of grey to match that ribbon, but then she gave up and she focused on the offer of shoes in the shade of ivory. After weeks of surfing the Internet she found the right ones and so she did with accessories from jewelry to the hair flowers. She got garter belts as present from her girlfriend - maid of honor. The rings, alone, are a whole new chapter – together with Andrej, they went as far as Berlin, Germany to buy them.
Peonies and anemones. Who would not dream about this combination? But to get anemones in the Czech Republic is still a problem. Florists are promising them, but that doesn’t mean a thing. Even florist Jan Komzák, who prepared flowers for their wedding, was very excited about it. At the end, he had to go for them just before the wedding, at three o´clock in the morning to Slovakia, where he took one hundred of them from a garden of private planter. Even though it did not cover the whole decoration in the restaurant, but Ivona with her bridesmaids, maid of honor and mother had their dreamy flowers. They were really divine.
At the beginning, Andrej and Ivona thought about having the wedding somewhere between Prague and Brno, so both guest from Hungary and the Czech Republic side would have about the same distance to the wedding venue. But in the end the Hungarian part of the family wanted to have the wedding in Prague, so they could also take a tour around the city. They knew, that there will be around hundred guests at the wedding and that they did not want anything too ostentatious, because they mainly wanted to celebrate later. At the end they decided on Grand Monastery restaurant, which provides enough space. The food was even more important to them. They wanted rout and they especially emphasized the Steak Tartare, so the restaurant prepared a special degustation of about four types of steaks, from which they chose the best one.
They wanted the place of the wedding to be close to the restaurant, so they would not waste time for transporting guests. As the wedding agency recommended, they decided on Renaissance Martinic Palace, from where they could all easily go to restaurant, while Andrej and Ivona were taking photos together.
Originally they both thought they will have their cake made in Budapest confectionery Sugar, which they visit every time, when they go to Hungary. They have really great design of cakes, which also taste so good. Andrej even called them, but transportation of the cake would be way too complicated. At the end they ordered cake in Erthart´s confectionery and they were very satisfied. From four possible tastes of body they chose two of them – the middle tier was made of chocolate cream and the other two tiers were with vanilla cream and raspberries.
Ivona: I remember, as I first stepped into the decorated restaurant, Hungarian band was playing, and I realized, that those six months of intense preparations were all worth it! Guests were addressing me and admiring the decoration, they were really surprised at the little custom made details as for example birds on the cake or our initials in the form of wooden letters. I will never forget the speech of a famous pastor Dobroslav Makovička who was handling the ceremony and who was sometimes making little jokes, my father´s speech, in which was not missing his popular wisdom about looking down on problems from space ship, that fun of throwing garter belts, fun with friends until the sunrise and mainly on the dance with Andrej around five in the morning, during which he told me how happy he is. That was really the cherry on the top of our wedding. Andrej: The wedding day was a special day for me also because we met together with almost all of my family members and friends. Ivona prepared one of the biggest surprises for me. I knew we were going to get a car to drive us, but I did not know, that it will be the old Bentley. A ride in that car was a divine experience! I will never forget Ivona, as she walks to the altar, even though there was one funny moment – the pastor said “And now the bride is coming…”, all people tensely turned around, and when the door opened, instead of Ivona, came one of those guests-latecomers. I really liked, that our wedding had free and informal atmosphere.
Andrej stepped in to my life in the right time and I thank to my instincts, that I recognized quickly that he is the right person to spend my life with. And to his instinct, that he chose me.
What I appreciate the most about Andrej is his kindness, intelligence, reliability, serenity and sense of humor. At home we both (me and our daughter) have absolute well-being, but he can also be very pragmatic and fight for his rights. He inspires me in this, because I tend to behave the other way, we can both communicate well despite the small linguistic problems, we know how to support each other and to enjoy our mutual plans.
Ivona is a great wife and mother to our daughter Timey. Because of her I am able to find balance between time consuming job and family and I do not even have a feeling that I would neglect any of those. I can also fully function as husband and father besides to her, without giving up any part of my character or my habits and hobbies. I really appreciate that.
wedding gown Svatební dům Nuance // make-up Simona Bártová // hair Salon Jet Set - Petra Pánková // shoes Kate Spade // suit Hugo Boss // rings Tiffany & Co. // flowers Jan Komzák - Květinový klub // cakes Erhartova cukrárna // decoration Andrea Beranová - Marianne Bydlení // bridesmaids dress Thread (Shopbop) // music DJ Oldřich Burda and Hungarian cimbalom Úrja
No, these cakes are not from abroad. You can have exactly the wedding cake you’ve dreamed about. The talented Veronika Böhmová from Prague City Cake, who teamed up with us for this editorial, will definitely help you with this. We wanted to show that not only the wedding cake or the bouquet can look like as you wished, but both can match perfectly. With this we got help from yet another Veronika, this time Kutnarová, from Fesia Fleur.
We have picked for you, what will be trendy this spring season. It will be soft pastel colors, our favorite ombre and patterns. The cake not necessarily has to be round, so we opted for a cube-shaped and finally - ruffles, those we brought from the last season, but don’t worry, they are still very popular.
photography Radostina // concept and styling You&Me // cakes Prague City Cake // flowers Frezia Fleur // cake stands and decorations Save the Date // other decorations Almi Décor, Apropos – your lifestyle // wedding gown Vyberšaty.cz // location Aria Hotel Prague
I
w e i v r l i e t m a n K
with
& a n Simo
Who is role model of Simona Smrčková and how will the perfectday of Kamil Saliba look like? You can read all this and much more in an interview with these amazing photographers. What did you want to be when you were a child? Simona: I had planned a promising career as a garbage man combined with aeronautics, probably like any child. Kamil: I never had a defined vision of my future career, but my family living in Lebanon wanted me to become a priest, just like my grandfather. So I should not have been far from weddings. How did you end up with taking photographs? Did you get to know each other after you began to take wedding pictures separately?
Simona: I got in with shooting after Kamil’s suggestion, i.e. after 7 years of knowing each other. After my graduation from the University and coming home from abroad, I started to think about my possibilities as a graduate from the School of Fine Arts. It was a golden age for wedding photographers. There were very few creative wedding photographers, who were in addition specialized in classic old Czech wedding photography (as for e.g. Kamil) and with respect to that, in that period he had such a huge amount of demands he was not able to cover them all, so he proposed that I should specialise in this particular type of photography. Kamil: It was by pure chance. I did not know where to go after finishing elementary school so I randomly went through the list of secondary schools. And there was the Photography school. I ended up taking wedding photos thanks to my friends who asked me to shot their weddings. At that time I was taking photos on film and the way of taking wedding photos was completely different than it is today thanks to digital reflex cameras. One wedding was taken on 1-2 film rolls, which means 60-70 images per day. Why did you decide to photograph weddings?
Simona: If Kamil were not taking wedding photographs (and I did not know what I was stepping into) I would probably not dare to do wedding
photography for many other years. Basically, it is a very complicated discipline. It is time-consuming and physically demanding reportage combined with creative staged portraits of people who were standing in front of the camera for their first time, or unwillingly, and you are asking them- to be natural. Some clients expect beautiful sceneries and plenty of original ideas even if you are standing on the parking lot. It would be best to be done within 25 minutes.
What do you like the most about taking wedding photos? Which moment is the most favourite for you when you like to take a photo?
Simona: I really like the preparations. You are ignored because of the chaos and anxiety which is associated with the preparations. You have a great opportunity to capture emotions, delicate portraits of the bride and you have time for more interesting compositions. Kamil: I enjoy every moment, especially when we are “invisible”, when people do not notice our presence anymore. I like to wait for that moment when the emotions occur naturally.
Do your clients come to you with already specified ideas of what photographs they want or do you create the concept together? Simona: Most clients usually chose us according to our portfolio, so we can say that the majority gives us a free hand. We like to adjust portraits to individual characteristics of newlyweds. We enquire of them on what they like, what they have in common, if they prefer woods or minimalist architecture, etc. After all, it is all about their photos. It usually happens that we have similar visions with the client’s ideas. It does not happen frequently that we have radically different visions. Kamil: Nowadays, people show interest in the pre-wedding meetings which are very welcome. So in that case it cannot happen that they spend only 25 minutes on a portrait shooting in a wrong place as Simona mentioned before. Who is your great role model?
Simona: I think that we would both agree that
we admire Ben and Eric Chrismen. Kamil: We admire their reportage style, sense for capturing fantastic moments and all of that very artistically designed. We associate their intense colours, vistas, colourful layout image and sense of unusual composition with our views. What do you consider to be your biggest achievement so far? Simona: The fact that we are still taking photographs. Kamil: That this also gives us the opportunity to travel. And that is what we have always dreamt of. What sets you apart from others?
Simona: This is something that others should decide, we have a lack of insight of independent viewers. Kamil: We think we are different as any other author would think of himself. Anyway, How would your perfect day be like?
Simona: Sleeping and Nutela combined with
Granko. Kamil: Taking pictures of anything, such as different macro shoots. What are the trends for the next wedding season in terms of shooting weddings?
Simona: We are very delighted that brides are becoming much more courageous and stylish than they were 2 years ago. Whether it comes to trimmings, hair, hairstyles, wedding clothes or other interesting details. I really admire their invention and energy to be involved 150% in decorations and meet their own needs. We also appreciate that the majority of weddings are organized in more interesting places than just at a municipal office. Kamil: The new emerging bridal magazines and agencies that are composing very attractive wedding editorials where everyone can get inspiration and bring a few elements to their wedding are very useful. This can be seen also in reality.
For more information: Kamil & Simona
Pet
n e i r d A e r r e i P & ra location CASTLE Restaurant, Bratislava photography Matej Kme큐
How it all began As with most Franco – Slovak couples, their story also began at a French car factory| in Slovakia. After a year and a half of encounters, shy smiles and polite conversations they eventually went to the cinema. Unfortunately, the only film in English at that time was the film Borat. And that just does not fit in the “Romantic movies” category. Thanks to that fact and Borat’s green mankini trunks, that evening can’t be forgotten easily.
The Proposal Sometime at the beginning of their relationship, Pierre once said to Petra that the best marriage proposal was when you least expected it. And that’s how it happened. After 4 years of dating, while Petra was watching one of her most favourite soap operas Desperate Housewives (this name does not have anything in common with the reality), she heard a rattling noise of flowers. She had never seen Pierre so oddly nervous and she understood that this was that moment.
Planning and reality
Organizing and planning is not a problem for either one of them, just the opposite. Not even the fact that they live in France and the wedding was to be held in Slovakia could discourage them. Everything was managed via the Internet and every time they came to Slovakia, they had planned a tour of places and tasting. Petra’s brother was their representative in their absence, he looked over the packages, did the wine tasting- he was their representative. They are very thankful to him for that. CASTLE The restaurant “HRAD”, situated under Bratislava’s castle, just caught their eyes. Enchanted by the terrace with the beautiful view of Bratislava, and because the wedding was to be held in the Cathedral of St. Martin, which is within walking distance, it was an easy decision.
Petra borrowed much of her inspirations from American blogs. Their idea was clear, to be simple and fine. The wedding was held in tones of pale pink and grey. Perhaps the logistics were the most difficult of the entire organizing. The wedding was held in July, and they wanted to have half the cheese, wine and champagne from France therefore they were a bit worried about the condition it would come in. Fortunately everything went alright, and both French and Slovak cheese and wine were a great success.
Wedding dress, shoes and accessories Petra got her wedding dress tailored. She knew she wanted her dress to be airy and simple with a long train. The rest was managed by Géraldine Lemonnier-Leblanc from France. A gentle touch of light pink flowers on the dress brought romantic feel and Petra was thankful for the practicality because of the heat outside (35 °C). Petra ordered her shoes from Coast and her accessories from Sashe. The grey and pink socks for the groom, the fathers, and the brothers were imported from USA and their pink ties purchased at Tie Rack. The personalized cufflinks were also from Sashe.
Flowers
Wedding bouquets and bridal bouquets were simply and nicely tied with pink peonies. Petra could not stop looking at them because this flower is so beautiful and had held up well even under the heat. There were bouquets of gypsophilas and hydrangeas on the table. They really appreciated the clever and creative girls Lea & Lucka because they took good care of everything.
The most favourite moment
There are few of them. As soon as they walked out of the church, they burst into laughter because under the overall stress they did not realize what they were reading. And that caused Petra instead of saying “I, Petra” started to read “I, Pierre-Adrien”. Another such moment happened around 10pm when Pierre and Petra were standing on the stairs and the two families were on the floor talking, dancing and laughing. The language barrier disappeared and they were just happy to be surrounded by everyone they loved. The third moment occurred when the bride was removing her bonnet (special Slovak tradition, a symbol of her freedom) and a tear appeared in many French guests’ eyes. Even though they did not understand the words, the context was very emotional.
Pierre-Adrien about Petra Merci pour ton amour.
wedding gown Graldine Lemmonier-Leblanc // make-up Tomáš Vida // hair Juraj Harmady // accessories Sashe // flowers and decorations Lucka & Lea // music DJ Proximus // wedding cakes Cukráreň Arriba // strudel and oilcake family
Do it Yourself
Love Notes
What you will need: paper with beautiful patterns - we chose stripes and polka dots, office supplies - scissors, pencil, ruler, glue, square envelope, beautiful textile ribbons
Very carefully unstick the old envelope, so you can use it as a template. Put it on your chosen paper and outline the shape with a pencil.
Cut along the outlines
Fold where needed using ruler.a.
Do this to all four sides of the packaging, and if you did it correctly our pack should have nice and neat forms.
The new envelope is ready for your secret love note.
photography Peter a Veronika VelickĂ concept and styling You&Me
You have definitely heard about „Boho style“ before. This style is one of the tre means to create your own rules, own trends and to let your individuality shine earth. Loose hair, natural accessories and casual clothing. It is about a perfec
ends that will reign this season. Not only in weddings. To be Boho-chic e. Boho style is based mainly on natural details, which are in harmony with ct balance between something new and old vintage pieces.
photography Peter & Veronika VelickĂ // concept and styling You&Me // make-up and hairstyling Sonka Nutribju Visage // wedding gown VyberĹĄaty.cz // accessories Samodiva // decorations Save the Date // flowers Rosebud // video The Moments
Him & Her location Amade Chateau photography Katarína Žitňanská
Nicolette his name is Tomáš
her name is
Her We knew each other from our childhood because our parents were neighbors. I have to ad-
mit that I didn’t have much interest for him. I’ve though Tommy’s younger sister is the only child. At the high schol I thought that he is good to „commit a sin“ with, literally. We were 18 years old, both of us had a relationship so we just smiled to each other when we were meeting. But after graduation we went to the same university and that was the first step of our love.
Him Probably it was in our childhood. Our parents lived in the same block of flats. I think it was a floor below us. She thought that my sister is the only child and I thought she is a lunatic who walks bunnies outside. I can say that I started to notice her at the high school. She was beautiful and had a cute smile.
Her Our first official date was 2.9.2007. I remember this moment like it was yesterday.
I felt really nervous and I was ashamed to be with him alone. So I took my girlfriend Simona with me. Actually our first date was a threesome. We had a walk in Bratislava’s Old City. It was really romantic because then it was a warm day. I remember the sunset at Danube. We’ve spent nice afternoon and evening. But we were three instead two on the date.
Him It was one of the last of summer days when Nika wanted to return the favor that I’ve found new owner of her little doggies. She took care for them with her friend. She has picked me up and we had nice evening walk in Bratislava. Of course with her friend.
Her Our first kiss was on our first official date. We were waiting for my best friend Simona. It usually takes her to prepare three times more than other people . So we had about 40 minutes for us. We were in my car and just talked and then he hug and kissed me.
Him Thank god I was the first who can be the „victim“. We went for her best friend.
That was the first time when I was happy that Simona is late. I really liked Nicolette and before our first official date we had 2 mini dates and many text messages. So I knew I don’t want to wait more. I had left my shyness at home so I turned towards her, grabbed her gently and gave her our first kiss.
Her I thing that I knew since the beginning that he is the one. Yes it sound like cliché but
I remember that I’ve wanted to tell him that I love him about an hour after we were out. Because I felt it. Of course I didn’t do that. My pride didn’t allow it. But it was that moment that I realized he is the one. Now we can laugh, cry, argue and reconcile for hours. He was my second wing from the beginning. And everyone knows that nothing can fly with only one wing.
Him After few hours I knew that she is the one for me.
When she is with me I feel like she has been always here. And when she isn’t I feel like someone took out the engine from the car. Pieces can exist without each other but only together they make sense. She is my whole world.
Her If you ask him for the date I think he doesn’t know it.
It was the 25th April 2012 and we had to move into a new flat. Therefore we went to check some things there. 5 minutes after arriving he said that he left the keys on the motorbike and went down. He was more nervous when he came back than when he left. He had me to sit on the bed, got down on his knee and asked me if I will marry him. Of course I said yes and both of us were close to tears. It was really charming. Now I know that that has started the story which won’t end ever.
Him It was about an year ago and I tried to figure out the best way
and place to propose her. I’ve had the little box with me about week and I asked myself constantly: “now”? And then we had to check something in our new flat. I knew, THIS is the right opportunity. We were already up and… the little box was in my motorbike. So I had to pick it up. I’ve said that my wallet remained in the bike and after that it happened as in the American movies.
He is lovely, unbelievably crazy, carefull, tender and loving. He is the one who showed me what is real love. He taught me how to love! He is my fiancé, lover, friend, teacher and baby in one person. I know that only with him I can be the real me. And after few months we will be only WE. Forever.
She is totaly like in my dreams and at the same time totally different from all others. She’s sweet, cute, beautiful and when she is with me, I am a really lucky guy. We can laugh for hours, just lie together without talking. Above all I can’t resist her beautiful eyes. She is lovely awkward, she is not good with numbers and she is afraid of crabs. But I don’t want anyone else.
Do It Yourself
Flowery name tags
Create these unique and very simple name tags for your guests. What you will need: fresh flowers, washi or paper tape, pen or marker. The great about this idea is that you can use as basis burlap as we do, or white napkin, or you can simply stick the tag on a plate.
a r a j í n e c ě Sv
g n i r p S f o e t i R The hem
ě Svatba s příb t p e c n o k / ftan / y Ondřej Ka h p a r g to o h p
When we were thinking about the concept of our editorial, we found out, that we would like to catch that time of spring, when it is waking up from the long winter sleep. Time, when winter did not fully give up yet, but the sun is slowly gaining its strength. The Earth can finally unbend, and so we. The story we tell on the following pages is inspired by the famous ballet “The Rite of Spring”, which music was composed by Igor Fjodorovič Stravinsky.
First act :
h t r a E e h t f o n o i t a r o d A e h T
f i , s t b u o D . t irs f t a t s u r t s i m f o t us. i b h e t i l w t t i e m a Al g e s l a f e h t g n yi a : l y p l r s i a e e l n c o e g in som k a e p s e r a s m a e b n u s m r a . g n i But w k a w a y l l a e r s i g n i r p S
g n i p e e l s s a w h c i h w , d n u o gr n e z o r . f t n e e h t m o o t m w s i o h t B l i t n u t e e h s h ite t i h w w d e n h t u o r b e a d n l u l i w t i d n a g n o l e k a t t o n s. I t will r o l o c d n a e f li
e c i f i r c a S : Second Act
d n i b o t , r e t c a r a h c t n a t s n o c n i f o e t i u q e t s a i r b g e l n i e r c p o t S y J r a s s e c e n s i t i its attention, . y l r e p o r p g sprin
dress Judy Salon Naive
photography z // concept Svatba s příběhem // make-up & hairstyling Sonka Nutribju Visage // flowers & hair accessories Samodiva // decorations Save the Date // desserts Laskominy // clothes Akari, Ceremoni // wedding gown Naive
photography Radostina
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I am looking for some specific answer, but I do not remember I would have any dream job. As a child I probably wanted to be everything, which was anyhow interesting to me. I was mimicking all kinds of professions, from saleslady, nurse, when I was “curing” all my toys, than actress, singer and princess – I considered it as probably the best profession. But throughout all those years I always wanted to sell something. As a small child I made grab-bags (paper bag with toy as a surprise) and I sat in our garden in front of our gate and sold them. Unfortunately there only around ten people a day passed through, so my business was not so easy. Then I started to sell old clothes from our cottage, but it did not bring much profit ether, but I guess than was born my business thinking. How did you get to flowers, flower design and weddings? And how was Rosebud found?
In my life flowers and nature were always something beautiful, mysterious, mainly with perfect design, which is not replaceable. It is a world that can always teach us and inspire us.
When I was 15, I went to gardening High School. I always had all kinds of part time jobs, and there were a lot of them. From working in a bookshop, fast food selling, distribution of flyers, babysitting… until I started to work in a flower shop, where for one year I was cleaning flowers which are to be sold later. In that job I learned how to care about flowers, what are their names, how they grow, how long do they last. Seemingly easy and monotonic work became something which completes me and the world of flowers had me. Then I started to work in another flower shop, where working with flowers was on a different level. There the real beauty of the flowers was highlighted and there were no color nonsenses, which unfortunately could be seen in flowers even nowadays. Even today, when customer asks me for beautiful frill under a bouquet, I get shivers down my back. But I should say that there are thin and individual borders between chic and kitsch. I personally am a great fan of the kitsch, but there different types of kitsch. But when it comes to flowers, I always prefer character of each flower, and after that composition of the whole form. I like combination, borders, contrasts… It is a never ending process which is fascinating. Nature and its politics are on the first place, than the purpose.
Rosebud was found unexpectedly after my studies of landscape gardening. I went at MZLU to study rural development. But I did not finish that course, because I did not manage to run business and study at the same time. Today I am happy, that I preferred Rosebud and those three years of my hard work paid off. Rosebud is not only flower shop. It is place to meet; it is about friendship, peace, aromas and inspiration. Inseparable part of every wedding is the floral decoration. What do you personally like to create the most?
In year 2012 I created 60 wedding variations. I can say that every bride had her magic, something, that makes each one of us unique, and I am happy that in many cases we made wishes and desires of brides to come true. So then their own personalities and characters connected with flowers in a perfect, harmonic unity. The biggest reward for me as florist, are the words of gratitude in various ways. My customers are very different, some of them have very accurate concepts of shapes, color combinations, the composition of flowers and some of them have no idea about concept at all. In those cases you make everything from scratch and you can make a one-of-kind custom made flowers and decoration. Which are your most favorite flowers that you like to work with?
All of them have their own magic. But I personally like flowers that smell nice. I also like mosses, lichens and plants with green blossoms. Do you prefer when your client let you live out some fantasy or you prefer to base your work on some accurate concept from the client? In both cases it may be interesting cooperation. It is always about the specific project, but if I have a free hand it is bigger challenge for me.
What do you consider as your greatest success so far?
As a success I consider new, larger Rosebud, where we can offer our clients a new dimension of our perception of decorations and beauty for their homes. What is the key quality that differentiates you from others?
It is about the approach at the first place. We try to make our customer to feel good in here, so their visit will not be in a hurry, at the expense of quality of our services, because we are not supermarket to serve
everybody as quickly as possible. Sometimes it happens that some customers leave, because they are in a hurry, but there are not many of them. I would wish that they could stop for a while in such hectic times, look around and take a breath. Then it is also on the menu of flowers and accessories assortment. I prefer season flowers, interesting kinds of flowers, but not exotic. Durability is crucial, our flowers are always fresh. How would your perfect day look like?
I think about words more than places, moments and situations. But honestly, I am answering these questions from Bolzano in Italy. Even though the sun is not shinning today I am here with my family and friends. Today I will visit Mario, who has flower shop in the old center of Bolzano. I always look forward to coming here. It is a flower shop, which has absolute glamour and I feel substantial man’s energy there. He lets rough materials to excel and his decoration is originating from the nature. We will go for lunch, we will feast for long time, we will get the best espresso (even
though there is no bad one here), sweet desert, we will laugh and we will feel great. So, what else could I wish for…
What do you think we should expect in this wedding season from the flower perspective?
This year are dominating bright colors. Mostly simple dresses without striking decoration, with veil or more dominant hair applications. Flower variations depending on the season. In spring months there are tulips, we use a lot of fully bloomed kinds. Narcissi are mostly of smaller kinds. Buttercups and anemones, those are very popular wedding flowers in the past few years. Then peonies separately, single strip bouquets or in combinations. For example Austin roses are heading in to the front and brides are experimenting more. Among wedding bouquets we can see sometimes slugs of blackberries, blooming spring twigs, succulents… So I think, there will be a lot to look forward to this year. more info: Rosebud - Markéta Střechová
location MyMoon, Brooklyn, New York photography Simona Smrฤ kovรก and Kamil Saliba
How it all began
We were born in the opposite side of the world, but we met on a lovely spring day in New York where Gabe lived for some time and I was visiting friends there.
Proposal
During our relationship I showed Gabe the fun of snowboarding/skiing and he fell in love with the winter sport so he got the idea to propose me in Colorado where I have always wanted to go skiing. One day he surprised me with an arranged trip to Aspen in Colorado where on the top of the highest peak he asked me if I will marry him. It was starting to get dark, there were no people around, snowflakes falling from the sky… really romantic. When I said “YES”, he took out a bottle of champagne, which he has been carrying around under his jacket the whole day.
The Location
We have been to MyMoon couple years ago on another wedding and we liked the place a lot. We didn’t want a traditional wedding so when the time came to plan it we immediately knew that we want to make it exactly there. Industrial building with high ceilings, rustic tables, eclectic atmosphere and gorgeous outdoor places to sit were the things which we imagined to have on our wedding.
Wedding dress, shoes and accessories
I was very excited by the dress selection process and at the same time I was very scared about it. With a friend we planned how we will visit all the wedding boutiques, but at the end I chose my dress immediately in the first shop and I didn’t want to visit the others. The dress is by the designer Martina Liana, the shoes by American Glamour, earrings Carolee.
Flowers
Both my bouquet and that for the bridesmaid were exactly as I imagined them to be. They were gorgeous! They were made of roses, scabiosas and my favorite peonies. The flower decoration on the table was mostly made of different kinds of white roses.
The Most Favorite Moment
The whole wedding was a great experience for us, but the best part was the morning after the wedding when we woke up as husband and wife. Happy and relaxed we were remembering all the nice moments of the wedding while having delicious breakfast in our hotel room which had incredible view of the St. Patrick cathedral in Manhattan.
Denisa for Gabe
Gabe is my other half, the most amazing husband and at the same time my best friend. He is a really cool guy and the life with him is like in a movie. I don’t want this film to finish ever. He is my everything.
Gabe o Denise
My life would not be complete without her. I think about all we have done together and all that will come. I look forward everyday to living with her next to me. There is no enough room to express my love for her here, but she is always in my heart and made me a better man. bridal salon Bridal Reflections // make-up Marisa Dreesen // hair Eve Whittington // flowers Pristine Events // wedding cake Cannelle Patisserie // DJ Parallel Sound Productions
See you in June. Till then you can follow us on facebook or read latest news on our website. If you have wedding or engagement that you want to share with us, e-mail us at wedding@youandmemag.com If you are interested in advertising in our magazine, e-mail us at advertising@youandmemag.com