Pew decoration designed by Sandra Meyer from Petals Galore

As a Wedding-Club.com free local wedding consultant, I get a lot of questions. Each one is uniquely challenging. Many times I have to rely on other Wedding-Club.com wedding professionals' expertise and insight. The following question is an example of one of those times. Here is what Kathy, a bride from Philadelphia, wrote to us:

"Hi! I know I'm not from St. Louis, but I need help so I will ask you anyway! While digging in my aunt's attic before a garage sale, I found a chest filled with some old silver and other valuables that belonged to my grandmother. Neatly tucked under some items was a stack of handkerchiefs, each one different but equally beautiful. After some research, I discovered that the hankies belonged to several generations of the women in our family, dating as far back as my great-great-grandmother. I would love to incorporate them into my wedding this coming September, but because of the delicacy of the fabrics, I need to be very careful. Any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated!" -- Kathy, Philadelphia

I won't lie to you... I was clueless. Sure, there are a number of ways to incorporate handkerchiefs into a wedding, but how do you do it with extreme care and caution? I needed help with this one, so I called Sandra Meyer, owner of Petals Galore Floral Design, to help guide me. After explaining the dilemma on the phone, without a moment of hesitation, Sandra replied with two words "Pew Decorations". "Pew Decorations?!" I said. This I had to see!

The following week I was off to St. Charles to see what Sandra was up to. She led me into her work room and showed me the pew decoration which she had embellished with her own handkerchief. I bombarded her with questions. "Where is the water source?", "What type of flowers?", "How did you make the cone?" Sandra filled me in on the details and of course, I had to share them with Kathy and all of you.

Any variety of flower or plant can be used. They are contained in their own water source and pose absolutely no threat to the handkerchief. The cone is hand-crafted with birch branches and tied with wire. The branches are carefully sprayed with glossy wood tone spray, for color continuity. A glue gun is always handy for the tough-to-reach areas and floral tape is a must. Once the cone is finished, design possibilities are endless and various color linens can be used if handkerchiefs are not an option. The birch cones can be made in various sizes according to the size of the church and pews.

Do you have a dilemma regarding your wedding? E-mail us at advice@wedding-club.com