Hit Reality Show Four Weddings comes to South Florida Palm Garden

[Jeff Searle]

I would like to announce, encourage and even invite you all to watch the reality show, Four Weddings this upcoming thursday night, July 26th at 9:00 PM eastern standard time on the channel TLC ( for those of you that have Direct TV,channel 280).

Now I know and realize most guys have never even heard of this show, let alone watch it before. Many woman have, mostly catering to a younger crowd, and especially those that are planning in the future of getting married.

So, back in early January, one of our daughters Melissa, applied to the show, and sent in the usual applications to the producers. After a few weeks, Melissa received a call and the talks were on. Melissa was chosen to be one of four ladies to take place on the show here in south Florida. Her wedding was to going to be filmed, and then ultimately aired on TV. Wow! Were we all excited. And......because she wanted an outdoor garden wedding at her parents house, it hit me that the heavy burden of pressure was on me then. I had about 2 months to get the yard in shape. With a 130 guest invited, I knew people would be walking throughout the yard from the back patio/pool area to where the actual ceremony took place. Of course everything had to be trimmed up, absolutely no yellowing or brown palm leaves could be left behind. Most visual areas of the yard(2.1 acres) were freshly mulched, especially all pathways.

Where the actual ceremony took place in the back SW corner of the property, I had a lot of work to do to transform the existing area of dirt, and emptiness to a beautiful setting. I accomplished this by bringing in 3 pallets of sod weeks ahead of the wedding for the seating area. I then brought in nearly one hundred assorted palms in all sizes to frame the area and make it cozy and intimate. Some of the palms included, 15', and 10' Dypsis cabadae, 8' Pinanga coronata, 45 gallon Rhapis excelsa,5-6' tall, one 8' Cyrtostachys renda, and approx. 75 Rhapis excelsa in 3gallons. Many other species were also included as fillers.

The reception was then held across the street on the neighbors property under a big tent and wood floor that was put together. This is where the "train reck" started. The caters that were providing the open bar and dinner that was served that night, did an awful job from start to finish. Andrea was sick to her stomach as she watched the poor service and quality of food unfold during the evening. And because of this, I actually debated on making this announcement to the "world". We were embarrassed and in shock by the next morning. The catering company even knew well in advanced how important(any wedding should be) but especially this one, knowing YOUR company will get exposure and will be viewed by many. He told Melissa that he was going to step up to the plate and make it unforgettable...well he did. But after giving it considerable thought, the catering portion of the evening was totally out of our control. Andrea and I had our own responsibilities, the house being clean( everyone enter through the front door and back out) lighting was just right, candles lit, etc. And of course, the garden I took very personally, as one might imagine.

I apologize for being so long winded here but, it was a great experience for not only David and Melissa, but for Andrea and I as well. As you watch the show, it become's clear(I would imagine) that Missy and David would not take the first prize. Which by the way is, an exotic destination honeymoon, worth somewhere between $15,000-20,000.

If you watch the show, they explain that the four girls will be voting on four different categories.

1) Her dress 2) The food 3) The venue and The Overall Experience.

As you might guess, a top score for the VENUE, would really mean a lot and would of made it all worth the while!

I'll leave it at this, and hope many of you have the opportunity to watch it this thursday night.

For those of you that know the Glocks, Jim and Judy (Glock1) Ryan (Palmarum) and Rob (Borgy230) look for them, you might get a glimpse of them.Lol!

Jeff

[BS Man about Palms]

Looking forward to it!

oh yeah.. it was 68F and overcast..

[Dypsisdean]

You all better watch this. Out of Jeff's 8300+ posts, this is his longest single post. So considering Jeff's typing skills, this proves how important it is for him. In fact, this post may have taken him longer than his preparation for the wedding.

[BS Man about Palms]

You all better watch this. Out of Jeff's 8300+ posts, this is his longest single post. So considering Jeff's typing skills, this proves how important it is for him. In fact, this post may have taken him longer than his preparation for the wedding.

[MattyB]

Timer set!

[Helena]

I will be watching.

Helena

[palmmermaid]

Jeff,

Can you just post how we vote and when. I cannot watch these kinds of shows. I will be happy to vote but not if I have to watch the show. I never even heard of it.

[Jeff Searle]

You all better watch this. Out of Jeff's 8300+ posts, this is his longest single post. So considering Jeff's typing skills, this proves how important it is for him. In fact, this post may have taken him longer than his preparation for the wedding.

Ha,ha! But I think my computer skills is where I need drastic help, not (so) much my writing and spelling abilities. I can't wait until I visit your garden someday. I'm going to quiz you on weed identification 101.

[Jeff Searle]

Jeff,

Can you just post how we vote and when. I cannot watch these kinds of shows. I will be happy to vote but not if I have to watch the show. I never even heard of it.

Hi Kitty,

The public dosen't vote, just the girls that attend each other's weddings.

[EllisB]

Jeff, I know how hard you and Andrea worked on this wedding. I'm surprised Andrea didn't knock out the head of the catering company. But always remeber no matter what happened it still is a special day. I will tell Rusty, she will help remind me. Tell Missy good luck.

[sur4z]

_{this is season 5...what number is the show?...you can see them all in itunes.}

[Jeff Searle]

_{this is season 5...what number is the show?...you can see them all in itunes.}

Not sure about any number, but it's the second show of the new season. This thusday night!

[Kathryn]

Planning a big wedding is stressful enough but inviting others to judge it has got to be ten time worse. Craig and I had our rehearsal party and wedding reception in our small backyard and spent months trying to make it perfect. I can only imagine the work that went on during those two months.

Four Weddings is one of Molly's favorite shows (our television watching habits change drastically when she's here for the summer) and we will definitely watch it. I'm looking forward to seeing your garden again - it's been a few years since our last visit and the garden tour was a little short because we had to run off to some other event.

[Jeff Searle]

Kathryn,

Hi, it's been a long time! But yes, it was a lot of work, but all worth it. I was so focused on getting the yard ready and then watching as everyone enter, that I really don't remember anything about the reception later that night. It went by so fast. Well, were glad your going to watch it, and you should see plenty of the yard hopefully. Take care....

Jeff

[MattyB]

My wife erased the DVR timer because she thought it was a mistake. Gotta remember to set it again.

[Stevetoad]

my wife is into this show anyway so ill just act like im trying to spend some quallity time with her.

[Jeff Searle]

my wife is into this show anyway so ill just act like im trying to spend some quallity time with her.

I love your reasoning. Lol! Hey, were just watching it for the yard/palms! Right?

[MattyB]

That was really cool Jeff! You guys looked great and of course you won best venue because the garden blew everyone away.

[kahili]

I thought the Melissa's wedding was beautiful. Your yard was a perfect place to do it, and I loved her gown-she looked gorgeous in it. I also thought Andrea looked really good-loved her dress too! It was perfect for the wedding. I had never seen gypsophilia used as the main flower on the aisles-usually its the filler and just taken for granted-but it looked really good! Who's idea was that?

The tent really blew me away inside-I wasn't expecting how nice it looked. Its a shame about the food, I think you would have won if not for that-but at least the wedding was what she wanted and best of all....its over!!! lol Having just been through my son's wedding last Sept, I know how much work it takes, and we didn't even have it at someone's home! Triple the amt of work, I would think. My daughter in law cried a lot during the ceremony also-judging from what I saw of Melissa's, I think way more than Melissa, but I thought it was really touching, for some reason. You guys should be proud.

[LJG]

Bummer I missed this! I will have to google to see if it is online somewhere.

[kahili]

lol Len, the thought of you sitting there watching this is funny to me! I already thought that this must be a record for the amt of men watching this show-heck I wouldn't have normally watched it. Let me just say that if the majority of it were a tour through Jeff's yard, it would have been far more interesting....but Melissa's wedding was by far the best, imo.

[Helena]

I liked it very much Jeff!

It was really nice,

Helena

[palmislandRandy]

"Best Venue" was a given. Now with a rep like that, you & Andrea can rent out the garden for weddings & charge big $$$. Everything looked fantastic.

[Jeff Searle]

Thanks everyone! I have to say, it was pretty interesting to see yourself, family and friends on a TV show. And at my house! Lots of people were calling us and many more were texting back and forth. It's just a shame that the catering company screwed things up so bad. We were actually expecting to hear worse comments than what was said. But we were extreamly happy with Missy getting the top score for the venue and her dress. She might have had a chance to win if it wasn't for the food portion. It was certainly a great experience!

[Dypsisdean]

Angela and I got a kick out of watching you guys. Even though you stole the show in your fancy suit, I would have preferred more garden shots. And I think you are right. With some killer food and service, the honeymoon would have been in my neck of the woods.

Thanks for letting us know and share in your proud moment.

[Jeff Searle]

Angela and I got a kick out of watching you guys. Even though you stole the show in your fancy suit, I would have preferred more garden shots. And I think you are right. With some killer food and service, the honeymoon would have been in my neck of the woods.

Thanks for letting us know and share in your proud moment.

It would of been nice if they had zoomed in on at least one palm, but you saw they did do a close up of my green jade vine. Like I said earlier, it was a great experience for us all.

[Moose]

Thanks everyone! I have to say, it was pretty interesting to see yourself, family and friends on a TV show. And at my house! Lots of people were calling us and many more were texting back and forth. It's just a shame that the catering company screwed things up so bad. We were actually expecting to hear worse comments than what was said. But we were extreamly happy with Missy getting the top score for the venue and her dress. She might have had a chance to win if it wasn't for the food portion. It was certainly a great experience!

Jeff - your cameo was 18 seconds ...

[junglegalfla]

Watched the show yesterday. The garden looked great (as always) Besides you and Andrea, I only caught a glimpse of Ryan.

[BS Man about Palms]

That was Awesome Jeff! You and Andrea looked great and the place was killer.. I saw Rob .. and "pops"???

And was that one of the girls from accross the way driving the golfcart??

[Jeff Searle]

That was Awesome Jeff! You and Andrea looked great and the place was killer.. I saw Rob .. and "pops"???

And was that one of the girls from accross the way driving the golfcart??

Yes Bill, she had a very important job that day. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Kim]

I finally caught the show on the computer. Andrea looked stunning, you were looking dapper, Melissa was drop dead gorgeous. However, the garden stole the show.

P.S. I think you got the biggest bang for your buck, too.