File this under 'Ultimate Garden Party'.
I have been dying to create a set of double arches for a wedding for forever. Having your guests enter your ceremony through lush floral arches seemed like the perfect way to add an experience aspect to your wedding without being cheesy.
So at first, this was just about the arches. I love a good installation.
But something I love even more than an install is a garden party. Not attending one, just doing the flowers for one (I'm your classic introvert).
Anytime I get an inkling to do something garden-y, I always contact Jess at The Elms Mansion. It's just a really amazing courtyard and the gazebo is a blank space for whatever creative design we can come up with.
But this time I wanted to focus to be the aisle and have the gazebo be the backdrop. We've decorated the gazebo quite a few times but I thought what about making the ceremony not just with one focal point (gazebo) but multiple.
And then to further think outside our normal gazebo decor, I wanted to create florals low instead of from the ceiling vantage point.
This was all quite the endeavor in the 90 degree heat and direct sun.
We actually stored some of our florals and greens in the Elms fountain to keep them cool and wet. Worked like a charm, crispy greens are a total no-no.
Since we were setting up in the middle of April, I wanted to go with a spring- esque pastel palette but didn't want it to be too soft. I love a subtle addition of color and these Moab roses were perfect.
A light touch of taupe/mauve to contrast with the pastels. Overall, we nixed neutrals and went with straight color- blush, pinks, lilacs, medum purples, buttercream and shades of peach. Very natural in style.
And the result was everything I had dreamed of - colorful, but not overly so. Garden styled but not messy.
We had the amazingly talented Catherine Guidry shoot it. It was a softer shot, giving you a feel of the florals instead of a super crisp detailed shot which I love. A little more dreamy and romantic.
Last time we did this together her camera fell to the ground and shattered. To say I was hesitant to hold it is an understatement but everything looked so AMAZING.
To accent the double arches, we detailed each row with hedge-style aisle markers. It's a great way to add a little color and softness to the brick courtyard.
In general, I love these for ceremonies. People often ask about repurposing flowers and this is honestly one of the best pieces to repurpose.
For the gazebo I had wanted to decorate low; I had been thinking about this for some time. Almost like a ring of hedges around the base, basically frame out the gazebo.
Again a little bit experience type of feel where you have to walk through the florals to get to the lounge area.
Then we did our first flip of the space.
We flipped and added a long dining table from Lovegood Rentals to create an intimate seated dinner style feel. It was hot and some of us forgot to re-apply sunscreen. While there were no crispie greens there was one very crispie Margaret.
For table settings, l have strong opinions. If you're doing a lot of installs or a major install, I generally like a more simple table. Or I like a major table and simple installs. Or if you have the budget I like to do all of the things (haha).
Like I said, I love a good install.
When working at the Elms we also do quite a few ceremonies in the back lawn. I personally love it, it has a more intimate, garden feel to it. Like your literally in someones backyard- you are but you get what I mean.
So that was my garden party vision of Spring 2024.
Leaf + Petal is partnering up with Catherine Guidry again this coming September and I cant wait to see what we cook up. I havent started designing yet, let me know if you have any ideas.
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