Creating Distinction: Lunch at The Hunting Lodge

We are often asked to create not just a distinctive look for an event, but an actual feeling. When guests arrive, they enter into the environment physically and emotionally. Weddings are an obvious example of this type of inclusive design. But sometimes a dinner party in somene's home is an equally significant event.

So we wanted to present a series of intimate decor ideas here on Petals and Ponderings. We work with many phenomenal colleagues in the event industry, and for this project there were no exceptions. Five companies coordinated a photo shoot around several very distinct looks and settings, and all evoking strong responses of place and theme.

For this first story, we created a late afternoon lunch at the manor after a day of riding. The feeling is rich, luxurious and classic with equestrian details and hints of the hunt.

The companies who coordinate on this project are:

• Rose Marie Belo, Lettres Stationery of Distinction
• Debbie Grazier of Riverhouse Catering 
• Ana Parzych Cakes (part of this overall project, but not in this particular photo setting)
• LifeTouch Photography
• Dragonfly Floral and Event Design

Exquisite linens and printed menus

 

Horse statuette and pheasant feathers folded into each napkin

Centerpieces: Ruby red callas, dried lotus pods, orchids, fiddlehead ferns, giant sunflowers and more

A nip of brandy, perhaps?

At the table with a hearty appetite

Sleek Simplicity With Fire, Water and Air

Our October wedding couple Amanda and Chris envisioned a classic wedding at the Congressional Country Club, but with a modern feel. They wanted to create a sense of airiness, combined with ample candlelight. Their colors were sleek and calming whites and greys.

The final design combined the elements of air, water and fire with fluffy clouds of flowers. The tent was filled with several different styles of tables and arrangements. The effect was mesmerizing, with a few surprises to delight their guests.

Air: Turning traditional centerpieces and chandeliers upside down, we suspended Plexiglas from the tent ceiling and created flower arrangements that hovered above the dining tables. Pillar candles were placed on top of the clear plexiglass, creating almost an optical illusion. We also used transparent candelabras on several tables, topped with floral arrangements and votives.

Water: A number of mercury glass and linen covered tables had pools of water as centerpieces, with floating candles and orchids in low water bowls. Each pool was surrounded by luscious wreaths of white flowers. Four special guest tables made of acrylic were actually filled with water. When guests looked down at their plates, they saw individual flowers float by inside their table.

Fire: Hundreds of pillar and votive candles in a variety of heights brought the fire to each table.

Special Details: We created a lounge atmosphere around the bar and dance floor area by draping the walls in white and bringing in modern grey couches, acrylic armchairs and cushy grey throw pillows. The place cards were suspended by strands of white lace hanging beneath a metal tree that was adorned with flowers.

Flowers: White local dahlias, roses, hydrangea, phalaenopsis, dendrobium and ranunculus, accented with dusty miller, snow berries and baby's breath

Thanks to these organizations who collaborated on Amanda & Chris' wedding:

• Planner: Michele Hodges Events
• Venue & Catering: Congressional Country Club
• Decor Rental: DC Rental
• Tent: Sugarplum Tent Company
• Concept, Design and Florals: Dragonfly Floral and Event
• Rental Furnishings: Chika
• Water Tables: Syzygy 

Place cards suspended by lace strands from an iron tree

A variety of table styles and arrangements created a unique atmosphere

Individual Plexiglas chandelier with florals suspended below

Long suspended chandelier above the head table 

Water tables were filled with floating flowers and succulents

Individual flowers floating inside an acrylic water table

Some tables featured pools of water with floating candles and blooms

Flowers atop an acrylic candelabra surrounded by candle light

White blooms with grey accents to create a calm, modern feel

Grey, white and acrylic furniture and decor around the dance floor

Sleek orchid arrangements on the bar

Pillar candles on the mantel created a warm glow at the reception

The glow from the outside in

Classic with a Touch of Skulls

October is a beautiful time for a cozy, lush wedding, and we were very excited to meet with our autumn bride Devon and her groom Jeff. Incorporating the Halloween spirit without turning a wedding into a theme party can be tricky. So when Devon mentioned her love of skulls, we wanted to hear more.

Her vision was perfect: Classic with a touch of skulls. “Think 'Alexander McQueen,'” she said. Her color scheme was white, champagne, grey, black, deep eggplant and merlot. We loved everything about it.

We added tarnished silver pieces, accents of mercury glass and mismatched containers for a romantic, vintage feel. We picked white and grey pumpkins fresh from pumpkin patches in northern Connecticut and added Spanish moss and pillar candles in hurricane lamps. Large, messy arrangements of fall branches and seeded eucalyptus were placed at the front entry of the historic Decatur House in downtown Washington, DC, along with hurricane lamps and pumpkins to light the steps. Vines, purple seeded eucalyptus, fiddlehead ferns and scabiosa pods were entwined into the front gate. Together, these elements created a dark, mysterious feel in an intimate and romantic setting.

As for the touch of skulls, this is where a hint of Devon’s playful irreverence came through. Guests found a subtle crystal or mercury glass skull on each dining table. We added a special, secret surprise for Devon herself. On her bridal bouquet, she found a small, crystal encrusted skull nestled beneath the flowers, a keepsake of her beautiful wedding day.

Flowers we used: Sahara and majolica roses, dahlia, picasso and black calla lilies, fiddlehead ferns, dusty miller, brunia berry, cream hydrangea, ornamental grasses and berries, scabiosa pod

Thanks to all the talented individuals and organizations who collaborated on Devon and Jeff’s wedding:

• Event Planners and Calligraphy: Arney Walker, Pineapple Productions
• Venue: Decatur House
• Caterer: Design Cuisine
• Cake: Fluffy Thoughts
• Rentals: DC Rental
• Tent: Sugarplum
• Photos in this posting: Sirene MediaWorks

Devon's Bridal Bouquet

Boutonnieres

Bridesmaids' Bouquet

Entrance to Decatur House

Escort Card Table

Pumpkins, Candles and Rose Petals Down the Aisle

Centerpiece on luxurious linens (Can you spot the small skull?)

Nantucket Wedding: Late Summer Romance

 

We recently did the flowers and decor for Tricia and Brent, a wonderful couple in Nantucket. They wanted a romantic atmosphere that reflected their own personalities and also brought in the distinctive feel of the island. Their wedding was featured in Brides Magazine.

The wedding colors were silvery lavender and pale peach with a shock of brighter coral and plum here and there. The bride’s bouquet was a soft gathering of amnesia roses with small sprigs of seeded eucalyptus tucked in between for a touch of texture, all wrapped with a silk ribbon to match the bridal gown.

The reception was held under whimsical sailcloth tents festooned with flags. Multiple small arrangements. mercury glass votive candles and a silver lantern made up the table centerpieces. Authentic Nantucket baskets and distressed ceramic containers held a mix of white hydrangea and garden roses, along with locally grown dahlia from our favorite dahlia farm in Suffield , CT, Pleasant Valley Dahlias and Glads. Touches of late summer flowers finished off the eclectic arrangements. The banquet tables featured beach grass arrangements in rustic burlap covered vases.

Underneath the tent, we installed suspended wooden trellises adorned with roses and eucalyptus branches, as well as hanging glass votives. We love working in all the surfaces and angles of a venue.

The soft colors of the flowers and the muted greens of the eucalyptus branch, along with vintage-feeling mercury glass and twinkly lights combined to create the perfect Indian Summer beach wedding.

Congratulations to Tricia and Brent! And many thanks to these companies for pulling together all the elements for one splendid event:

Design and Coordination: Allison Jackson, Pineapple Productions
Ceremony: St. Mary's, Our Lady of the Isle
Reception: The Westmoor Club
Tent: Nantucket Tents
Floral and Decor: Us (see Dragonfly)
Paper Goods: Cheree Berry
Calligraphy: Arney Walker
Cinematography: Kate Headley
Hair & Makeup: Ismail Tekin / Lora Kelly
Dresses: Junko Yoshioko, Elizabeth Fillmore via Carines
Band: Red Hook Orchestra
Rehearsal dinner: Nantucket Yacht Club
Day After Party: Millie's

 

All images in this posting are by Kate Headley

A New Year...New ideas

We're starting the year off with a bang!!  New website, new emails, new products in development, and wonderful new clients!

Welcome to our new(ish) blog.   Keep checking back every few days and if I remain true to my New Year's resolutions, I'll have lots of fun pics, posts and insights for you to check out.  In the meantime, I leave you with this picture of our beautiful bride, Claire.  Yum on the dress, the setting, and she was a total love to work with too.   Enjoy!