Elegant Beachside Wedding!

Well, the 2008/2009 wedding season has come to a close and we ended it on a wonderful high note! This bride and groom were so awesome to work with and so very gracious and the biggest shout out goes to Britt & Aaron who were married last Saturday at Dreams!

Britt is training to be an architect, so she had a very fine eye for detail and a real passion for textures - we exchanged over 180 emails over the course of 9 months! What made working with Britt so much fun was her passion for all of the above, yet a complete willingness to let me work organically, the way I work best, and because of that I was able to really create something fun and unique!

THE INVITE

Britt's invites were super cool - unfortunately, I don't have the complete invite she sent me because I had to give pieces of it away here and there (to Memo from Charme for the color of the cake, to the owner of our arts and craft store for the color of the ribbon, etc.!) but the first photo was the invite idea and the scanned photo was the actual invite. Her actual invite came in a really awesome transparent envelope with the same red coral design, super cool!

THE DESIGN BOARD

This was the design board I worked off of to find the materials I needed for their design. Some were pictures Britt had sent me, or selected from our private online gallery or things I'd found on the internet after I understood the look and feel Britt was going for. Her colors were acqua blue, white and touches of red and silver (although her bridesmaid's wore mango!).

THE BOUQUETS

Knowing how much Britt loved texture and had requested flowers a little different than the norm, I made her bouquet with red anthuriums, red peonies, red roses and berries. Each of her bridesmaids had a different bouquet - some with white anthuriums, some with orchids and calla lillies, some with white roses and delphiniums, mums, tuberose, ranunculus - you get the idea! I wanted a peek of color in the wraps to represent the touches that were in the wedding. I'm quite happy with the result! :)

THE CEREMONY

We wanted to keep the ceremony fairly simple, to really emphasize the beautiful ocean and beach and the rocky enclave in the background. Britt & Aaron wisely chose silver chiavari chairs. We had a white petal ceremony aisle and then edged that with gerbers, as Aaron's favorite flower were daisies! Britt had first requested palm frond fans but I told her I think we could do something even better and I do believe Omar created something super beautiful with the red fans and white bird/sunset cut-outs! A whole head of a rose was encased in acqua blue netting for rose petal throwing later and Britt requested some reserved seating, so we created signs based on her invite.

SHOES OPTIONAL

At the end of the wooden walkway, we set-up a washing feet area, complete with citrus scented water which we had put ice in earlier in the day to make sure that guests could cool down. Chocolate brown pitchers accented in blue were set nearby to pour water and a basket if towels in white and acqua blue were set nearby to dry. The area was also decorated with tuberose, white roses and delphiniums.

GUEST WISHES AND COCKTAIL

Guests made their way to the Gazebo where 4 cocktail tables draped in acqua chiffon and tied with red ribbon were waiting along with platters of cheeses. Tucked in the corner was a sign for Guest Wishes and little cards for guests to fill-out. I wanted to do something entirely different, so the cards requested that the guests choose a date they would like the couple to comply with their wish (hopefully something romantic!) ... the guests then sealed the cards with a silver sticker and dropped into a bowl filled with orchids and coral.

TEQUILA TASTING LOUNGE

In one corner of the transparent tent (in case it rained and also for the dance floor, which we are getting to!) we set-up a lounge area with 4 of the most popular tequilas. Talavera shot glasses were on display for drinking and doubled as favors. Signs were created to explain the different kinds of tequila, so guests would have some background information. I had already bought the fabric when Britt wrote and asked me to please not make the pillows matchy matchy, which made me laugh as I promised her I wouldn't ;). White pillows were decorated with mother of pearl beads, red and white wavy lines represented a touch of red (and in keeping with the bride's love of the idea of waves without incorporating something beachy) and my favorite pillows had acqua netting over white with red birds - a nod to the bride's invite which had two birds on the back. There were also silver textured vases and acqua painted blue candles!

THE RECEPTION

We covered the tables with acqua chiffon and placed silver napkins accented with red ribbon and mother of pearl - also doubling as necklace favors which guests donned later in the evening. Glass vases filled with coral and exotic red flowers (anthuriums, ginger, roses, heliconia, etc.) and, in-between, hand-painted vases with different scenes of red birds, coral, and sunsets. Placecards were modeled after RSVP's which had a sunset and wavy lines representing the ocean with guest's names and where they were from.

THE DANCE FLOOR

My absolute favorite was the dance floor .... Britt wanted guests to have the feeling of dancing under the ocean so we created an area with hanging orchids, roses and casablancas with cracked glass vases and a white fringe chandelier decorated with sparkling crystals. I think the pictures really speak for themselves.

THE CAKE

Again, copying the idea of waves with the blue and white lines in the cake, off-set with orchids and hand-created red birds swooping along. It also happened to be delicious (I got a little piece!).

A SPECIAL SURPRISE

When I'm creating, I come up with all kinds of questions - some of which the answers are incorporated into the design. When I read Britt's response to my question as to how she and Aaron had their first date, I could tell that it was a very, very magical moment for her. So, I asked Britt to have Aaron please send me his version of their first date - which involved Aaron making sundaes for her and her sister. I then created a little card in their words about their first date and asked Dreams if they could also send out chocolate sundaes along with the cake when it was cut and the little card. Well, it happened even better than I imagined because, right before they cut the cake, Britt's sister gave her toast - and it was ALL about their first date and the sundaes Aaron had made! As she was talking, waiters were bringing out the sundaes - I would love to say I had orchestrated that, but it was truly fate! When guests returned to their tables, they found the cake, the sundaes and the cards. The expression on Britt's and Aaron's faces when they say the surprise made that the cherry on top of a beautiful night!

BEAUTIFUL NIGHT

THE BOSS

Now you know who the "real" brains of this operation is! ;)

I have a few more maraca orders to show you and then it's back to design inspirations all summer long before the start of the 2009/2010 wedding season which looks like it will be a really good one!