I have a real thing for table settings, when done right, setting a table properly and creatively as can be is practically art in and of itself.  When guest are presented with the {reception} room for the first time, rest assured that after the awe of the whole picture subsides, the very next thing they are looking at are your tables!  One of my most favorite boards that I curate on Pinterest focuses expressly on the art of the table setting which I have dubbed, Elegance of Table Setting.  Designing ones tables for an event is a true art but with a bit of help and design breakdown, you’ll soon enough be seeing the saucers through the forest of plates, if you know what I mean!

There has been the most chic, lovely & wondrous backyard BBQ place setting floating around for a bit now and I am super eager to discuss it on WIWW!  This gorgeous dream of a setup has color harmony out the wazoo, gentle eye breaks in the form of texture & pattern, along with a beautifully organic touch!  The full post can be found on OnceWed and as always I highly encourage you to head over to check it out!  Let’s see this light beauty shall we!?

 *Photograph by Robert Sukrachand

Color Theory:  The first element to the entire setup that really resonates is the color harmony.  Complimentary colors in the form of green & peach are the true stars here.  The varying tones of each color beautifully jive with its neighbor as each is slighty lighter {or darker} then the next.  The wonderful thing about the color scheme is that some elements, such as the rosemary sprig & some of the leaves in the planter box, contain a tonal range all within themselves!  This vibrant collection of complimentary colors delivers a truly fresh & nirvana like state to any table set up.  While the greens & peaches are spectacular, the mix of neutrals within the rest of the table serve to keep our lofty shades grounded!  In just about any color match up, neutral colors are fair game.  The rule of thumb here is simply to make sure that your tonal ranges match up.  You’ll want the right kind of whites, the right deepness of blacks, and the right earthiness of your browns.  Here, charcoal to true blacks are used, mixed with what I will call lived in whites.  Tying it all together is the light beige table cloth which is the perfect balance between the deep blacks & light whites.  Color harmony takes a lot of work, but when you get it right, there is nothing more glorious!

Pattern Party: Personally I am a huge proponent of patterns.  In most cases, if I can throw in at least one pattern, I’m a happy girl.  By design, patterns keep the eye moving, beautiful noise if you will, therefore the key is always pattern selection.  Pick competing patterns and your eyes will cry, pick just the right combos and the sky’s will sing!  The beauty to the pattern selection here is the use of two striking patterns that are not loud attention seekers.  When working with multiple patterns, the key is to select patterns that will play nice with one another.  Mixing of geometric shapes are typically a nice way to go, just make sure there is a common thread to tie them together. The pairing of these two work so well as the simple windowpane check squares in the base layer echo that of the diamond shape that is found in between the circles within the top napkin.  I bet when you first looked at the set up you didn’t even realize how very complimentary the two patterns were!  The hidden gem to the layering however is the choice of the solid black menu which provides the eye break within the pattern world and beautifully ties them all together.  Even the choice of font for the menu eloquently picks up on the thinness of the check print as does the name card which echos that of the curvier nature of the circle napkin.  Speaking of ties, the small simple black & white striped ribbon tying our napkin package together, works beautifully to counter balance those geometric shapes within the napkins.  Lastly the soft gentle textures & patterns in the floral, their leaves and even the table cloth all serve as the perfect compliment to the over all picture!

Earthy Goodness:  Perhaps my favorite piece to this puzzle is the wonderfully organic feel to the entire set up.  Starting with the simple yet oh so powerful touch of the Rosemary sprig as the perfect finishing element to the choice of the centerpiece which emulates that of how one might envision flowers to appear in a natural proper English garden.  Even the choice of using a low planter box {dark stained to beautifully harmonize with the color scheme!} brings you back to a true backyard garden feel, touching back to mother earth.  I am not sure if it is or not, but the tablecloth seems as if it might be made of  hemp, at the very least linen, either way, wonderful organic fibers that further that yummy earthy feel.

Light, bright and fresh can be wonderfully achieved with just the right elements.  Gorgeous florals, select patterns, organic or metallic, you name it, the table setting world is your oyster!  Remember just because you want a lighter {or darker} setup doesn’t mean that you can not have darker elements.  Not to get all philosophical on you, but for what is a highlight without shadow detail, and the reverse is equally as true!  Be sure to check out the full backyard BBQ wedding at OnceWed HERE.  I’d love to hear what your favorite elements in today’s WIWW are!  Are you a fan of patterns like me, or is it the organic earthy elements that touched you?  Have something you’d love to have design explained, send it in, you never know, it just might be the next WIWW!

Vendor Love

Photography by Robert Sukrachand // Event Design + Florals + Coordination by The Nouveau Romantics // Catering by14 Acre Farm // Vintage Rentals by Magpie Vintage Rentals // Wedding Dress by Leanne Marshall // Groom’s Suit byBrooklyn Tailors //  Invitations by Katherine Ahn

The more intimate and the more personal the better!  That was the motto Hayley Burney & Seth Butler kept in mind when creating their gorgeous wedding day all on  their own {along with help from family and friends of course!}  Hand selected unique furniture served in lieu of boring tables, personally drawn Save The Dates were used as well as a special note to greet guests upon their arrival,  even the wedding bouquets were even hand wrapped!  Each element had their stamp of personal touch to it making everything that much more special!  Hayley’s mother tirelessly altered, again by hand, a dress from J.Crew to tailor make the gown to her dreams.{Way to go mom!!}  Guests were treated to homemade banana nut and red velvet cakes, along with hot cocoa cups with marshmallows of course, each topped off with striped straws and message.  The entire affair is a wonderfully gorgeous refined fete with such a wonderful level of detail & style!

Novella of the Bride…

Since we both like attending weddings that have a lot of details that reflect the couples’ personalities and style, we wanted our wedding to be like that. We didn’t want it to look “store bought”, so we did a lot of things ourselves like designing and making our save the dates, our programs, and painting some of our furniture to use for the guestbook and program tables.  My grandmother’s milk glass collection was used in all the flower arrangements and centerpieces. My amazing mother worked tirelessly up until a few hours before the wedding (!) modifying a dress I had bought on sale from J. Crew to my design.

I have two favorite moments. The first was the moment, in the middle of the ceremony, that my sister/maid of honor realized she had forgotten Seth’s ring upstairs! She instead handed me her wedding band, which wouldn’t fit past Seth’s knuckle. The second was at the end of the night when everyone was singing “Purple Rain” at the top of their lungs. As we were dancing, our family and friends unexpectedly made a circle around us and bum-rushed us at the end of the song. It was a really fun and unforgettable moment.

All of our vendors including the staff at the Caldwell House, Don’s Custom Catering, Aaron Lane Entertainment, and of course Mark Eric Photography were absolutely incredible!

Vendor Love

Venue: Caldwell House | Dress: J.Crew | Caterer: Don’s Custom Catering | Music: Aaron Lane Entertainment | Photographer: Mark Eric Weddings

There’s a certain real wedding that we featured recently on SBW which garnered all sorts of lovely response for not only its wonderfully stylish couple, but the tremendous design done in decor & flora.  A focal point to the wedding was the bride’s bouquet which was utterly D.IV.I.N.E!!  I knew this gorgeous arrangement of blooms would make for the perfect, Why It Works Wednesday!

Firstly some house keeping, to view the full post {trust me if you have not seen it, you simply must!!} Click Here.  The vibe for the wedding as a whole was wonderfully rustic industrial with the Georgia peach as the inspiration both in textures & color palette.  The result are expertly mix matched tables with varying centerpieces ranging from vintage wood planter boxes along with hand colored milk bottles to suspended floral plank centerpieces.  Wedding decor maven  Juli Vaughn Designs crafted not only the design of the decor but the handled the blooms as well.  While the suspended centerpieces are most certainly a WIWW feature all their own, I wanted to focus on our bride’s bouquet which has stuck with me ever since putting the feature together!  It might seem like a surprise, but you would be shocked to know how many bouquets are nothing too special, if not even poorly constructed… therefore when you find a good one, you best hold onto it like a firefly at night!

 *Photograph by Jason Hales Photography

Know your blooms: Cafe Au Laut Dahlias | Coral Charm Peonies | Campanella and Juliet Garden Roses | Amsterdam Roses |Gloriosa Lilies | Billy Balls | Salmon and Orange Ranunculus | Sage

Elements at play: Tonal range {the colors}, bloom size/placing & finishing elements

“Lauren wanted a bouquet that was rustic, romantic, and sophisticated. We kept it romantic by using fluffier, soft blooms, sophisticated because of the shape, and rustic with the feathers and herbs.”

Tonal Range

The inspiration for the wedding as a whole was the good ol’Georgia peach.  Peaches bring to mind soft soft yellows, pale pinks, deeper oranges infused with a pink glow, pure orange and of course the greenery of the leaves when it grows.   Juli Vaughn expertly hand picked each bloom for its specific hue, insuring each would reflect some aspect of the naturally ombréd peaches coloring.  Blossoms were placed together to create a synergy & harmony that would echo the unique skin of our fuzzy tasty friend.  The overall effect is a not just a well designed piece but an arrangement that has a peaceful yet highly sophisticated look.

Blooms Size & Placement 

Did you know that romantic is an adjective that has action behind it?  When carving out the overall feel for the day, romantic was one of the buzzwords the team used to pull from for inspiration.  In effort to inject a romantic vibe into the bouquet, the team opted for fluffier more cloud like soft blooms.  These pillowy petals give off an incredible lusciousness, a feeling of a flush face, breath of life, even a touch of catching your breath as you view them.  All feelings a person feels when they spy the one they love for the first time, the emotions of romance blooming right before your eyes!  Ok ok, I am getting carried away with poetic license here but you get my point.  Big, soft, luscious blooms are the perfect conductor for a romantic vibe, they emote a genuine sense of love!  Just as important as the size of the blooms, each was skillful placed next to one another highlighting its neighbor in special ways.  Whether it was to build upon the color harmony, big up its friend {small blooms next to oversized}, even portray a textural fuzziness, know that each bloom had its place and with good reason.  The result is a tightly {thought not too tightly} constructed bouquet that is sizable in the choice of blooms used, not in an over use of simply too many flowers.  Each is strategic and important!

Finishing Elements

How a bouquet is wrapped is often gawked after, sometimes more so then the blooms, when done with a creative hand.  Keeping with the rustic romantic feel, along with sophisticated design, the team leaned on burlap to be the perfect underlay to the handle.  Choosing a thick finished {worth noting as often burlap is not finished, thus immediately upping the sophistication level!} burlap ribbon, the underlying layer easily gives off that rustic flavor.  Building upon the burlap, a layer of silk ribbons was added in a deeper more inspired hue then the bouquet, insuring it would stand out for all the right reasons.  Silk by nature is a delicate & highly revered fabric often associated with designer threads, therefore the choice of silk is equally working to bring the savoir faire to the design.  The handle is finished with the crème de la crème in refinement, a pheasant feather ribbon accent.  I looooove that Juli brought in the pheasant feather here with its rich browny-gray tone & spotted pattern.  Feathers are the ultimate in class and when wielded for good, triumphs everything!  The choice of burlap, silk ribbon & pheasant feathers beautifully echos the wedding buzzwords of rustic, romantic, and sophisticated.  Knowing how to wrap your bouquet is equally as important as the blooms used to make it!

This gorgeous bouquet has everything going right for it!   Wonderfully hand selected colors & full soft blooms as well as the details used to wrap the handle hearken attention to the full picture.  Flowers are such a powerful tool on your wedding day, something that can easily transport an entire room, or bride, to a whole new world, if just for a day.  Are you as equally enamored by this peach inspired bouquet as I am?  What are some of your favorite elements, the blooms, the colors, maybe the pheasant feathers?!  I’d love to know!  As always, if there is ever something that you would love to know Why It Works, please send it my way, you never know, I just may feature it!

To view the original post: Georgia Peach Inspired Hues In This Rustic Industrial Wedding With Farmhouse Chic Sophistication, CLICK HERE

Vendor Love

Ceremony Venue: St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church  | Reception Venue: Summerour Studio | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Bridesmaid Dresses: Bari Jay  | Shoes: Manolo Blahnik &Prada  | Hair Stylist: The Hair Artist  | Makeup Artist: Kristen Phelps  | Groom’s Suit: Hugo Boss | Invitation Designer: Love vs Design  | Music: AMP’D Atlanta  | Rentals: Four Inch Fold &Bold American  | Florist: Juli Vaughn Designs | Caterer: Bold American  | Baker: Lush Cakery | Wedding/Event Planner: Juli Vaughn Designs | Photographer: Jason Hales Photography

I don’t think I could say it any better myself!  A brilliant and wonderfully descriptive note from Mark Eric Weddings:

Feminine ,classy ,traditional details of old New Orleans. Classic modern sophistication. Just a few phrases to describe Lauren and Dan’s wedding. Residents of New York City, the couple wanted to host an authentic memorable night to share w/ guests. Lauren a native of Louisiana, knew nowhere better than NOLA.She choose Windsor Court Hotel as hub of their wedding giving guests a chance to experience the enchantment that NOLA has.St. Patrick’s Church, where couple exchanged vows.Attire of the party was thoughtfully planned by the bride, w/ her tiered lace Lazaro gown setting the tone for the fashions. The gown was a cascade of lace & ruffled tulle, & her cathedral length veil had been hand sewn and beaded by the mother of the groom. Monique Lhuillier bridesmaids dresses mimicked the ruffles of Lauren’s dress & custom-sewn toile flower girl dresses carried on the soft, sophisticated theme. Bridesmaids carried ivory parrot tulips & green hydrangeas, bride carried a timeless arrangement of roses & rice flowers. Groom’s attendants accented their tuxedos with fleur-de-lis tux studs and boutonnieres of ivory roses & fiddlehead ferns. Delicate arrangements of baby’s breath and votives softened the bold atmosphere of the ballroom.

Nothing was sweeter than the intricately crafted duo of doberge cakes. The 7-layer wedding cake featured a playful, subtle paisley pattern, including cake pulls with charms, a southern bridal tradition. The grooms cake was uniquely connected to the couple, as it featured the bride and groom themselves! Peanut butter-banana “Elvis” cake was a show of couples rivalry over their fav teams, Saints & Giants. Cake’s wooden fig. were even painted by Lauren.Guests from New York & New Orleans danced to Mixed Nuts, the East coast guests got a special treat when the entire room transformed into a second line dance, following the feather-trimmed umbrellas the bride & groom waved farewell !

Novella of the Bride…

My name is Lauren DiLorenzo and I am originally from Louisiana but have been living in New York City for the past five and half years. Daniel and I met randomly at a neighborhood hangout in the West Village in Manhattan and have been together ever since. Daniel’s proposal plans were shaken up a bit when Hurricane Irene decided to hit the Island in August 2011. He proposed in our apartment on a Friday just before we evacuated to Connecticut to ride out the storm. We were able to celebrate with friends upon our return to Manhattan. After the wedding, we honeymooned in France (Paris, Champagne and Nice) for two weeks and are currently living and working in New York City.

We were going for a classic look with modern touches.  Daniel and I chose the Windsor Court Hotel because it is our favorite hotel in NOLA! We stayed there several times before and always had a great expexperience.  The 23rd floor views are amazing and offer such a unique look at the Mississippi River and the NOLA skyline.  Planning a wedding from far away is not so easy. I was lucky to have the assistance of my mother as well as my amazing maid of honor. They both helped to make the planning as easy as possible!

Bride’s Favorite Moment: “My favorite moment from the wedding was walking down the ailse with my mother and watching Daniel’s reaction as we got closer to the altar.”

Vendor Love

Ceremony Venue: St. Patrick’s Church  | Reception Venue: Windsor Court Hotel  | Wedding Dress: Lazaro  | Bridesmaid Dresses: Monique Lhuillier  | Shoes: Badgely Mischka  | Hair & Makeup: Flawless Bride  | Groom’s Attire: Paul Stuart  | Invitation Designer: Aundrepont Printing  | Transportation: Alert Transportation  | Music: Mixed Nuts  | Florist: Fleur de Jour  | Caterer: Windsor Court Hotel  | Baker: Debbie Does Doberge  | Photographer: Mark Eric Weddings

Every now and again a wedding comes through with such a lovely color tonal range that its just dreamy to look at and that is very much the case with Amanda Mertz & Jeremy Shook’s gorgeous Mississippi wedding!  Wanting to craft a colorful day without loud dominating colors, soft corals & greens were given the go head while a wizard in florist clothing Au Courant Floral created some of the most beautiful & unique arrangements I have seen in sometime!  Guest sipped on down home lemonade with mustache/lip straws while watching our couple say ‘I do’.  String quartet music wafted in the background as this refined modern affair took place under the setting sun with dancing under the stars to follow!  What a sweet lovely treat filled with the loveliest of colors, the perfect way to close out May and head into summer proper!

Note From The Bride…

Guests were treated to sweet, southern, pink lemonade in mason jars, as they enjoyed the sounds of a string quartet, before the ceremony. In lieu of programs, we chose a chalkboard, ornately framed, listing the wedding party and the evening events. Adding another personal touch, I created a large, wooden board with multi-colored envelopes secured to it, for guests to place notes, instead of a traditional guest book. The flowers: The day of the wedding, I stepped out of the elevator and was greeted by a long table full of the most beautiful, stunning bouquets I had ever seen. My bouquet was hydrangeas, peonies, lamb ear, balsa wood and succulents, wrapped in a turquoise damask cloth, secured with a gorgeous turquoise broach. Attached to my bouquet was a stone from my late grandmothers’ favorite earrings. We were married on Cinco de Mayo, so we featured a gourmet taco station with catfish, zesty chicken, and duck tacos, made to order. Signature drink was “The Shookarita”, a cute spin on our last name. A fresh, organic margarita on the rocks, garnished with salt. These were topped off with a turquoise “mustache” straw for the men, or a hot pink “lip” straw for the ladies. We incorporated our love for trail mix into the reception, and put our own spin on a traditional “candy bar”.

Vendor Love

Venue: Lost Rabbit Marina  | Dress: Martina Liana | Hair: Nathans Salon | Make-up: Brittany Thompson | Catering: Julep Restaurant | Floral Design: Au Courant Floral | String Quartet: Jackson Strings Quartet | DJ: Evan Tubbs of Birmingham, AL | Photobooth: Adam + Alli Photography | Lighting: Davaine Lighting | Officiant: Bill Boyd | Event Planner: Shanna Lumpkin Events | Photographer: Mark Eric Photography