Wedding Whites

I recently worked with Pieter Bouterse Studio on an all white wedding. When brides choose to have an all white wedding, there is a fine line between fabulous and boring. Fortunately, there are many shades and tones of white; add lighting to the mix and its potential skyrockets.

There was something about this particular wedding that entranced me. Was it the ruched fabric used in the entire ceremony area? The room itself was very lacking for a wedding ceremony site, so the room was transformed with fabric. We used many, many yards! With the help of pins and staple guns, we ruched for two days.

Keep in mind that the fabrics were as white as can be- 

the lighting changed their tones a bit.

The bridal table with the white flowers- lilacs, amaryllis, lilies and ranunculus.

To see more of the fab wedding, visit Pieter Bouterse Studio and The Blog at Pieter Bouterse Studio.

All Aglow

It's usually when I've been working on a wedding or special event that I am reminded of the importance of good lighting. Whether in a tent or one's home, it is the key ingredient in setting the mood and creating the ambiance you want. Obviously good design is important, but if the lighting isn't right, the design may matter little.

I've collected a few images of fixtures that inspire me...

 A beautiful Murano glass chandelier

A simply elegant gilt chandelier

Muriel Chandelier by Oly  The cast resin "bubbles" will cast fun shadows.

Love the roughness of the stone wall compared with the ornate crystal chandelier

Fun and funky

Arctic Pear Chandelier by Ochre

Seed Cloud Chandelier by Ochre

Swarovski crystal chandelier   Its color is to-die-for!

This is the "before" look of a tent wedding designed by Pieter Bouterse Studio; the "chandeliers" were a combination of tiny lights and lucite rods. They were absolutely magical with the tent all dressed up for the party.

 

What are your preferences for lighting your own home?

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Late Fall Bouquet

I was fortunate to work with Pieter Bouterse last weekend on a lovely late fall wedding.

The sophisticated bride requested white with rich burgundy accents. I thought that this bouquet was one of the prettiest I've ever seen Pieter Bouterse create. And he does the best, anywhere.

Some of the flowers included in the gorgeous bouquet were japhet, lady slipper and vanda orchids, brunia (the silver balls), fern fronds from Hawaii.

The bridal attendants carried bouquets of deep red calla lilies, accented with green brunia, silver globe thistle and a silver lamb's ear collar. You can see a peek of the junior bridesmaids' bouquets in the first photo with calla lilies and astrantia.

Visit Pieter's website here.

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Scene Stealer

Here's a quick peek at the arch that we created a week ago for a wedding ceremony.

With colors the essence of fall, it was dramatic against the color of the room.

Some of the flowers you see are various orchids and berries, pincushion flowers, eucalyptus, and bittersweet.

 The little balls are from the Kousa dogwood tree.

The trick was that Pieter and his staff had to move the arch to a totally different part of the room following the ceremony. Yikes!

Art Appreciation

Having had the privilege of working in this beautiful theater last weekend, I thought I'd share a bit with you. The State Theater opened in Cleveland on February 5, 1921, part of what is now known as Playhouse Square, the second-largest theater complex in the United States (second only to New York City's Lincoln Center.)

The five theaters (Palace, State, Ohio, Allen and Hanna) were eventually boarded up by the end of the sixties, as entertainment moved to the suburbs. In the 1970s, a grass-roots effort saved the historic venues from the wrecking ball, restoring and re-opening the theaters one by one. 

The lobby of the State Theater is said to be the longest in the world at 320 feet. It contains four 50-foot murals by American Modernist James Daugherty; a fifth mural is by Arnold Englander. 

The ceilings are exquisitely detailed. 

This was the "backdrop" for the evening's bar. Not bad, eh?

Part of the murals can be glimpsed above the stairs. 

The colors!

Pieter Bouterse Studio created the elegant flowers for the occasion.

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Green Visions

A few green twists to the garden that caught my eye lately:

Grass "columns" were recently installed by Pieter Bouterse Studio to disguise ugly metal poles in a tent.

The first thing guests did was, of course, to go up to the columns and touch them.

I am loving this coleus with the fringed leaves, green uppers and burgundy unders.

As soon as I find out the exact name, I'll let you know.

Doesn't it look beautiful when there is a breeze?

Fun idea to have an equisetum wall! Equisetum needs plenty of moisture.

This is my year of papyrus. It is my first year of growing it and I have big plans for it next year in containers. It grows to an impressively tall height. Its airy green plumes love to wave in the breeze.

What are your favorite ideas for the garden?

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Wedding in White

Sharing with you a peak at the wedding ceremony setting that I had the privilege of working on last weekend. The photos do not do the chuppa (the wedding canopy) justice as they were taken as we were scurrying about to finish. The bride's request was a balance of modern and romantic. 

The top half of the columns were lit from within, under the fabric and lace. The lace was saved for years to be used for just the right occasion- and this was it.

The chuppa was created by Pieter Bouterse Studio. Below, in the studio, the lace was pinned on and adjusted before the final attaching. It really is like creating a dress, as Pieter uses dress fabrics for his ceremony structures, with many "fittings" and steps before the structure is done.  

Bella, Pieter's dog, is sniffing the lace- she always has to investigate everything!

 Liz hard at work on the gorgeous lace.

The bottom half of the columns were off white silk with a ruched silk band joining the fabrics. The chuppa was finished off with all white flowers on top and a line of glass vases holding either dogwood branches or floating candles.

The next step was to place the white fabric aisle runner down the length of the aisle, which was blocked off so the runner would remain clean for the bridal party. Clear glass vases with candles lined the runner.

Hopefully I'll be able to locate more photos of the all-white-with-gold-accents reception.

Peacock Elegance

Last fall I was asked to create a tablecloth for an intimate wedding dinner at a table for forty guests. The clients had extremely discerning taste that leaned toward clean and classically contemporary. The dinner took place in a tent, following the ceremony outside under a chuppa created with branches and garden roses.

The table gradually evolved into the boat shape, beautifully curved and tapered toward each end.

To continue with the clean look, I felt that the fabric needed to hug the table curves and have interest on the table top. A patterned fabric was decided against. We chose to use silk dupioni in a gorgeous peacock color. The silk is a dream to work with, holds folds and curves perfectly to the table shape.  

I decided to provide interest by creating a basket weave pattern with the silk. A sewing machine was not even used! I cut strips of fabric, measured to coordinate with the changing table size, and wove the strips right on the table. The strips sides were folded under and ironed before the weaving.

After the basket weave was completed, I attached the full width of the fabric to the woven section and skirted the entire table to the floor. To insure that the guests wouldn't pick at and "undo" the weave, I "tacked" (with a small piece of double-sided tape for fabric)) each intersection of fabric strips. Thank goodness I did; as soon as I had finished, the client came out and test pulled at the strips to see what would happen. They stayed. 

Of course, the setting was amazing, the flowers were dazzling and the weather held out! It was one of those magical nights...

Images courtesy of New Image Photography

Floral decor and event design by Pieter Bouterse Studio

Thank you to Cindy at My Romantic Home!