photo by Corbin Gurkin
Today’s inspiration comes in the form of summer flower arrangements. Some of my favorite elements of summer florals is that anything as far as colors go- brights, pastels, solid colors, or mixtures with greenery. Plus, as with any season, there are some blooms you can only get this time of year… it’s a shame not to use them! We hope you enjoy this eye candy and hope it inspires some of your designing.
Photo by Corbin Gurkin
Blooms like ranunculus and roses are typically available throughout the year, but particular varieties or colors are periodic, so we consider that when designing. I love how the bright pink ranunculus pair with the coral charm peonies that we try to use every chance we get! Delicate sweet peas, astilbe, and maiden hair ferns scream airiness in summer arrangements, and we anchored these with hearty lemon leaf for the high humidity of the outdoor summer event.
photos 1 &2 Corbin Gurkin; photo 3 Liz Banfield
Of course, we have to discuss summer bouquets. These can afford everything from wildflowers of pale delicate blooms, to bold pops of vibrant flowers, to a composed ethereal blend of whites and greens that looked picked right out of a summer garden.
Photo by Corbin Gurkin
Pale peaches, creams, and whites work nicely with the verdant backgrounds in summer and open the gates to what’s available. Being from the south, we try to use our local hydrangeas every chance we can while they are available…
Photo by Corbin Gurkin
Colorado wildflowers determined what was used in these arrangements for an August Aspen wedding. Hellebores, thistle, fern fronds, and delphinium came together with larger blooms like peonies, tulips, roses, etc. for a perfectly blended palette..
Photo by Corbin Gurkin
Fresh lavender was added to these ethereal pastel centerpieces… French garden was the look we were going for, so with the addition of collected variegated ivy out of an actual garden we brought Provenance to Newport…
Photo by Corbin Gurkin
Photo by Corbin Gurkin
I mean, a super lush centerpiece of elegant white peonies is not only a showstopper, but the fragrance is spectacular. Perfect for an indoor display.
photo by Elizabeth Messina
A traditional ceremony was held at the groom’s childhood church. One little touch I love doing when the ceremony is offsite is to have a special decorated “just married” vehicle for the bride and groom to ride in alone to the reception.
Guests convened at the Breakers for cocktail hour in the courtyard, featuring several of our custom fabric covered bars, and oysters on the half shell served by 
The dining room was set with a mixture of long and square tables topped with custom blue linen cloths, and alternating taller and smaller florals… miniature lamps and a sprinkling of candlelight added an old world ambiance.
We also did a killer wedding welcome bag for this event. A camouflaged LL Bean boat bag included a “mini bar” guests could indulge in without needed to break into the hotels, cocktails, accouterments, snacks, and even a canvas “cure kit” with hangover or other ailment remedy recipes and supplies.
The bride chose an Oscar de le Renta gown- the Luvi, and classic Manolo bridal shoes; and our groom wore a Ralph Lauren Purple label tuxedo. Florals in creams and pale pinks worked well with the bridesmaids’ neutral full length gowns. 
Following a ceremony at the bride’s childhood church, the couple greeted guests at their reception held at the historic Union Square station.
Amongst passed hors d’eouvres and cocktails, Leon Lane’s Inspired Occasions set up a decadent seafood display including oysters on the half shell, crab claws, and a caviar display with everything you could imagine going with it. 
In the dining room, we built a display for the father of the bride to display and serve his curated wine collection… Decanters with handwritten tags allowed guests to make their own pairings during dinner. This is one of my favorite features from this wedding. Love always getting to incorporate personal details, but luxury touches like this take special to the next level.
In addition to one of our favorite pretty touches, carpet was laid in the dining room to help with acoustics in the vast hall. Fabric curtains were also hung and live greenery draped the ceiling to soften what could be considered large cold room. Soft linen topped the combination of long and square tables.
After the bride changed into a Halston Heritage jump suit, the party was in full swing… Late night food was served from a mock “food stall” and branded boxes added a cute decor moment for what can sometimes be old hat.
