Tropical with a Tiki Twist
The tropical aesthetic can sometimes get stuck in an all green space. Incorporating color and a bit of retro “kitsch” can take the tropical vision to a playful, but still classic realm.
The tropical aesthetic can sometimes get stuck in an all green space. Incorporating color and a bit of retro “kitsch” can take the tropical vision to a playful, but still classic realm.
A Classic Palm Beach Inspiration Shoot | The Colony Palm Beach
As a South Florida native, you may think that I would have grown tired of bright colors, bold patterns, and tropical details by now. To that I say, nope! There is something timeless and endlessly charming about Palm Beach. The Colony Hotel located on Palm Beach Island showcases all of it's whimsy and elegance in the perfect way.
When I first stepped foot in the Colony Palm Beach hotel I immediately thought: this is exactly where Cinderella would tie the knot if she chose a destination Florida wedding. It is classic and elegant, with a whole lot of whimsy. There are bold patterns and an eclectic mix of bright blues, corals, pinks and yellows that are splashed across every wall. Designing with the Colony in mind was a dream come true and allowed for us to pull in so many exciting colors, play with movement, and allow the grounds and the flowers to have a little mini love affair.
See more of this playful shoot featured on Inside Weddings.
Photography | Kir Tuben Photography
Floral Design, Vintage Rentals, and Event Design | Port + Palm Co.
Venue | The Colony Palm Beach
Cake | Johnson's Custom Cakes
Stationery | IBA Paper Goods
Rentals | Atlas Party Rentals
Planning | Wanderlust Wedding Co.
Gift Boxes | Gala Tuesday
Bridal Salon | Brittany Burns Bridal
Makeup | Eventful Looks
Kai Kai Farms Vow Renwal Inspiration
Pulling up to the sweetest farm and unloading buckets of flowers and branches into a breezy screened in pavilion is not the worst way to spend a Saturday. It is an uncharacteristically cool Florida afternoon, with no sign of storm clouds. For the next couple of hours we are able to design on a seculded farm not too far from home.
Can I describe my perfect day to you? It goes a little something like this: Exiting the highway and entering a long stretch of road flanked on either side by farm land that seems to go on for eternity. Pulling up to the sweetest farm and unloading buckets of flowers and branches into a breezy screened in pavilion. It is an uncharacteristically cool Florida afternoon, with no sign of storm clouds, and music is being excitedly played through various speakers. For the next couple of hours I'm installing branches and vines overhead, putting the final touches on a poppy-filled centerpiece, creating boutonnières with accents of broccoli flower, and filling vintage ceramic bud vases with textural bits such as astilbe and astrantia. The day is topped off with a little photo shoot and a delicious meal is served up as part of an on-going Farm Suppers series. Flowers, open air, a cool Florida afternoon, a gourmet meal, wine, and a full day shared with close friends. Yep, I'd say that perfectly describes a perfect day.
See more from this day featured on Ruffled.
Photography | Jessica Bordner Photography
Floral Design | Port + Palm Co.
Planning | Desiree Dawn Events
Venue | Kai Kai Farm
Tent, Chairs, Lighting | Sperry Tents
Linens, Glassware | Classic Party Rentals
Vintage Rentals | Port + Palm Co.
Music | Keith Michaud
Coral Cove Inspiration Shoot
There's something so sentimental and classic about a beach wedding, and this shoot was no exception. We wanted the florals to be loose and romantic while still speaking to the natural beauty of the ocean and it's surroundings. Every creative involved truly embraced the vision and brought so many beautiful moments to the day.
True collaboration can be hard to come by. To me, collaboration is finding a group of people who challenge and influence you, working together to find a vision everyone can stand behind, and then letting that talented collective do what they do best. Of course there are the hiccups, the unexpected rain storms, the near meltdowns, and the sore muscles. But when you find a group of people who can look at you sweaty and near tears, jump right in and offer a hand, and even a hug, you walk away feeling so fulfilled and grateful.
For me, this Coral Cove inspiration shoot is a perfect example of how wonderfully a collaboration can work. I was first connected with Teresa of Jose and Teresa Photography through a few of my fellow Social House members. She was looking to rebrand her website and was hoping to pull together a collection of photos that spoke to her own style.
I love how every detail came together. The florals were loose and romantic while still complimenting the natural beauty of the beach. The table top accents reminded me of my favorite parts of the beach - whispy pink clouds, fragmented bits of sea glass, and found treasures. My favorite floral detail has to be the clay-looking eucalyptus pods used in the arbor's design. They offered the perfect amount of natural contrast against the more romantic blooms used throughout the bouquet and centerpiece.
Beach weddings don't need to be full of starfish and sea shells. I love how we as a group were able to showcase a fresh and romantic approach to a beach wedding that allowed the natural beauty of the beach to act as a soft and complimentary backdrop.
Photography | Jose and Teresa Photography
Floral Design | Port + Palm Co.
Rentals | Coco Prop Shop
Planning | The Golden Pineapple Event Co.
Stationery | Every Little Letter
Bridal Gown | Wildeflower Boutique
Models | The Hip Suburban
Cake | Cloud 9 Bakery
Hair + Makeup | Beauty by VM
Our Midcentury Modern Home Tour
We stumbled upon our house while driving around Lake Worth. We saw an open house sign and went for it. Next thing I knew, we were home owners and I couldn't wait to fill this 1950's gem with unique midcentury modern pieces. After 2 years our home finally feels like a reflection of our style and we were fortunate enough to have Lauren Louise Photography snap a few shots while she was in town.
Photography | Lauren Louise Photography
My whole life I've been surrounded by antiques and taken to antique fairs, thrift stores, auctions, you name it. My mom and grandma would plan family road trips with the sole intention of walking around dusty hillsides in search of treasures to bring home. When Glen and I started looking into buying a home, I knew it needed to be one with history and character. I couldn't imagine living West of 95 in a new build.
We stumbled upon our house while driving around Lake Worth. We saw an open house sign and went for it. It was way out of our price point but I loved it. Following the open house, I received a voicemail letting me know the price of the house had been reduced and that's when shit got real. We put an offer in and after the pain staking process of buying a home, we were first time home owners!
The little sitting area near our front door is my favorite part of our home. It is full of random pieces that we've collected for the past 3 years, and they somehow all work together. It's bright, full of pattern, and classic midcentury shapes. When I first brought home the framed bird print that hangs over the bar cart, Glen looked at me like I was crazy, he was not the biggest fan. He has since embraced it, or he's just leaned to live with my crazy.
Most of our pieces were either found while thrifting and antiquing or handed down to us by my family. One of my favorites is a midcentury china cabinet. It was the first big piece of furniture my grandparents purchased together when they first moved in to their first place and now it is a focal point of our first home.
We recently painted the back wall of our home and our family room a dark blue, and I couldn't be more in love with it. It made everything a bit more cozy and grounds the large and open main living space.
I wanted to make sure that most of our large pieces of furniture had clean modern lines. It allows me to play with funky accents, intricate frames, while keeping in the time period of the home and avoiding a hectic collection of odds and ends.
The framed print of the shoreline was my wedding gift to Glen. I purchased it at a framing and art store in Portsmouth, New Hampshire two days before our wedding. I wanted to make sure we had a piece of Portsmouth when we came back to our Florida home. Artwork and custom framing is an investment, but it'll end up making such an impact no matter how large or small.
When designing for a wedding or for our home I always try to focus on finding a classic thread that will stand the test of time and then mixing in those more trendy pieces. Creating a classic base allows all of the other details to really shine.
See our home tour featured onApartment Therapy!
The Copper Arch | Floral Design
To say our copper arch is our favorite rental item is actually pretty accurate. Take a peek at the weddings and events this metallic beauty has popped up at this past year!
Photo by Lauren Louise Photography
We have some exciting things happening over here. One, we're finally getting around to blogging a few of our favorite moments from this past year - such as this copper arch and all the fun outings it has made this year. We've also had some time to reflect on where we want this crazy/wonderful/always-changing business of ours to go, and we are back from vacation prepping for that wedding season peeking its head out from around the corner.
Photo by Ian Joseph Jones/Floral Design by Flower and Fringe
As some of you may know, Karina and Seth were the ENTIRE reason this gorgeous structure was built in the first place. They were also the first couple I was lucky enough to see celebrate their marriage at my favorite spot: Social House (we have two more weddings at the House coming up! Eek!).
Photo by Coco Prop Shop/Installation by Hayley Sheldon
The next outing wasn't a real wedding, but instead Wedding Meet hosted at Social House and featuring three rooms full of local wedding vendors and their gorgeous work. For this event, our copper arch was dressed up by the talented Hayley Sheldon with her handmade gold bamboo installation.
We love that the arch provides such a blank slate and allows other creatives and couples to play. This February one of our couples has collaborated with Hayley to design strands of paper petals to hang from the arch and act as an escort display at the Boca Resort. Can you say dreamy?
We love to rent to floral designers, other wedding professionals, and couples alike. Feel free to send an email to us and see pricing and reserve your date!
Alex + Sam's Bubbly Romance | Post-Elopement Celebration
When Francesca of Coco Prop Shop asked me if I wanted to help put together a sweet post-elopement celebration for one of her former co-workers, I jumped at the opportunity. The couple had recently tied the knot at the local courthouse and Francesca wanted to do something special for them before the newlywed haze had the chance to fade.
When Francesca of Coco Prop Shop asked me if I wanted to help put together a sweet post-elopement celebration for one of her former co-workers, I jumped at the opportunity. The couple had recently tied the knot at the local courthouse and Francesca wanted to do something special for them before the newlywed haze had the chance to fade.
Keeping it simple, romantic, bubbly, sweet, and local we took a Lake Worth couple and showered them with a little champagne at Social House, with a sweet mini cake from Earth and Sugar, and a photo session with Coco Prop Shop in downtown Lake Worth.
We wanted to keep the floral design simple while maintaining a romantic color palette. We chose minimal blooms while adding a variety of loose greenery in various shades and textures to keep the bouquet interesting and full of movement. We finished the bouquet with a trailing ribbon in a vibrant shade of blue which perfectly complimented the groom's suit and played nicely with the green of the candlesticks.
When styling the bar cart we took most of our inspiration from a found antique book of love stories. From there we pulled in intricate details, greens, and gold tones to compliment the gorgeous details found within the book.
The couple's story is definitely one that has weathered the test of distance and time.
Alex and Sam met in August of 2012 while on a trip in Puerto Rico with a group of mutual friends. Once they connected, Samantha initiated a long distance relationship with Alex until she graduated from college at FGCU. After a few years she eventually returned home to be with Alex, but their time got cut short when he had to relocate for the Marine Corps. The distance and time spent apart only made them appreciate one another more. They share a passion for traveling, experiencing the outdoors and exploring the water, but just being with each other is an exciting adventure in itself. Alex recently graduated as an officer and felt it was the perfect time to ask Samantha to spend the rest of her life with him. She said yes and within two weeks they were married!
Photography + Props | Coco Prop Shop
Floral Design, Styling + Rentals | Port + Palm Co.
Bride's Attire | Wildeflower Boutique
Hair + Makeup | Nina Lares
Venue | Social House
Cake | Earth + Sugar
Location | Lake Worth
Ann Norton Sculpture Garden Elopement | Inspiration Shoot
I remember the first time my mom took me to the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden. Which is pretty phenomenal considering she has dragged me into countless house museums and historic home tours. The woman is obsessed with history and architecture, a love I never quite understood or fully appreciated until recently.
I remember the first time my mom took me to the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden. Which is pretty phenomenal considering she has dragged me into countless house museums and historic home tours. The woman is obsessed with history and architecture, a love I never quite understood or fully appreciated until recently.
So when Chelsea of Chelsea Erwin Photography suggested putting together an inspiration shoot at The Ann Norton Sculpture Garden, I immediately said "yes"!.
Chelsea and I both share a love for small intimate weddings and elopements. We feel weddings should be so much more about the couple and this incredible commitment they are making to one another, rather than throwing a big party with every person you've ever said, "hi" to. Showcasing an elopement style wedding, in a gorgeous intimate location, with a few unique pieces intertwined, was our main focus.
Chelsea wanted to pull in deep rich colors, which gave us a great starting point for the overall design. We created an eclectic tablescape full of unique details including an indigo hand dyed Silk and Willow runner, an assortment of vintage botanical dinner plates, and vintage gold accented glassware, while the floral arrangement featured anemones, peonies, and roses in rich romantic shades of pink and purple.
Our rental inventory is comprised primarily of midcentury modern and art deco pieces, which we felt played nicely against the modern sculptures placed throughout the lush tropical gardens.
Collaborating on this shoot with so many local creatives was such a rewarding experience, and we hope it encourages couples to consider a custom designed elopement complete with vintage and handmade details.
Photography | Chelsea Erwin Photography
Design, Floral Design, and Rentals | Port + Palm Co.
Stationery | Gold Cotton Print
Jewelry and Gem Stones | Kattilac Gems
Hair and Makeup | Palm Beach Makeup Pro
Wedding Dress | Wildeflower Boutique
Venue | Ann Norton Sculpture Garden
Models | Taelor May + Walker Shipley