Photos from the “CC event of the summer” (A.K.A my wedding) are finally in and are now here for your viewing pleasure. When I decided to get hitched my mind immediately started thinking of how I could incorporate all my creative ideas to showcase just what the Chrysalis Couture Studio was capable of. The primary focus thus became putting together a bold, vibrant yet whimsical table setting that would get people talking!
What better to catch my guests attention than using one of my own textile designs featuring a color combo that never fails to speak to me, pink and orange. I immediately chose a design, modified its colors and put it into production on 100% organic linen-cotton canvas with environmentally friendly inks and methods....and Voila!
From there began the exhaustive 6 month search for the perfect china, glassware and other table top accessories that would help pull this vision together. Mind you, in doing so some very difficult decisions had to be made on which pieces were the most necessary for making my statement and which I would need to let go of. Another added challenge was finding enough of these peices to accommodate at least 35 settings. After much deliberation and several failed shopping trips I settled on collecting vintage floral patterned china, brass candle sticks, and pressed vintage depression glassware.
For the smaller yet not less important details like candles and napkin rings I took color inspiration from the hints of light blue peaking through the floral patterns on the chinaware. Because I was not allowed to have open flame at our location I decided to get creative and go with LED battery operated candles with the added bonus that they were re-usable. Since they did not come in fun colors I decided to take things a step further and paint them a light blue...
They then needed to be fastened into the candlestick base...This however was an interesting challenge because in order to turn the candles on the need to be twisted tight at the base of the candle. So very carefully the bottom part was glued into the candlestick at the perfect level to ensure the candles would stand straight upright when we decided it was time to give our party some light.
To carry out the blue and bronze I made a stop to Annas Linens for cheap bronze napkin rings. All was good except the tacky red gems that were glued in the center. Our quick fix was to remove the old gems (easy to remove with any blunt object, a nail file worked for us!) and add new ones. I chose another more elegant bead in the right shade of blue (from any local craft store) and hot glue gunned the new beads on to the center where the old ones were.
The next component to my tablescape vision included flowers....and for that I knew I wanted to keep things low and uncontrived. I wanted people to be able to see each other across the table yet have my arrangements create a nice flow underneath the tall tapers. There were several flowers that spoke to me. Ranunculas, Peonies, and Lisianthus were all in the running but after finding out some of these favorites would not be in season the verdict rested on Hot Pink Peonies. This showy flower added just the right volume due to it size but was still the delicate touch in texture that my table needed to keep some balance.
Fun Fact: The peony is said to symbolize a Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Good Health and Prosperity. Who wouldn’t want to include such a good omen at their wedding?!
And just a few final touches before the big reveal...all DIY of course!!!
And finally the tablescape you've been waiting to see...
With the intention to give the eye a break between the floral printed china and the bold abstract runners I chose to add an additional white dinner plate and gold charger...not to mention it helps frames the china and make it a true focal point.
I particularly love how the pair of brass swans gracefully appear to be floating amongst the peonies!
Fun Fact: Swans are said to mate for life...how lucky I was to find these brick-a-bracks which at the time had seemed to have no other significance than to carry out the brass look!
One detail I did not forget to take into consideration was the chairs. Chairs at a dinner party need not only be comfortable for guest but they can also make or break your table. I did however luck out with these beautiful white wrought iron, garden style chairs that were provided by the event location.
An alternative would have been to choose a complimenting style chair in a bolder color such as this hard to find but uniquely vibrant hot pink chiavari chair.
Overall, when the day came to put this all together I was so excited to see it all work!! Not that I had any doubt in my vision but one never knows!! And, this entire post would not have been possible without the help of some near and dear friends and family who help put this all together with me!
A special thanks to my Mother, my Aunt Theresa, Ray Davis, Dylan Baker, Ray Huizar, Mallory Curlee, Jennifer Bainbridge, Patricia Cocco, Liliana Irigoin, and Angelica Weihs(and crew) who all contributed to the execution of this unique tabletop vision!
To see press on this event and additional photos visit: http://www.greenweddingcalifornia.com/2011/07/cassandras-creative-diy-wedding.html
Creatively Yours,
Cassandra Stearns
