Villa Ospo | Jekyll Island, FL
When pastels come to life…
One of the very first things we do before we even get to a floral consultation with our couples is to have them answer a questionnaire. This is mainly easy things: venue, budget, date of the wedding, colors, style, etc. Now trending in the wedding world is the neutral color palette for…well…pretty much everything! So, you can imagine our excitement when this couple’s wedding questionnaire came in with “Colors: Springy Pastels” listed!
From the first consultation with one of our favorite wedding planners, Terri Gilbreath; owner of G.G. Events, the light-heartedness of their color palette was bubbling through their inspiration photos! Terri explained that Reese really wanted to feel like she was in a spring garden and to keep that whimsical feel. We also put major emphasis on statement pieces that were then easily able to be repurposed from the ceremony to the reception.
Villa Ospo is an outdoor space that is already such a beautiful place, so our challenge was to add statement floral pieces that didn’t take away from that natural beauty OR that looked out of place. This began in the ceremony space by designing a low floral ring at the vow site. This proved challenging as the ceremony space was already so stunning to include a water feature the length of the aisle, tall shrubs, and low ground-covering plants. However, we were able to elevate the containers we used for the ground floral ring, allowing it to rise above the water feature, above the plants, and framed by the tall shrubs. The simplicity of the background itself, thankfully, allowed the floral ring and the bouquets of the wedding party to SHINE. Second, of course, to the adoring couple!
Image Credit: Julie Cate Photography
Speaking of the bouquets, the personal floral pieces of this wedding were perfectly prioritized in order to keep the focus on the statement floral pieces. This meant that only those who were involved in the ceremonial display were the only ones with floral adornments such as bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, etc. Allowing the bulk of the flowers, budget and focus to be on said statement pieces.
So, what are these statement pieces you ask? Let’s see them! The first one you have already seen, as it is the ceremonial ground floral ring, but this has a second life as it repurposed as dance floor decor following the ceremony! We kept this easily transferrable by using multiple water basins closely set together to appear as one floral piece. Making it easy for the wedding planner and her team to relocate them around the dance floor and near the stage.
The second statement piece was also made possible by putting most of the focus on the Head Table. Which we were able to accomplish by repurposing the wedding party bouquets and designing more petite arrangements on the other dinner tables. We HIGHLY recommend repurposing your wedding party bouquets as centerpieces, not only is it extremely cost-effective, but it is beautiful! By adding a decorative vase that is opaque, not a soul can then tell that this was anything except a centerpiece arrangement.
Image Credit: Julie Cate Photography
Stay with me, we are almost to the second statement piece, promise! Quickly though, the other centerpiece style is what allowed that statement piece to happen while also not making the other tables bare! For this style we kept it dainty and whimsical by combining bud vases and ikebana-style arrangements. Bud vases are great for height variance and of course the glass of the vase itself allows light to reflect off of it, creating its own spotlight and ambiance. While the ikebana-style arrangements bring that delicacy needed to maintain the uniquely whimsical theme. These are petite dish arrangements with the use of a floral frog to stabilize a minimal number of blooms. Each one creating an elegant piece of art that is tiny but mighty.
Image Credit: Julie Cate Photography
Okay, we’re finally at the best statement piece of this wedding…check out this 30-foot, head table, OMBRE, floral runner!!!! The BEST floral piece saved for the BEST table at the whole wedding! Starting with flowers in varying shades of blues, fading into purples, pinks, and whites respectively. This was the perfect way to complement the landscape surrounding the wedding while not invading the personal space of the guests sitting at this table. Obviously with such a focal point of a design we had to ensure it would stay this beautiful all night. This is made on a secure chicken wire and iron rod to prevent tipping and flowers from blowing away, or worse, in somebody’s food, eww!
Image Credit: Julie Cate Photography
Cheers to you, Mr. & Mrs. Medeiros, and thank you so much for entrusting us to design for your uniquely YOU wedding day!
Looking for a florist for your own? We here at Soulful Stems would love to dream up some amazing floral designs for your wedding! Please visit our website here: http://www.soulfulstemsjax.com
Also, check out the other amazing wedding vendors who helped turn their vision into a reality:
- Venue: Villa Ospo – Jekyll Island, FL
- Wedding Planner: G.G. Events – Terri Gilbreath
- Photographer: Julie Cate Photography
- Florist: Soulful Stems
- Attire: Honey Bridal Shop & Georgia Young Couture
- Jewelry: Vice Versa Jewelry
- Makeup: Paulina Perez Makeup Artistry
This blog post was written on March 2, 2023 by Kari Hartley, owner of Soulful Stems, LLC.