Palm Springs wedding

I’m very excited to share these beautiful photos by Joy Marie Photography of Kristen & Adam’s spectacular Palm Springs wedding. Their wedding was incredibly intimate (just over 60 guests) and they were such gracious hosts to their friends & family. When I first met Kristen, we were at the true beginning of the planning process — she & Adam were engaged, but didn’t have a wedding date or location. They weren’t sure of the details or the look, but they knew they wanted a really relaxing weekend for their guests, and they wanted something that was unfussy but special & elegant.

Kristen & Adam found themselves drawn to the Korakia Pensione in Palm Springs, an incredibly romantic and relaxed B&B filled with eclectic antiques from Morocco and the Mediterranean. Since the Korakia is such a special place & not at all your typical wedding venue, I let it serve as inspiration for the event design. From the eclectic mix of benches & chairs for the ceremony seating to the incorporation of succulents and Mediterranean fruits into the centerpieces, the wedding was a wonderful cross between elegant and rustic, with layer upon layer of gorgeous design details.

Without further ado…

Two oversized floral arrangements in antique urns flanked the stone entryway to the intimate ceremony. It was a hot desert day, so Moroccan tea glasses and large jars of cucumber-mint water, citrus iced tea, and grapefruit-rosemary lemonade were set out for guests to enjoy before the ceremony.

Kristen and Adam were married in front of a grand antique Moroccan double-door. After the ceremony, the large wooden doors opened and the bride and groom’s family led the way to the cocktail reception, which was held in a romantic courtyard surrounding the Moroccan pool. The decor was kept understated to showcase the natural beauty of the property, which included built-in stone seating around a waterfall.  Stone ledges were simply decorated with passion vine and gardenias, and lily pads of gardenias and succulents made an existing antique fountain even more exquisite.

A bountiful station of farmer’s market vegetables and homemade cheeses, by HeirloomLA, was displayed on a rustic wooden table. Servers also passed hors d’oeuvres of mini short-rib grilled cheeses, springtime agnolotti pasta, seasonal fruit gazpacho, and battered tourbot and Kennebek Fries with malt vinegar and creamy cournichon sauce (an elevated version of fish and chips).

Guests dined at 24-foot-long tables draped with soft, natural-toned linens. An eclectic mix of rustic wooden and iron garden chairs lent a casual, but elegant air. Centerpieces by The Velvet Garden were a splash of color and lushness in the otherwise desert surroundings. Deep jewel-tones, such as burgundies, violets, and dark pinks, paired beautifully with the earthiness of the property. The innovative centerpieces incorporated fresh fruit inspired by the Mediterranean, such as blood oranges and grapes, with succulents, exotic leaves, and lush flowers.

The surrounding palm trees were dramatically lit; a firepit surrounded by carved Moroccan chairs added to the romantic ambiance. A lounge filled with vintage furniture, including rugs and pillows so guests could sit comfortably on the ground, was tucked away in a grove of small trees near the dancefloor. Dessert was a feast, with a huge spread of treats set out on a buffet decorated with vintage glass pedestals and bowls, including chocolate banana trifle, a petite triple-berry wedding cake, mini chocolate cakes, homemade ice cream, and a variety of childhood-inspired cookies and treats. As the sun set, bistro lights strung above cast a warm glow on the tables.

The wedding was beautiful in every way imaginable. Kristen & Adam — thank you & your lovely families for letting me be part of such a special time in your lives!

www.amykaneko.com

Air Plant 101

Air plants are all the rage these days in bouquets and centerpieces. They seem to be the new succulent of choice — their quirky forms are dramatic and beautiful at the same time, and they have a delicate ethereal quality to them. I’m a big fan of them.

Recently, I worked with a bride who was similarly enamored of air plants. She wanted to put them at each guest’s place setting and have them also double as favors to be taken home. She had a box of them shipped to me so that I could make sure they arrived at the wedding happy & healthy. I take my job pretty seriously — exhibits A and B are below.

Yes, I carefully unwrapped the different species of air plants and gave them a nice soak in my bathtub. I let them air dry, then spray-misted them a few days later. Who knew air plants needed water? Good thing the instructions from the Air Plant Supply Company were crystal clear. The air plants thrived & looked beautiful on the dinner tables. Photos coming soon!

Yes, I have a 50s pink bathroom!

www.amykaneko.com

Flowering chuppah: from sketch to reality

A little while ago, I posted this sketch of a custom chuppah made of birch trunks and flowering branches. It was for a bride & groom getting married at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas who wanted a “white wonderland” wedding. The ceremony was taking place at night in the middle of a golf course, which wasn’t the most naturally wonderland-like of settings. So the flowering chuppah was a way to give them the romantic, fantastical look they wanted and was a visually powerful way of incorporating lots of white flowers into the ceremony. Here’s a photo of how it turned out. Not bad, right? I hear the guests are still talking about it…

www.amykaneko.com

Reconsidering Tulips

Tulips are the quintessential symbol of spring.  They are one of the most cheerful and sweetly simple flowers I can think of — was I the only kid who finished off crayon drawings of my square red house by drawing some grass and a bed of tulips?  (And a chimney with curly smoke, of course, regardless of season).  But I’ve never taken tulips very seriously.  For my own spring wedding, I ruled out tulips from the start.  I imagined the perky stalks and bright purple, yellow, and red tops of the tulips from my childhood drawings — somehow they seemed too cutesy for my offbeat urban wedding.

I’ve since seen the light on tulips.  While the iconic tulip has an undeniable sweetness to it, tulips have an amazing range of personalities.  White or light pink tulips, bunched together and placed high in a tall cylindrical vase, are incredibly graceful.  Their stems bend softly with gravity like a ballerina stretching.  Parrot tulips, with their fringed texture and variety of colors, have a wild, edgy look.

I adore the way tulips are used in the centerpieces below.  Clockwise, starting from the upper left: White tulip parrots can play a supporting role, like they do when paired with green hydrangea.  Or, they can make a strong sculptural statement with burgundy peonies.  White and green striped parrot tulips are my favorite; they can really make all the difference in an otherwise simple white centerpiece.  Orange parrot tulips make a striking bouquet that is both romantic and unusual.

Images from (clockwise, starting at the top left): 1-Art & Artifact, 2-Unknown, 3-LMD Floral, 4-Real Simple

www.amykaneko.com