This was one of my favorite weddings of 2011 for two reasons: the bride was an old college friend/sorority sister, and her style was very different from the majority of my clients. Ashley and I were Chi Omegas together at The University of Tulsa and had reconnected in Southern California through the Los Angeles Chi Omega Alumnae Chapter. We didn’t know each other very well in college, but I really enjoyed getting to know Ashley better over the course of her engagement. Our meetings consisted of all the fun stuff associated with wedding floral preparation, along with catching each other up on the lives of our ChiO sisters from college! Ashley also had very strong opinions about what she liked and didn’t like, which was incredibly helpful, and hysterically funny!

Ashley’s style is a combination of elegant/traditional/romantic/preppy. Although I do design a lot of elegant and romantic weddings, I would have to say the majority of my weddings are non-traditional, and I don’t think I’d designed for a preppy bride in about ten years! My challenge was to make these wedding florals and decor totally reflective of Ashley and Tinoush, while also infusing the event with the lush, textural quality that my work is known for. In the end, Ashley & Tinoush’s personal style and my design aesthetic melded beautifully. The wedding was gorgeous in every way, and these images (from the brilliant Victor Sizemore) are the proof!

Ashley’s bouquet consisted of garden roses, traditional roses, spray roses, tulips, lisianthus, bear grass and aspidistra leaves. Her attendents carried bouquets that were smaller versions of her own, minus the pale pink elements. I sourced some exquisite navy and white striped grosgrain ribbon in several different sizes to be used throughout this wedding- and that 4 inch wide version on Ashley’s bouquet is at once both preppy and romantic, no?

Tinoush wore a boutonniere consisting of single tulip, accented with both hot pink and orange spray roses, and bear grass. The navy and white striped grosgrain ribbon used throughout the wedding was tied in a masculine knot over all the boutonnieres.

Ashley’s dress was absolutely stunning and so unexpected! I just love it when a gown looks so simple from the front but has a total wow factor on the back!

Good-looking couple alert!!! Aren’t they handsome? And so in love.

The wedding took place at Verandas, a charming private venue in Manhattan Beach. It has an upstairs room with a lounge and dance floor, which looks out onto the Pacific Ocean. Downstairs is a perfect space for a reception, and the garden, where Ashley and Tinoush’s ceremony took place, feels like a secret enchanted garden, complete with lily pond and tropical landscaping. I absolutely loved working at this venue, and depending on the guest count, I can imagine it being used for a wedding with any number of different layout configurations. It has a very unique feel for a SoCal venue– it’s laid-back, no stuffiness, but still manages to exude some Hampton’s-like East-Coast flair. The white lounge furniture upstairs and the classic gold chaivari chairs provide a wonderful “clean slate” for a designer to come in and make the space personal for the couple getting married.

The garden was lush and green, totally happy in August when this wedding took place, so there was little need for additional decor. I affixed shepherds hooks to the ends of the aisles and hung green kermit mum pomander balls, which defined the space and added a bright pop of color. Truly, nothing else was needed.

Apart from the stripy ribbon, green apples were chosen as the other “preppy” elmement. I used them in the centerpieces and they also served as escort cards. Ashley wrote her guests names and table numbers on navy paper leaves, which my team then affixed to the apples along with hot pink striped grosgrain ribbon.

The centerpieces were a mix of three different styles. All the clear glass vases were treated with the striped navy and white grosgrain ribbon in various widths. The two taller arrangements featured green apples in the base, while the shorter arrangements had green apples placed around them on the table. A “beachy element” of bleached driftwood was also included at the base of the centerpieces along with rose petals, and a single green kermit mum was placed at each place setting for an added pop of color against the white and gray linens.

The tallest centerpieces featured a topper of bright mixed florals and tropical greens.

The medium-height centerpieces had toppers consisting of pink multi-hued hydrangea.

And the short centerpieces featured a collection of three vases, each holding a different flower. In Chi Omega, Ashley and I were in the same “family,” and our family flower was the gerbera daisy. Gerbera daisies are difficult to add to bouquets and arrangements because of their shape and inflexible stems, but Ashley wanted them included as a nod to our ChiO family, so I was able to use them clustered together as part of these low arrangements. Whenever I see a daisy, I’m reminded of Meg Ryan’s character in You’ve Got Mail, when she says “Don’t you think that daisies are the friendliest flowers?”

After dinner, everyone went upstairs and a pretty awesome dance party commenced. Ashley changed into a fabulous little white party dress, and the dancing went on late into the night.

From reconnecting with Ashley, to meeting her wonderful mother Jan, to seeing friends at the wedding whom I hadn’t seen since 2005… well, everything about this wedding was a pleasure. Ashley and Tinoush, you rock. Next time I’m in L.A., let’s play! In the meantime and ever after, I wish you all the best in your marriage and in life!