Sometimes, the life of a blogger gets lonely–when you work in a home office, it means that your co-workers come only by proxy, and are very seldom seen. In many senses, I consider fellow wedding bloggers and event designers to be my co-workers. These women constantly inspire me, and whenever we get together, it’s an absolute extravaganza!
A few weeks ago, we all had the opportunity to attend a dinner party hosted by Be Inspired PR. We dined on a seven course meal created by Contemporary Catering, and sat at a gorgeous table designed by Canvas and Canopy and JL Designs. So much thought was put into the design and menu, that I thought I’d share with you an interview with the designers, as well as the full menu because good food and pretty things are pretty much what we love about weddings, no?
Feast with us on these gorgeous images by Braedon Photography and check out all that went into the concept of our “Dutch Still Life” Dinner Party. It’s moments like these that make me ever more thankful for a very lovely job!
‘Matte is the new Black’!! With all the neon and pastels we took a cue from interior designers who have been using a lot of matte black and dark colors on walls in recent interior design projects. We have found that a matte finish softens the appearance of black and dark blue and wanted to translate this onto a tablescape. The matte finish lends itself to a much more dramatic and regal feel. The tablecape was created without using a trace of white…even down to the votive candles, we hand-painted those with streaks of pale blue and gray paint to keep everything matte and rich. The glassware and flatware from Casa de Perrin gave it a European feel and also added the only touch of reflection against our completely matte design. Arrangements were asymmetrical and incorporated fresh produce, dripping from vases and wood boards to give it all a slightly “undone” feel, echoing the relaxed, messy feel of the paintings. Dutch plates were propped up on an old ladder structure to envelope the space. Cortnie Purdy hand dyed the napkins in a mottled dark blue and black and left with an unfinished edge. She used rustic red brass pipe couplings as napkin rings to play off of town & country’s rustic pipe stools that served as unique chairs for guests to sit on. The bar area was designed with an intent to emulate a traditional European wine & cheese shop with old bistro chalkboards
From Carissa Jones of JL Designs: “We tried to steer clear of pastels and brighter colors which we have been seeing so much of…I aimed for darker, richer tones and picked seasonal blooms with interesting textures and shapes – frittalaria, helleborous, black succulents, bay leaf, dahlias, ranunculas, thistle, begonia leaves, kale…purple artichokes, red grapes, blackberries and eggplants added visual interest and kept with our dramatic color scheme”
From Cortnie Purdy of Canvas and Canopy: “We noticed in Dutch still life paintings that the backgrounds are very simple and the flowers were the main subject. Since this was our inspiration we wanted to create a dramatic and monochromatic palette similar to those painting backdrops so that the flowers were the forefront of the design. To achieve this look we painted all containers and candlesticks in a matte black and blue. We color matched the blue table linens from La Tavola to the exact shade of blue paint from Behr, and painted some of the candlesticks in this color, then adorned them with tall blue candlesticks to create a dramatic monochromatic look. To finish off the concept, we had all of the stationery hand painted by Kristy Rice with raw strokes of navy, black and teal keeping the design current and fresh for a modern day celebration.”
Nathaniel from Contemporary Catering created a custom 7 course meal and paired each course with one of OneHope Wine’s signatures wine –
“Cheese Shop”
Imported and Domestic Cheese Platter, Housemade breads, Candied Pecans, Quince Paste, Fruit Preserves, Fresh Honeycomb, Dates
OneHope Wine’s Champagne/Sauvignon Blanc
Course I
Seared Day Boat Dive Scallop on Lightly Pickled Starfruit With Blackberry Coulis and Baby Beet Greens
OneHope Wine’s Sauvignon Blanc
Course II
“Open Face” Fresh Ravioli of Jamon Iberico, Gold Chanterelle Mushroom – Porcini Foam
OneHope Wine’s Pinot Noir
Course III
Duck Ropa Vieja in Phyllo – Avocado Mousse – Cilantro Jalapeno Oil
OneHope Wine’s Pinot Noir
Course IV
“Deconstructed Caesar” – Fresh Romaine Leaf Cup – Chargrilled Fresh Anchovies, Fried Quail Egg, Crumbled Cave Aged Pecorino, Quarter Crack Pepper – Drizzled in Argan Oil
OneHope Wine’s Chardonnay
Course V
“Steamers” Classic Steamed Clams with Niman Ranch Bacon
OneHope Wine’s Chardonnay
Course VI
Seared Lamb Loin Medallions with Pomegranate and Orange Reduction Topped with Candied Kumquats
OneHope Wine’s Red Zinfandel
Course VII
Individual Panna Cotta with Caramelized Nectarines
Sasparilla Freeze “Shot”
Crumbled Pepino and Chile Brittle
OneHope Wine’s Red Zinfandel
(YUM!)
A lovely shot of myself with the 100 Layer Cake chicas as well as Cortnie of Canvas and Canopy. Love them all!
Host and Caterer – Nathaniel from Contemporary Catering // Produced by – Be Inspired PR // Event Design – Canvas and Canopy // Floral and Event Design – JL Designs // Photography – Braedon Photography // Invitation and Dinner Stationery: Momental Designs // Wine: OneHope Weddings // Linens: La Tavola // Venue: Catchlight Studio // Flatware and Glassware: Casa de Perrin // Rentals: Town and Country // Stationery: Pitbulls and Posies //