“Back in February, my friend Leila from Be Inspired PR sent an unexpected email asking if I’d like to do a feature for Bride and Bloom magazine.  The catch was that we had two days to produce and shoot it and we had a big wedding the same week. Naturally, we said yes.

I always seem to have different favorite photos than the ones chosen for print, so I wanted to share some more of the photos from the shoot here and want to explain a little about our thought process that went into creating this tablescape.

We were assigned the color yellow (my fave) to work with, so my thoughts immediately went to a light and breezy picnic-type vibe.  I also wanted to create something that could be easily recreated in every day life.  Many times, magazine shoots are over-the-top and opulent and while they are fun to design and create, they tend to be unattainable in real life.  After all, you shouldn’t have to choose between paying your mortgage and throwing a beautiful bridal shower for your best friend.

I enlisted the help of the super talented Kelly Ashworth to design the needed stationery items.  She created the invitations, menus and place cards.  The direction I gave her was basically: yellows and accent colors, picnic-y, cute and left it at that. She decided to do the invitations as mini accordian style books.  They are probably my favorite part of the entire shoot:

Next, Jeannie from White Poppy Floral came up with the flower arrangements and the direction I gave her was basically the same as what I had given Kelly.  She used different vases of varying heights and used flowers she was able to get locally to create simple arrangements:

I opted for a simple table runner because I felt that a full tablecloth would detract from the outdoor look and the table was pretty enough on it’s own.  I originally wanted to do picnic benches with throw pillows for the seating, but given the short time frame, opted for chiavari chairs from Tri-Rentals instead.  The buttercup yellow chair ties are from BBJ Linen (we’re spoiled that Phoenix has one of the warehouses and I can pickup at will call and don’t need to have them shipped) and the table runner is actually a chair tie as well.  Planning tip: most linen companies don’t stock separate table runners, so when you see them in photos or at weddings, they are actually always the chair ties unless they’ve been custom-made.

I am typically not a fan of wedding favors; I cannot tell you how many get left on the tables at the end of the night and I always get a little sick to my stomach when they wind up in the garbage.  I do, however, love the idea of taking the money budgeted for favors and donating it to a charity that is important to you. I serve on the board of directors for Pink Initiative, an organization focused on breast cancer, so I chose to showcase them for the favors needed for the shoot. Kelly made little tags that denoted the gift made in each guest’s name and we tied them to small lemonade bottles.  Instead of setting the bottles at each seat, we grouped them in trifle bowls and incorporated them into the table’s decor.

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, we used a lemon tart that Danielle from Sweet Pea Bakery in downtown Phoenix made for us.  We placed the tart on a cake stand and also incorporated it into the table decor as well.  Sweet Pea is one of my favorite bakeries in the Phoenix area and all of their baked goods are to die for. They are also fantastic to work with on weddings.

Thanks to everyone who helped us pull this together and for being flexible on such short notice.  Also, special thanks to Darby Elizabeth for taking all the photos.“  -Liene Stevens, Blue Orchid Designs