I first came across the Annenberg Community Beach House earlier this summer when I was looking for a splash pad where I could hold my youngest son’s first birthday party. The Annenberg Community Beach House would have been so awesome, but it would have been a logistical nightmare, trying to hold a party in Santa Monica, more than 30 miles away from where we live.
Flickr photo by Annenberg Community Beach House
I haven’t draped a wedding in years, so I didn’t know what it would be like to put organza back in my hands again. Thankfully, its like riding a bike — you really don’t forget how to do it. I didn’t need to do any tables, which in my opinion is more work, so doing two backdrops was a snap. The day wasn’t without its complications, as is the case with any other wedding, of course. But all in all, it all turned out well.
The decorators happened to have a personal stake in this wedding — the groom was the brother of Sophia Truong, my brother’s design partner. Above is the photo backdrop, in the lobby outside the reception. The location of this backdrop was a pickle — first it was opposite the entryway, then it was along the far adjacent wall, then we had to move it all the way next to the entryway. That would be why that last column seems to be a little too far from the rest, a fact I only noticed when looking over the photos.
And, I’d like to point out that my sister did the majority of the work on this backdrop. I mostly just finished it off. I think I’ve taught her pretty well!
When I helped my brother with his wedding at the Huntington Beach Hyatt, his design partner Sophia mentioned to me just hot branches are when it comes to floral design and wedding decorations. I never thought about it before, but my mom often used willow branches in her arrangements. And branches can be used in so many ways.
My brother had me tie dendrobium orchids to several of the branches of this manzanita tree, which was custom made. I think it turned out nicely.
I look at a lot of weddings, and I’ve decorated a lot of them. Sometimes, I wonder if anyone else breaks from the norm of lush flower bouquets and puts something a little different on their guest tables. Here are a few I found on Flickr to inspire you.
Flickr photo by magw21
This wedding reception centerpiece happened to be created by none other than a bride herself — she happens to be Australian, so I couldn’t tell you the exact amount these cost, but if you click on the link, she describes where she got the materials (like the faux flowers) and how she put them together.