Danielle and Jason wanted an intimate, backyard wedding with the theme, "simple, but elevated." 

We focused on a bright, vibrant color palette with a sophisticated, clean look to take this wedding to the next level. 

​Here's how we did it. 

If you want a memorable backdrop for your ceremony, you emphasize contrast.

• Contrast bright colors with soft pastel colors. We showcased these insanely beautiful coral charm peonies with pops of peach, yellow, and lavender flowers. This makes the colors pop out more to achieve the vibrant look.
• Contrast size. Again, the peonies are a big headed flowers so we complimented them with smaller headed flowers, which offers more interest to the eye.
  
• Contrast texture. Fluffy petals (i.e., peonies and carnations) against smooth round petals (yellow ranunculus, lavender lisianthus) is a simple way to make an arrangement more sophisticated. 
  
• Contrast greenery. Solomon's seal has a traditional shaped leaf that is green throughout. We paired this with Euonymus, which is a common plant you may see in residential/retail landscaping, that has yellow and green leaves. This is was a great way to tie on the yellow flowers for a complete look. 
  

Would you believe me if you looked at the two photos above and I said that was in someone's backyard? 

It's true! 

Even though everything was in the backyard, it certainly didn't feel like it once the tent, goblet style vases, lighting, candles, loose greenery and centerpieces filled the long tables. It may seem obvious, but all the little tiny details matter if you want to elevate your space and make a statement. 

This is where you Event Coordinator really comes into play and Jodi Raphael Events did not disappoint! A hired planner has the expertise to know how to set up a space properly so everything could fit even if it's in a tiny space like a backyard! More than that, they know what type of silverware, linens, cups/goblets to pick for the most romantic tablescape. 

For the centerpieces, we used the same contrasting principles from the chuppah in these garden style arrangements. The end result? Vibrant colors in a lush, garden style arrangement to to give the space a pop while tying everything together. ​

I've been noticing that smaller bouquets are becoming more of a thing and believe it or not, they're actually a lot harder to make! 

Danielle did not want a giant bouquet but one that followed the theme of, "simple, but elevated." 

Small does not mean cheap or plain! We focused on ​simplicity. This means, going back to foundational flower principles: color, shape, size.

 You don't have to be a florist to be able to spot a bouquet that has all 3 foundations:

• Do the colors blend and work together to achieve your overall feel?
• Are there flowers with a round shape, star shape, linear shape so that there's more visual interest and movement?
• Is there variation in size with large, medium, small flowers so that the bouquet is balanced? 

These are simple foundations but without them, you could get a very different style of bouquet that may not be what you want. 

Talk to your florist so that both of you have a very clear understanding on the overall vision, size, and feel. This is so important! 

Biggest perk with having a backyard wedding: 
Dancing on the street with your new spouse outside your childhood home after your wedding.
That sounds lovely to me. 

Vendors:

Florist: Grace Flora Studio
Coordinator: Jodi Raphael Events 
Photographer: Jemima Richards
Catering: Max Ultimate Food
Beauty: Beauty Boston Artistry
Rentals: Peak Event Services
Bridal Gown: Vows
Grooms Suit: Indocinno
Brass trio: Occasional Brass and Strings

When I first stepped foot at Misselwood Events at Endicott College, I knew this was going to my favorite Boston venue and I wasn't even the one getting married! 

To me, it was the best of both worlds - the ocean and historical architecture. 

Allow me to take you through a little walk through of Melissa and Mark's dream wedding. ​

The Misselwood estate is the perfect backdrop for photos, including a balcony (Aladdin vibes anyone?), a gorgeous library with classic black and white checkered tiles (Beauty and the Beast!), and a sunroom filled with ceiling to floor windows. It's definitely got the Disney magical touch. 

Talk about plenty of photo ops just around this charming estate! 

If you're having a New England wedding, it doesn't get much better than having the Atlantic Ocean right behind you as you say your vows. It's truly an unforgettable experience for guests and all to enjoy. 

For all those rose haters out there, Melissa's bouquet is for you! The inspiration for her bridal bouquet was bright, fun garden party with zero roses. Her bouquet featured pink and fuchsia peonies, freesia, delphinium, campanula and Queen Anne's lace.

Seasonal, fragrant, and definitely fun summer garden party. 

If you love the outdoors but don't want your guests to freeze or worry about bugs at night, Misselwood Events has it all. Their climate controlled tent is adorned with chandeliers and wall sconces and can seat 200 people. There are also French doors that open to a courtyard for cocktail hour and mingling to still enjoy the Oceanview. 

For Melissa and Mark's reception flowers, they thrifted all their vases and we filled it with seasonal, wild garden flowers like feverfew, Veronica, asters, blushing bride, Queen Anne's lace and peonies. 

Reminiscing about this day makes me want to come back here! If you're curious about planning a wedding here, let's talk! 

Don't forget to check out the all star vendor team below.

Vendors
​Photography: Lensy Michelle Photo
Venue: Misselwood Events at Endicott College
Wedding Planner: M+E Forever Events
Flowers: Grace Flora Studio
Bakery/Cake: The Whoopie Wagon
Ice Cream Truck: Cool Cow Ice Cream 
Ceremony Music: Lily Belknap Honigberg
Dress/Tux Designers: Anomalie 
Rings: Boston Ring And Gem
Invitations: Bubbly Designs
Band/DJ: Elevated Pulse Productions
Hair & Makeup: The Artists Hair and Makeup 
Transportation: Salter Transportation Inc.

It seems like one of the popular wedding and décor trends for 2021 and 2022 is boho chic. Typically, boho chic describes an earthy, ethereal, effortless vibe that incorporates dried flowers. It often involves a neutral color palette with accents of terracotta, burnt orange, blush, peach, or darker tones. 

While this is becoming super popular, it is also pricy because dried flowers typically cost more than fresh flowers.

How do you create a boho chic look without breaking the bank? 
The key to a budget-friendly, boho chic look, is curating the perfect balance of dried and fresh flowers that has variation in shape, texture, and dimension. You do not have to get loads of pampas grass (which is expensive) to make your arrangement look full. Using something like dried sun palms, which has a large width and is less expensive than the large pampas grass can help you cut costs. Nailing down your focal flower is also important. This is the flower your eye is first drawn to. I like my focal flower to either have an accent color and/or be largest and most unique flower. 

To create this arrangement, I focused on an earthy and elegant aesthetic, with a pop of terracotta as my accent color. 

Focal Flower
I was super excited to use toffee roses as the star of this arrangement. Especially with a neutral color palette, your eye is immediately drawn to the toffee rose. Quite literally, the color is a toffee, caramel, terracotta color which pairs really well with dried flowers. 

Secondary Flowers
For a soft, romantic touch, I used quicksand roses, white ranunculus, and white freesia. For texture, I used white astilbe, chocolate queen anne's lace, dried sun palm, and dried bunny tail. For height, I used white snapdragon.

​Foliage 
Dusty miller was a perfect compliment to this arrangement. Its velvet texture and silver blue/green color was a great way to tie in everything! 

To add to this compote vase arrangement, you can pair it with an assortment of bud vases filled with a dried and fresh flower. 

You're getting married in the Summer! Congrats! You should feel like this couple getting swooped up in the air for one of the biggest moments of your lives! 

If you're thinking this carefree feeling is very idealistic, trust me, I have been there. We planned an outdoor wedding in July and basically did everything ourselves including booking the venue, catering, renting a tent, tables, chairs, and decorating. My flowers didn't last past the ceremony either :( Much was learned.

​While it can be nerve racking to plan, some careful thought around your location and flowers can make a world of a difference for a stress-free, truly enjoyable experience! 

Spring in Boston (and Ontario when I used to live there) is probably my favorite time of year. It's actually the transition into Spring that excites me the most. Coming out of the long, cold months of hibernation and barren trees really makes you appreciate the first sign of tiny buds. Talk about slowing down and appreciating the moment, right?! 

If you're going for a bold, rich, outdoor aesthetic, think emerald green, ruby red, plum, burgundy and royal blue. Aka in food colors, figs, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, and plums. It's passionate, it's deep, and it works. 
After this styled shoot, I seriously recommend everyone consider a jewel tone palette especially with a woodland, outdoor venue. Let's me tell you why and remind you of the "why" for getting married! 

Well friends, this actually happened and I interviewed the two masterminds who made this incredible event happen! Meet Kelsey Converse (Elopement Photographer), and Danielle Rand, Owner of Grandest Gatherings (Event Planner of Intimate and Adventure Weddings) who gave us the scoop on 2021 weddings. ​