FEATURED WEDDING

It Takes Two to Tango

For a wedding reception, the passion of Spain was interpreted in flowers by owner Rosalie Stern and designer Samuel VanWert of Flower Dec. The two chose to use only one flower throughout the event, the flower of love. Roses in red and gold transformed a private home in ways no one could have predicted.

Guests entered the estate through a rose filled double archway. In the center, a black fountain, brought in just for this event, trickled with water and was scattered with rich, red rose petals. Although almost a hundred roses were used in this area alone, it was only a taste of what was to come.

Inside the house, guests were astounded by a dining room table carpeted with hundreds of Black Magic red roses. Not just petals; the entire flowers. Flower Dec had painstakingly placed each rose side by side until the entire table was completely filled. The effect was breathtaking. Black, wrought iron serving pieces were placed on a platform of glass above the roses so it appeared that the food was floating on a cloud of roses. Flower Dec had outdone itself and still, there was more.

First, the kitchen had been transformed through lighting and design into an elegant tapas bar. The top of the island was filled with crushed black glass accented by vibrant red roses in silver vases. Candlelight and silver-framed menus gave the look its finishing touches.

And, outside in the buffet area, the color scheme changed to gold. The caterer and designer, Good Gracious! Events, set the tone with billowing drapes of gold. Flower Dec, still boldly working in monochromatic tones, displayed gold roses in beautiful amber bejeweled art nouveau vases, both tall and short. As guests left the buffet, they sat down to guest tables that combined both colors of the evening with gold linen and centerpieces of red roses. And, as a final detail, Flower Dec adorned the backs of the chairs with a spray of roses.

It’s said often that a rose by any other name is still a rose. Yet, in the hands of Flower Dec, it clearly becomes so much more.