I felt like I was in another world. White old world columns draped with swathes of papaya colored muslin stood tall. Arching overhead, luscious rambling greenery nestled with autumnal toned mums and roses looked almost lifelike. Like the roses might have rambled on their own to crown this beautiful scene. Lights were twinkling over head, stretching the expanse of the white tented ceiling. White banquet tables and chairs set with the same papaya muslin added a modern touch to the garden romance. On each stretch of tables, elevated centerpieces in the same style accented with Cornel Bronze dahlias rippled downward.

The bridal table claimed my attention and admiration with it’s unexpected details. Draped with dark copper suede and set on a jute rug, the textures added an unconscious interest. The place settings were grounded with marble chargers and then layered with completely unexpected hammered dinner plates in ocean blue. The copper flatware, copper toned marble goblets, and napkins combined to form an elegant and earthy tablescape.

Earlier this year when I was planning my dahlia crop, I reached out to Melissa, from Florals by Mel. She told me that she needed A LOT of Cornel Bronze dahlias this fall. I ended up having a partial crop failure that produced a measly percent of what she needed. But she graciously offered to use what I had. After working all day prior to the wedding, she was unable to get the photos she wanted because it was getting dark. She asked me if I would be able to take some photos for her instead. I had to scramble a bit since I only had a few hours before I needed to be there.

When I arrived and saw the incredible creativity and artistry, I was so glad I had been able to make it. Melissa, with the help of two other local florists, Charlotte’s Bouquets, and Rosa, from The Freckled Florist, did an incredible job. Working in flowers myself, I couldn’t help but notice the use of layering and variation throughout the whole design. Varying the colors and flowers slightly, she created so many little vignettes that stood on their own but also tied in harmoniously with everything else.

I mentioned it in an Instagram post the other day, but I’ll forever look at mums with new eyes. The colors and textures of the mums Melissa used opened up a whole new world of cut flowers to me. You better believe I’ve been checking into growing some of them myself.