Boutonnieres of deconstructed Bird of Paradise for the grooms and a simple design for their sweetheart table.

Erica from Ambiance chose lush, deep blue cloths as the backdrop for our interpretive cityscapes on the guest tables.

Thanks, Devin and Bruce, Ambiance Luxe, Jag Studios, The Kimberly Hotel and to the pretzel guy on the corner for a great day in the city.

The current issue of The Connecticut Bride features this fashion editorial. Downtown Essex was the ideal location for this shoot and, as always, we had a blast running around like idiots, commandeering an antique boat, eating lunch on the dock in the sun and disrupting the workday for our kind and fabulous hosts at Dreamscapes Design Group — and the best part of this shoot was having my good friend Tesha along to assist.

We drew our inspiration from the classic New England architecture, the ocean and the fantastic fashion from The White Dress by the Shore.

The drop bouquet pictured below features cymbidium orchids, edelweiss and accents of seashells twined around the handle. It’s counterpoint is the classic bouquet of paphiopedilum orchids, astilbe, hydrangea and dahlia.

Below is a bouquet that is featured in the magazine – it features callas, hydrangea, uluhe fern shoots and thistle and is bound with a nautical-inspired rope.

Cat created the adorable hydrangea bouquet below with tiny dangling blooms to accent the billowy dress. Below that, aboard the coolest antique boat in the harbor, is a simple biedermier bouquet of celosia, lisianthus, feverfew and leucadendron protea. Further down is a celosia and orchid nosegay and a wicker purse with a tiny garden!

Cat also created these fantastic fashion pieces! My favorite is the simple necklace on the bottom right.

Our good friends at Coral Pheasant and A Little Imagination Cakes added their spin to the editorial as well:

Pick up a copy of The Connecticut Bride to see more fashion & details!

The Talent

Photography – Carla Ten Eyck
Styling & Fashion – Beth Chapman, The White Dress by the Shore
Floral Design – Tony Palmieri AIFD & Catherine Epright AIFD for Datura: a Modern Garden
Shoot Planning & Design – Candice Coppola for Jubilee Events
Beauty – Dana Bartone & Company
Confections – Hope Wright-Martell for A Little Imagination Cakes
Invitations/Paper – Nichole Michel for Coral Pheasant
Dresses – Coren Moore, Anne Barge, Ivy & Aster, Amsale
Shoes – Kate Spade
Jewelry – Aquinnah

For their beachside ceremony we created a crisp bamboo structure with white grosgrain ribbon to blow in the breeze. For the party, we brought in lots of texture with the florals to contrast the billowy fabric and clean lines of the tent.

A great day was made even greater by a fantastic cast of wedding pros:

Photography - Carla Ten Eyck
Location - Belle Mer
Floral Design – Tony Palmieri, AIFD for Datura: a Modern Garden
Event Planning – Candice Coppola & Diana Chouinard for Jubilee Events
Kelsey’s Gown - Nicole Miller, The White Dress by the Shore
Cake - Fatulli’s Bakery
Ring Bowl - Paloma’s Nest

The purple suit is only one of the reasons I love Angela & DJ:

They got married on the property in front of a stand of trees where they grow all manner of shade plants. We used springerii fern, willow, roses and hanging bubble vases over our iron gazebo to create a lush frame for their ceremony.

Now remember, these are fully operational, busy greenhouses. When we visited the first time, they were filled with plants, machines, watering systems, people… When I came back to set up, they were completely empty. and HUGE. For the cocktail hour, Sarah from True Event created this fantastic lounge. We used plants from the property to create blocks of color around the perimeter of the room.

For the tables in the dinner greenhouse, I found these fantastic deco vases in four shapes – mirror/glass combinations that reflect the glass and metal of the greenhouses, and we continued the color-blocking along the long banquet tables with monofloral designs. We used kiwi vine to connect each vase along the table, creating continuity and acting as a foil to all of the crisp lines and angles. On the square tables, a simple vase of crisp autumn foliage provided height in the room. The room was gorgeous during the day:

But even more stunning at night:

And what’s really exciting is that their wedding is a featured editiorial in the current issue of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style New England Magazine! The magazine is luxurious and they look fantastic in print!

The Talent

Photography – Jag Studios
Floral Design – Tony Palmieri, AIFD & Catherine Epright, AIFD for Datura: a Modern Garden
Event Planning – Sarah True for True Event
Catering – Gourmet Galley
Lighting – Power Posse Productions
Location – The Plant Group, Franklin, CT
Bridal Gown – Amy Kuschel
Groom’s Suit – Hugo Boss
Furniture – AFR Furniture Rental

For our Jackie’s more traditional bouquet I chose a classic Biedermeier design of miniature callas, miniature cymbidium, celosia, dusty miller and porcelaina spray roses – her bridesmaid carries an updated biedermeier of yellow cymbidium orchids, craspedia and dusty miller.

OR there’s this clutch made of deconstructed cymbidium orchids (and one of the things I love most about Gala is that they are not afraid to showcase modern interpretations of classic styles like this – they feature it on 2 pages!). For the attendant, a matching bracelet.

For the table, Candice chose a gorgeous embroidered linen paired with a butter-yellow napkin and classic, elegant plates and flatware. I created lush garden designs of lilies, euphorbia, bells of Ireland, dill and yellow garden roses in cut crystal bowls with satellite designs of ranunculus in crystal stemware. We lined the backs of the ghost chairs with the names of guests, hand lettered and capped with rounds of variegated oregonia foliage.

So, it’s clear from looking at Hope’s cake that it’s lovely and that she’s very talented. What you can’t tell is how delicious her stuff is. Two words: orange ginger. And Nichole’s paper – I’m always amazed at how she’s able to take something so classic and put her unmistakable mark on it. She took the detail photos of her work below – the large shot is Carla’s.

Stay tuned – Nichole’s wedding was also featured in this Issue of Gala and I’ll be posting that one soon!

One of the coolest parts about this shoot — we found out AFTER that we’d actually shot on JFK and Jackie’s wedding anniversary.

The Talent

Photography – Carla Ten Eyck
Styling & Fashion – Beth Chapman, The White Dress by the Shore
Floral Design – Tony Palmieri, AIFD for Datura: a Modern Garden
Shoot Planning & Design – Candice Coppola for Jubilee Events
Beauty – Dana Bartone & Company
Confections – Hope Wright-Martell for A Little Imagination Cakes
Invitations/Paper – Nichole Michel for Coral Pheasant
Chandelier Rental – Ryan Designs
Locations – The Bee and Thistle Inn and The Florence Griswold Museum
Bridal Gown – Anne Barge
Cream Dress – Beverly Siri
Bridesmaids Gown – Coren Moore

Is this not the cutest ring-boy?

Xavier and Andrew’s tablescapes are each unique – Cat and I had a blast creating these sculptures!!

Thanks guys, for letting us play and have fun, but mostly for reminding us of the reason we do what we do. Love.

The Talent

Photography – Jag Studios
Location – Winvian, Morris, CT
Floral Design – Tony Palmieri, AIFD & Catherine Epright, AIFD for Datura: a Modern Garden
Lighting & Sound Rob Alberti
Hairstylist – Kanna Masatani
Make-up – Diego Salazar
Rings – David Yurman & Family Heirloom
Invitations/Paper – An Invitation Studio
Rentals – Party Rentals
Tuxedos – J. Lindeberg
Tuxedo Shirts – Hugo Boss & Valentino
Cufflinks – Swarovski
Bow Ties – Paul Smith & Duncan Quinn

For the bridal bouquet, I cut a large growth of berries from a nearby palm tree – practically a bouquet all on its own – but I added some hanging heliconia and amber beads that my good friend Susannah and I strung the night before. The bridesmaid is carrying a heliconia with green wire orbs and a decorated stem. The best part about working with an abundance of naturally stunning tropical flowers and foliage is that they stand on their own and need only small accents to bring out their personalities.

Over a bridge and a little further into the rainforest we found this open-air chapel. This bouquet is a mix of waratah protea, croton foliage and a braided palm frond.

Here’s a simple belt created from accordion aspidistra and a brooch. Our model also wears a necklace augmented with dendrobium orchids. The bouquet on the left is a she-kong heliconia with datura seed pods (!) and green dendrobium. We finished the day at sunset up on the mountain – a breeze and this billowy cape from The White Dress.

If you can’t stop looking at that last image, you can check out a behind the scenes video of the final leg of the shoot created by Buzz Media!

Playa Herradura, Costa Rica from Buzz Media Company on Vimeo.

The Talent

Photography – Carla Ten Eyck
Location – Los Suenos Resort, Costa Rica
Styling & Fashion – Beth Chapman, The White Dress by the Shore
Cinematography – Buzz Media
Floral Design – Tony Palmieri, AIFD for Datura: a Modern Garden
Shoot Planning & Design – Candice Coppola for Jubilee Events
Beauty – DD Nickel
Rentals – Eventos Boadiceas
Invitations/Paper – Paloma’s Nest
Rentals – Rentals Unlimited
Linen – Gala Cloths
Jewelry – Ben-Amun

From inspiration to production, this one just felt like kismet. We chose the sleek and stylish Bel Mer in Newport as the backdrop for this modern story, which was inspired largely by a Givenchy/Riccardo Tisci dress that Candice fell in love with. Beth from The White Dress by the Shore came through, as always, with ideal bridal fashions from UK designer David Fielden, Amsale, and Coren Moore.

How about the hand-cut, antlered escort cards from Coral Pheasant. Cool, right? Just wait until you see Nichole’s other stuff.

Tablescape: willow, curcuma, fishing line. Plus brilliant styling by Jubilee Events.

Our bouquets for the shoot were inspired by the range of shapes and textures in the gowns Beth chose. Clockwise from top left: a kiwi vine cascade with lisianthus, sweet pea and curcuma foliage – a simple clutch of sliced loofa with lisianthus and sweet pea – a cascade of hydrangea, phaleonopsis orchids and white kiwi vine – a ladder cascade of white kiwi vine and vanda orchids – and a feathered sceptre of cineraria blooms.

Here’s where Hope comes in. She is the talent behind A Little Imagination Cakes and I’ve been thrilled to have her on the team for many of our recent shoots – and at a bunch of weddings this year, too. Not only are her cakes gorgeous – but she usually brings along something really delicious for us to eat. This cake takes its inspiration right from the Givenchy couture dress from our Inspiration Board. And those mini cakes. The orchids are hand-crafted. Crazy.

Coral Pheasant. Laser cut metal engraved invitations mounted to a python booklet. Laser engraved and hand painted gold/clear acrylic menu cards and escort cards. I really dig Nichole.

What do you do with more than 800 roses after you build a wall out of them? Turn them into a carpet.

Finally, we have the stealthy master of movies, Jim Altieri’s view of the day. Man, I love seeing that centerpiece blowing in the breeze!

Southern New England Weddings: Destination Edition from Jim Altieri on Vimeo.

The Talent

Photography – Carla Ten Eyck
Styling & Fashion – Beth Chapman, The White Dress by the Shore
Cinematography – Jim Altieri’s Vintage Cinema
Floral Design – Tony Palmieri and Catherine Epright for Datura: a Modern Garden
Shoot Planning & Design – Candice Coppola for Jubilee Events
Beauty – Dana Bartone & Company
Confections – Hope Wright-Martell for A Little Imagination Cakes
Invitations/Paper – Nichole Michel for Coral Pheasant
Rentals – Rentals Unlimited
Linen – Wildflower Linen

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I flew out to Minnesota and took part in the competition – held in the Mall of America (which was heeee-yuge!) and watched by hundreds of mallgoers and shop-folk. But let me back up for a minute and give you some back-story – in 2008, having won the regional title, I traveled to Detroit to take part in the National phase of the competition, where I crashed and burned like never before. Seriously. I let my nerves get the better of me and my desire to win overshadowed my confidence. So, this time around I was ready.

And by ready I mean that I went into the competition without expectation, but with a new trust in my own intuitive artistic ability. As they led us through the mall to our stations and presented all contestants with our flowers and instructions, I felt calm, happy and focused – not on a need to win, but on a desire to create work that was honest, inspired by the materials at hand and the incredible creative energy fueled by the crowd and the top designers in the country.

I’d like to take a moment here to thank Jef Johnson, a performance artist, teacher, guru and friend I’ve had the fortune to work with over the past 9 months. His lessons, his spirit, and his support have taught me more about myself as a person and about art as a lifestyle than anyone else in my life. Without the experiences I’ve had in his workshops both in the US and Mexico, I don’t know that I’d have approached this competition with the same degree of trust and enthusiasm that I did.

Oh, and I WON!!!!

I now hold the title of National Designer of the Year 2012! Hooray for me!

The competition was 2 hours long and, in that time, all contestants were required to create 3 designs, a bridal bouquet, a funeral spray and one ‘surprise package’ where we were tasked to use a palm husk and two pieces of fantail pussywillow, in combination with other flowers, to create whatever we wished to create – all the while with mall-shoppers asking questions and crowding around and a commentator interviewing us and giving a play-by-play of what we were creating. Here are a few snapshots of the work I did:

Bridal Bouquet of ti leaves, lily grass, anthurium, green trick dianthus and gerbera centers

Funeral Spray of foliages with equisetum towers (a callback to my winning regional design), iris, lilies, roses, lisianthus and green spider mums

and final Surprise Package with lily buds, roses, green trick dianthus, monstera, equisetum and braided palm foliage

I’m so proud to bring home the (first-ever) National Title for Connecticut!

And if anyone is interested in working with Jef Johnson (his work is fundamental for artists of all mediums and for those who don’t consider themselves artists but wish to explore the creative process), he’ll be in Connecticut for a free lecture at The Buttonwood Tree in Middletown on Thursday, October 27 at 8 pm. This lecture will be followed by a 3-day intensive workshop titled “Masquerade”, held also in Middletown. I can’t say enough how the work I’ve done with him has changed my perspective and how excited I am that he’s coming back to Connecticut for more!

xo
Tony

Jenna and Aaron were married at Eolia Mansion at Harkness Estate on a beautiful day in early October. We sourced all of their flowers, fruits and herbs locally and created table centerpieces of apples, pears, mushrooms, mint varieties and bay leaves – all displayed on vintage trays and bowls. We used sprigs of lavender, mint, bay and other local herbs as an accent on each plate. Bundled wheat and fresh squash adorned the mantels.

One of my favorite things about this wedding was the ecologically friendly aspect of buying locally. At the end of the night, Jenna and Aaron passed out lovely paper bags and encouraged guests to take the fruit home with them to enjoy. If you love this wedding and want to see more, the full floral gallery is right here!

The Talent
Photography – Carla Ten Eyck
Catering – Gourmet Galley
Jenna’s Dress – The Plumed Serpent
Floral Design – Datura: a Modern Garden
Video – Buzz Media
Band – Bon Musique
DJ – Eric Visa
Venue – Eolia Mansion at Harkness Estate

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