Datura: A Modern Garden

Every Magician Needs a Stephanie

admin — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 15:11:08 +0000

What’s the best part of any magic show (and let’s face it, what we do here at Datura is exactly that. Magic)? It’s not the illusion itself, it’s the lovely assistant.
Meet Stephanie, the loveliest assistant of all. For the past few months, she’s been systematically organizing my life and, frankly, I don’t know how I ever did it without her. So when you email us for any kind of scheduling, know that the voice on the other side of the computer looks like this – 20 feet tall and wielding a pretty wand.
A million thanks to Carla Ten Eyck, Eric Langlois and Dave Noonan for the images, and to DD Nickel for making us extra pretty.

Seriously, if I step out of line, she’ll hit me with that thing.

And because I couldn’t let Stephanie have all the fun…

The Talent

Photography – Carla Ten Eyck
Floral Design – Tony Palmieri AIFD for Datura: a Modern Garden
Beauty – DD Nickel
Location – The Palace Theater, Waterbury

Playa Del Carmen Editorial Photoshoot Sneak Peek!

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:29:58 +0000

A few weeks ago, I was super lucky to be invited to travel to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico to participate in an editorial photoshoot with a bunch of brtilliant colleagues. Carla graciously allowed us this standout image as a special preview, along with a bunch of behind-the-scenes images. Look at this beach. Just look.

And these brilliant places where we got to play.

This is what happens when a buncha fools invade a nice calm beach. See the lovely folks bottom right fleeing in terror?

This kind of thing may sound like fun, but we work hard:

And have absolutely no time for fun or leisure (look how Candice does the head-tilt, even with the luchadore mask):

This shoot was so much fun for me – guerrilla-style flower gathering (from people’s yards, empty, overgrown lots, fancy hotel gardens), the best food ever (black truffle french-fries), the most lovely and gracious host, Blanca, and the sweetest, friendliest models who were game for anything we threw at them! I can’t wait to see (and show) the in-front-of-the-scenes images!

Click here to see my photos of food and other exciting non-work adventures!

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 Coordination – Candice Coppola for Jubilee Events
Beauty – DD Nickel
Invitations/Paper – Nichole Michel for Coral Pheasant
Dresses – David Fielden, Ivy & Aster
Video – Jeremy White
Location – El Taj, Aldea Corazon Restaurant & Mi Pueblo Restaurant

Devin & Bruce’s Modern New York City Wedding

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:32:16 +0000

Devin and Bruce got married in October on the roof of the Kimberly Hotel in Manhattan. I loved their vision of a sleek, modern affair with bold colors and clean lines. At our meeting, I was inspired by the cityscape – the shapes of the buildings, windows and, along with their planner, came up with a concept for their decor using lots of candlelight, glass and lucite accented with tropical flowers in oranges and deep indigo. Jag Studios was there to capture all the details.

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 Connecticut Bride Nautical-Inspired Fashion Shoot

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:28:04 +0000

Remember summer? I keep telling myself it’s on its way and this shoot reminds me of just how glorious it will be.

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

Leigh & Kelsey’s Newport Luncheon Wedding

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:17:52 +0000

Kelsey & Leigh were married at beautiful Belle Mer in Newport on a perfect summer afternoon. I love the playful simplicity of this party – it suits their personalities so perfectly.

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

Angela & DJ’s Modern Greenhouse Wedding

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:39:48 +0000

Angela and DJ got married in Franklin, CT at DJ’s stepdad’s commercial nursery, The Plant Group, a huge growing operation with fields of flowering plants surrounding several enormous greenhouses. How cool is that? To clear out a couple of greenhouses and transform them into a party. We took our cues from the angles of the greenhouses, the play of metal against glass and from the color-blocked fields of flowers. We were fortunate to work with Jag Studios, who did an incredible job capturing the love and the pretty.

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

Gala Weddings Jackie Kennedy Inspired Fashion Shoot

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:18:22 +0000

I like to ask people 3 important questions:
Wilma or Betty?
Mary Ann or Ginger?
Jackie or Marilyn?
They usually break down to either Wilma-Ginger-Marilyns or Betty-Mary Ann-Jackies, but every once in a while someone will surprise you.
Me? I’m a Betty-Mary Ann, Jackie. And if I had to narrow it down to just one – it’s Jackie, hands-down. So when the time came to work on this shoot for Gala Weddings Magazine – I was ready. We had the perfect location at the Bee and Thistle Inn and the neighboring Florence Griswold Museum. Plus an incredible team of professionals on beauty, design and fashion. Ok. Now the good stuff.
Here’s this to get you in the mood:

and HERE are just a few of Carla’s black-and-whites. Designer Anne Barge created this gown based on Jackie’s original gown.

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

Xavier & Andrew’s Winvian Wedding

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:10:32 +0000

This is one of my favorites. Ever.
I knew I loved these guys from our first conversation – and by the time we actually met in person, I felt I’d known them for years. It was clear from seeing the two of them together that they had a deep love and respect for one another and, just as a bonus, they had set out to find not vendors, but artists to help them create and capture the mood for their wedding. We discussed the ‘feel’ they were going for and a color story, but beyond that they allowed me and Cat the freedom to interpret their personalities through the sculpture we created for their wedding.
If you’ve never been to Winvian in Litchfield, you need to go spend a weekend in this total fantasy setting. Specialty, themed cottages (a treehouse, a secret society house, a helicopter-themed cottage complete with a fuselage, etc, etc, etc!). Contemporary, yes, but with an outdoorsy, rustic vibe. Jacklyn Greenberg from Jag Studios was there with her crew to lend her own unique perspective to the photography. LOOK how happy these men are!

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

Destination Shoot in the Costa Rican Rainforest

admin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:15:07 +0000

Here’s one for you. This was a really good day – a trip to the rainforest, the freedom to create in the moment with whatever was growing on site, and my very good friends Candice from Jubilee Events (who carried her Louis Vuitton bag into the rainforest), Carla Ten Eyck (who was jumping up and down and swearing her head off – in a good way), Beth from The White Dress by the Shore (who managed to never break a sweat) and DD Nickel (who wields a makeup brush like a magic wand). I think my favorite memory from this day has to be the hike through the rainforest gathering foliage to create this tablescape – getting my feet wet in the river, eating an apple and singing, ‘i love my job!’

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

Southern New England Weddings: Destination Newport!

admin — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 04:31:00 +0000

This past summer I, along with some top-shelf industry pros, whipped up a fashion editorial for Southern New England Weddings Destination magaine. I am not ashamed to say that I am in love with this shoot. It’s the sort of work that challenges me and pleases me the most – simplistic, innovative and fresh. From the deer head (created in my workshop with a partial taxidermy form, styrofoam, joint compound, sweat, surfboard epoxy and a couple of cans of white spray paint) to the wall of roses (which included over 800 perfect roses in 8 shades of ivory from Passion Growers) to the tablescape (which I want to marry someday) – I wouldn’t change a single thing.

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