Real Wedding Review 2017, "Glam and Sand" Reception: Nicole & James

Today's Featured Flashback of 2017 is a bit of "Sand and Glam" creating a destination-style wedding experience with a sophisticated feel.

When I first scheduled our consultation with this couple they had already booked the contemporary oceanfront venue of the Virginia Beach Sheraton Hotel. So, would they like a tropical themed wedding? Perhaps they're looking for something with a natural or bohemian beach feel? Maybe a laid-back seaside look? NOOOO WAY! Nicole and James' love story deserved a truly "glamorous" celebration. In fact, the first words Nicole said was, "We want this to look like 'putting on the ritz', you know, with black, white and silver and a touch of blue but just in the flowers... mostly black, white, and silver". Ok, this peaked my interest and, to be honest, I got reeeeally excited for this ritzy classic glam theme.

Now, because visual interpretation is subjective and what one person considers "ritzy" someone else may not my next question was "what does glamorous mean to you?" This is when Nicole's eyes lit-up. She sat up in the chair, took a breath and with a delicate smile curling over her face gave me all the ingredient that were "must haves" for their glamorous look.

Stunning tall and chic centerpieces with shimmering crystal accents and large dramatic feathers. White flowers to soften the feel, not a lot, but they had to include roses, calla lilies, and orchids. All the flowers had to be white except a subtle touch of blue (we were both thinking blue orchids) and touches of greenery which would only be found in the bouquets and boutonnieres.

From there it was designing time. Gathering all the notes from their design session custom color illustrations of their bouquets, room-scape and tablescape where painted, scanned and compiled into a slideshow video and then emailed to Nicole & James for their approach. They loved it! There was only a couple of small tweets including changing the feathers in each centerpiece into all black or all white instead of a mix of black and white. Also, we incorporated some lower versions of centerpiece designs to create more visual flow and interest around the room.

The result was a blissful bride and groom who had one of the most "ritzy", joyful and fabulous nights ever!! Congratulations again Nicole & James ... cheers!!