Verdant and eclectic wedding inspiration in the pine barrens

Our inspiration for the shoot stemmed from co-mingling high fashion with the tradition of an all-American lakeside campground. For the shoot, we zoned in on who we were styling for, creating the profiles of Thea and Walter. Stories of our past customers were blended to develop their profile; a couple who met while attending NYU and currently work in the textile and advertising industries; who travel frequently, host dinner parties with friends using family recipes, love art, and love a gin and tonic and Manhattan, respectively. Flowers were important to them; Walter’s mother is a farmer back in North Carolina, and Thea always has fresh flowers on the table. They chose to get married on the campground to honor Thea’s NJ roots and Walter’s love for nature. With this story in hand, our goal was to ensure our team was free to think creatively about how to make this story reflect the outcome inside the room and through the lens.

Our styled shoot was staged inside Vandy Hall, at Camp Inawendiwin in the forested Pine Barrens of New Jersey, 1.5 hours from NYC and 40 minutes from Philly. The hall, built in the 1960s, sits next to a lake and on a sprawl of land covered in pine trees and sandy soil. Art and nature were our creative inspiration for the designs, along with a love for the unexpected. Our goal was to go bright inside the space, which features the traditional wooden cabin interior, using fresh and modern design elements, ensuring there was an eclectic feel and a high amount of attention to detail on the guest tables. The natural light filled the room, with windows situated along the length of the back wall that overlooked the lake and the pines. Our color scheme was rooted in shades of green with varying textures, with pops of peach and pink.

For the tabletop details, we pulled through the use of green and peach in our ridged glass chargers and the patterned napkins. A ribboned menu was staged on each gold rimmed, scalloped plate, with a velvet ribbon detail at the top. Gold, ridged glass table lamps and pale golden tapered candles were staged throughout the table, with etched crystal glassware that sat beside a modern wine glass.

The invitation featured tone-on-tone shades with modern, yet whimsical shapes, printed on velvet and finished with velvet ribbon. The envelope liner matches our napkin choice, in a floral motif.

For the florals, Sticks and Stones Flora focused on both wild and structured design elements; using limes and grapes to form sculpted lines and curves, and sliced honeydew melons, dragon fruit, and guava to add weight and color to the layers as they were staged. These small details were complemented by wild meadow-style flower arrangements staged across the length of the 16-foot head table in varying sizes. They featured the modern, yet classic lines of calla lilies and anthurium, balanced with the romantic ruffles of David Austin Juliet roses and dainty lisianthus petals. Above the head table, hung a 5ft long ceiling installation from the rafters of the cabin, dripping with ferns, veggie roses that looked like mini cabbages, Juliet garden roses, ranunculus, and lisianthus.

The food was designed to double as art, with ingredients that complemented the color scheme and featured flowers. A bar cart was staged for a private cocktail hour moment for the bride and groom, featuring Caviar Cones with crème fraiche and chives, Mandarin Possets with rose petal salt, Shrimp Tortellini with lobster bisque foam, Vichysoisse Soup Sips with herb oil and flowers, Mini Chicken Milanese with shaved parm and micro-greens, and Caccio e Pepe Potato Pave with grated pecorino and cracked pepper. Also featured is a modern take on the seafood tower, which brings elements of art and nature. In the glasses: Dressed Up Oyster with caviar, pickled beet and herb oil, Salmon Ceviche with cucumber and coconut leche de tigre, Aguachile Verde with Halibut, cucumber, radish, and golden beet, and Jumbo Lump Crab Meat with Belgian endive, radish, aioli, and edible gold leaf.

The menu featured dishes like Calabrian Crab Pasta with spaghetti, roasted tomato petals, and citrus gremolata, Burrata with peas, mint, arugula, and preserved lemon vinaigrette, and Pistachio Encrusted Halibut with beet and fennel compote and potato leek nage. The white bar featured a trellis front, which provided contrast and texture inside the wooden room.

On top of the bar, we featured a goddess vase featuring flowers surrounded by fruits. The signature drink menu matched the napkin motif, featuring a Gin and Tonic and a Manhattan. The Gin and Tonics were staged with floral stained glass pear slices, and the Manhattans were staged as a tower, replacing the traditional champagne tower.

Find Vendors Who Collaborate: Work with companies that have a great track record of collaborating well with others. If you have a special element that you want carried throughout your day, share this visual with your vendors and take a moment to introduce them, asking them to come together to work toward that common goal. If you have a collaborative team, there’s a real opportunity for the group to come together and create unique moments in their respective areas that result in a cohesive look on your big day. Take the time to share a bit with your vendor team about who you are, what you love, and your story as a couple. The extra time you take to share your unique story with vendors can result in really personalized moments and spark creative ideas.