Table Setting for Wedding Essentials Magazine

Early last month I had the privilege of styling a vibrant table setting for an issue in Wedding Essentials Magazine. The theme for the editorial – as developed by Art Director, Heidi Thorson – was Embroidered Moments, focusing on subtle textures, lively color, and that free-spirited bohemian whimsy I'm all about. The issue just went live last week which means you can check it out here!

It also means I can now share all the photos I snapped while the professional photographer, Nikki Moore, was in the other room... you know, documenting the important stuff like models in wedding dresses. (I'm not one to miss an opportunity to promote creative content.) 

I've had plenty of practice creating various table settings for my own in-home photo shoots (a weird pastime, if you ask Luke). And you may recall I led the design for my friend Glenna's wedding. But all of those arrangements relied heavily on repurposing on-hand or found objects, often incorporating vintage one-of-a-kind finds.

This shoot was different. It was important to the magazine to make it accessible so that local readers could recreate it if they wanted to. I was a little apprehensive; would I be able to come up with something that felt collected and unique, primarily using only local wedding and event rental companies?      

Surprise! After several nights deep down the Instagram rabbit hole I realized there really was a lot to work with out there. I just had to combat the typical wedding planning mindset of sourcing it all from one vendor and trying to make do with whatever they offered. In the end this looked like me driving all over Omaha and even a few trips to Lincoln (in 100 degree heat sans AC, blerg)  tracking down various vendors and artists, begging them to let me feature their goods in the shoot. 

Worth it.

First let's talk about these flowers. Crazy good. I had nothing to do with them other than providing the vase (Flux Vase from hutch) and sharing a few colorful inspiration images with Blaine, the floral designer and venue wedding planner. The goal was big, ultra colorful, and romantically whimsical. And she killed it. 

One of the first elements I knew I wanted to include with this design was wooden chairs. Traditional wedding chiavari chairs just wouldn't cut it – too pretty and perfect, I needed something with character. It would've been super easy to just source six mismatched vintage chairs and call it good, but I'm a rule follower and wanted to find something that could be rented in mass. Guys, you can rent like hundreds of these deliriously charming vintage folding chairs from Jessica at Nostalgia Rentals!

Since the theme was Embroidered Moments I wanted to incorporate items that had that hand-stitched, almost homemade quality. I reached out to a local macrame artist, Sugar Wolves Macramé, to see if she'd be interested in providing a table runner for the shoot. Layered atop a simple white tablecloth, her runner instantly adds texture and drama. 

I chose this specific white wicker dinnerware for it's subtle basketweave pattern – yet another nod to the overall theme. Paired with a collection of colorful embroidered cloth napkins found at Anthropologie and gold flatware via Uptown Rentals, the combination is a covetable playful/formal mix. 

With such a grand floral arrangement I decided to keep the rest of the decorative details to a minimum – a few extra blooms in clear bud vases and some brass candlesticks peppered throughout (all from hutch). Assorted colored taper candles punctuate the look. 

Over on the other side of the room I put together a small dessert table. Using a rustic wooden library table borrowed from hutch, it features yet another Sugar Wolves Macrame runner as well as the same colorful palette of taper candles in brass candlesticks keeping the two tables cohesive. That wooden table was a beast to lug around and set up, but the worn effect it provides is perfection.

It was such fun working with the Wedding Essentials team! Definitely check out the issue to see the full editorial and all the beautiful elements that went into it.

I'm not a wedding planner. But if you've already got a Big Bossy in the family to handle all the administrative wedding details and just want someone to step in and create your eclectic pieced-together wedding decor – so you don't have to spend weeks hunting, making calls and arrangements, and driving all over collecting it all – hire me!