Spring Wedding at Tranquility Farm

After postponing their wedding celebration a full year due to the pandemic, Rachel and Daniel were finally able to celebrate with their closest friends and family in the spring of 2021. They opted for an outdoor ceremony and a romantic alfresco meal under the stars. Luck was on their side because the weather was perfect, 70 degrees in March!

Rachel and her girls got ready in the beautiful manor house at Tranquility Farm. Rachel looked stunning and I am obsessed with her gown. So, so pretty!

Tranquility Farm has a beautiful old tree and we covered its ancient trunks with flowers to create a unique and whimsical backdrop for the ceremony.

Rachel and her bridesmaids carried bouquets of delicate spring flowers including butterfly ranunculus, muscari, Queen Anne’s Lace, agapanthus, phlox, scabiosa, deliphinium, and waxflower.

The reception was held on the terrace with a long farm table and mismatched antique chairs for all the guests. We dressed the table with a simple garland of greenery running down the center and sprigs of greenery to accent the napkins. It was a little too early in the year for the wisteria arbor to be naturally blooming overhead, so we created one for them! It looked magical swaying in the gentle breeze and lit up with candlelight as the sun went down.

Congratulations Rachel and Daniel! Many thanks to the talented team that came together to create such a beautiful wedding:

Photographer: Barbarah Perttula Photography

Venue: Tranquility Farm

Florist: Lark Floral

Planner: Vida Events

Caterer: Serendipity Catering

Hair & Makeup: Courtney Michelle, Karen Garcia

Videography: Sage & Silhouettes

Rentals: White Glove Rentals

Band: Blue Label Band

The Seasonal Flower Crown Project

While I love my job, planning and executing weddings can be really stressful. After a busy wedding season, a feeling of burnout can set in.

To reinvigorate my creativity, I decided to give myself a challenge for a year. Each month, I would make a flower crown out of only flowers and foliage I could find in my yard. I’d take a self portrait and then to keep myself accountable, I’d share the photos to instagram. This project accomplished a few things. 1. It forced me to show my face on social media at regular intervals 2. It made me explore my immediate surroundings to discover interesting plant material, (even in the dead of winter) and 3. It gave me complete design freedom, since I was doing the project just for myself, just for fun.

Here are the crowns I came up with, month by month:

January - I took a walk in the winter woods and was delighted to find some wild rose hips, pine needles and cones, dried out weeds, and soft green moss. The pièce de résistance was this dried honeycomb I found on the ground , it went front and center on my first crown of the year.

February - Just when I think winter will never end, Witch Hazel comes to the rescue. It is the earliest thing to bloom in my area and the bright yellow color and funky fringed flowers always remind me that spring is on the way. The base of the crown is yellow twig dogwood, another spot of color in an otherwise dreary winter landscape.

March means it is officially spring, the most beautiful time of year here! When the cherry blossoms bloom, it feels like we live in an enchanted wonderland! I sniped a few from an early blooming tree and added some delicious, dripping pieris japonica for this month’s crown.

April - For this crown, I wanted to keep it simple and just showcase the Korean Spice Viburnum blooms and leaves. These are so fragrant, my whole house was filled with their scent!

May - There was no question, the May crown would be peonies. The billowy pillows of petals are the absolute queen of the spring garden! Unfortunately, their season is very short, just a week or two and then they are gone again for another year.

June - This is the month the garden flowers really start thriving. This crown is a mix of cool colored hydrangea and daylily in warm tones.

July’s crown had to be zinnias. This is the one flower I grow every single year and it never fails me. My dad always planted them and this colorful, happy flower will forever remind me of him.

August - The August garden is filled to the brim and the flowers keep on giving. This crown was made of delicate yellow cosmos and baby queen red lime zinnias.

September - As cooler nights set in, the dahlias pick up steam. I grew these varieties to use for a fall wedding. I love the way the light pink works with the deeper magenta and burgundy. Those ivy leaves almost look fake, but they’re from a pot on my patio that completely thrives despite severe neglect!

October - Inspired by my black ‘Inky Fingers’ coleus and black sweet potato vine, I was going for a quirky Halloween vibe. The garden zinnia and wild bittersweet vine bring in the punch of orange.

November - What can I say, I’m a Scorpio and fall is my season. I went big with the changing fall leaves, dried hydrangea, and fading bronze chrysanthemums.

December - To close out the year, I made this classic holiday crown out of nandina berries and fresh cedar sprigs. Maybe I should start a tradition of dressing up with a crown for Christmas Eve!

That’s a wrap! I’m proud of myself for sticking with this project for a full year. It was a nice break from routine, something to look forward to, and it got my creative juices flowing when I was feeling stuck. Any activity that forces you to look closely at your surroundings and visualize new ways to use materials is worth pursuing. It was also a great way to connect with my community, who so kindly seemed to look forward with delight to what each new month would bring!

Micro Wedding in the Time of Covid

We are living through unexpected and unusual times, to say the least. The arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic has meant the cancellation of social gatherings and sadly, that includes weddings. Many of our 2020 couples chose to postpone their weddings, but a few have forged ahead, opting for small, intimate ceremonies to tie the knot.

Jackson and Maddie had planned a large summer wedding and reception in Loudoun County. When the pandemic hit, they had to reconsider their plans and priorities. They were eager to go ahead with the wedding but with large gatherings prohibited by the state, they decided to have a small ceremony at the family’s vacation home on Lake Anna, with just 10 of their closest family members in attendance.

While it was not the wedding that they originally planned, they still got MARRIED and it was a warm, personal, and memorable celebration! Isn’t that what it’s all about? They had all the sweet details that make a wedding special - a bower of blooms to stand beneath, a beautiful bouquet and boutonniere, rings, heartfelt vows, twinkling lights, and delicious food. The lake provided a tranquil backdrop and the means for a romantic getaway by boat!

If you’re having a small or “micro” wedding because of the pandemic, embrace it and enjoy the reduced stress of a smaller wedding. Don’t forget to include the special details, like a bouquet of fresh flowers, to truly make you feel like a bride. A ceremony backdrop will enhance your photographs and a lush floral centerpiece will make your table feel luxurious. It’s worth celebrating beautifully, no matter how big or small the gathering!

Congratulations to Jackson and Maddie and many thanks to Shauna of Photography Du Jour for capturing and sharing these amazing photos with us!