The Most Dramatic Floral Installation For A Micro Wedding Where He Proposed
Abbey and Harrison’s UC Berkeley wedding is as eye-catching as can be with its dramatic floral installation bursting with dahlias and cappuccino roses. Pulling at our heartstrings in major ways is the fact that A+H wed on the very campus where they met and where he proposed. The husband + wife duo behind Blue Note Weddings, Melisa and Laif, captured every meaningful moment on their day from the retro style design elements with a certain “Mrs. Maisel” appeal to the adorable, tender glances between during newlywed portraits. Amy Burke Designs goes on to explain the symbolism behind all things floral below, and we are truly blown away by how she translated their shared passions into a unique botanical story. The creative design concepts from Simply Elegant By Diana are the cherry on top to this picture perfect look into Abbey and Harrison’s world, and we cannot wait for you to see it all with us now!
May I present, the dramatic floral installation of our dreams with color and whimsy galore!
From the Photographer and Cinematographer, Blue Note Weddings: Abigail and Harrison’s classic mid century modern wedding graced us with a colorful landscape of a floral fantasy. The wedding took place in the iconic tower at the Claremont Club and Spa Resort in Berkeley California. Surrounded by sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay and the Berkley Hills the couple said their I do’s in a glamorous fashion recreating a modern day love story with an old fashion flare. With combined gathered inspiration from Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” meets “the Marvelous Mrs. Maizel” the wedding was an amalgam of 50’s & 60’s meets swanky french vibe. The design of their florals came about from their favorite painting “The Artist’s Garden at Giverny’ by Claude Monet.” The tower where the ceremony was held was filled with an abundance of florals and vines that climbed the tower walls and arches giving off a painterly French elegance. Amy Burke and her incredible team worked tirelessly in creating very intricate designs of cascading flower builds throughout the day. The sculptural designs in the tower filled the intimate space with lots of different shades of maple and vine greenery with added touches of blush and bright pops of red. The cappuccino roses and light tangerine Dalias added the perfect balance of bright and soft tones.
From the Floral Designer, Amy Burke’s Designs:“When Abbey and Harrison decided to plan a micro wedding in addition to their postponed larger celebration for October 2021, they chose the Tower room in the Claremont hotel because of their ties to UC Berkeley. In addition to both the bride and groom attending UCB for college, Abbey’s family had hosted several other important moments and intimate parties at the hotel, and specifically in the Tower room/suite itself. So, it felt very fitting that they would choose this as the location for their important, very intimate wedding celebration for themselves and their families. We collectively had been so inspired designing their larger event that we all knew we were going to need to come up with something particularly magical and special for this smaller, but no less as important event.
Both Abbey and Harrison love to travel, and when designing the look for this event, we decided that we wanted to it to feel like a combination of a European garden and walking on the banks of the Seine, through their favorite Parisian street markets. So, we chose a mixture of varying shades of blush, fuchsia, plum and green with pops of bright blue for the Tower ceremony, creating an overgrown garden space that appeared to surround the intimate gathering of friends and family. Garden roses, ranunculus, bougainvillea, delphinium, dahlias, snap dragons, violets and Queen Anne’s lace were arranged into hedges that wrapped around every enclave, climaxing into a loose archway that framed the bride and groom at the front of the ceremony. It was a dramatic floral installation to say the least! Parisian style market chairs and tables filled with cheese and vintage glass cloches covering macaroons added to our overall ceremony décor.
When designing the reception space, the couple wanted to have a slightly looser, more family-oriented styling, with both color palette and floral choices that reflected this quieter mood. We chose to fill the dining room’s deck with luxurious velvet linens, cut crystal stemware and a combination of blush and caramel colored blooms and candles that added to the view of the Berkeley city skyline. Knowing that the couple are also lovers of history and language, we surprised Abbey and Harrison with touches of French vintage elements throughout the space, tucked into table décor and on lounge tables that they could discover as the evening progressed. This included glass cloches covering vintage books of French poetry, history and authentic love letters from French travelers. Small dishes of mandarin oranges were also tucked throughout the table décor, as a nod to the groom’s family’s orchards. Loose blooms strung from the underside of stationary umbrellas covering the reception area, stings of market lights, and a vintage inspired set of velvet lounge furniture completed the dining area décor.”
Abigail wore a sophisticated satin princess ball gown with a full A lined skirt by Maggie Sottero. The gown had the perfect amount of jeweled accents and was paired with a perfect block heel. Harrison looked dapper in his white Tux and black bow tie. His retro sterling silver starred cufflinks were the perfect accent to the classic look.
Following their ceremony guests enjoyed light horderves and Champagne as the couple proceeded for their portraits in the tower then around the gorgeous treelined property. Of course with a view like that we had to be sure to get some stunning drone shots….it was very fairytale like. The Claremont resort so graciously opened the infamous Hilary Tenzig Room where the couple were invited to the private space for some couples portraits. Named after the first climbers to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, the historical room was filled with mid century mod decor and incredible paintings that hung on the blue walls.
Abigail and Harrison were quite a pair savvy in style and sophistication. They both shared a mutual love for for all things retro, really good champagne and the classic well known author Victor Hugo which made an appearance in his books on the sweetheart’s table along with their love letters written to one another in French amidst the table runner of florals and accents of tangerines in the vintage glass bowls. Under small umbrellas that sheltered the tables from the weather, chandelier-like florals hung for the umbrella tops adding more floral extravagance to the private dining experience. After dinner the couple cut their gold starred glam cake and danced to their favorite songs of the 50’s and 60’s.
How they met….
Abigail and Harrison met in a History class at UC Berkeley in 2017. Harrison had sat in a few rows ahead of Abigail and she had found herself staring at him all semester! The adorable pair actually reconnected after they matched on Bumble later that summer. They eded up on a first date and became inseparable from the start when their love story began!
Harrison proposed to Abigail on her favorite bridge on the UC Berkeley campus over Strawberry Creek. On one knee he presented to her his grandmothers heirloom family ring encrusted with diamonds that had been in their family for generations. Then! He surprised her with the Tower Suite at the Claremont where champagne and chocolate covered strawberries awaited them paired with that breath taking view!
If right about now you’re thinking “I need some more dramatic floral installation inspiration in my life because omgggggggg”… join the club. Fortunately, we have an addiction to beautiful blooms that borderline beats our addiction to good cheese. (Which means we love it. A lot.) See more over the top wedding flowers that have stopped us in our tracks recently here next!
Wedding Vendors:
Photography & Videography: Blue Note Weddings
Venue: The Claremont Hotel & Spa
Planning & Design: Simply Elegant By Diana
Florals: Amy Burke Designs
Cake Artist: Lavender Bakery & Cafe