grand bohemian

Oh my goodness y’all, we are soooooo excited about the styled shoot we’re sharing with you tonight! This shoot has been two years in the making and was truly a labor of love by everyone involved. After collaborating with Denise Wilson of Dogwood Blossom Stationery about what we envisioned for the shoot, we knew we needed to bring in a planner who could see our vision and bring it all together. That’s where Bonnie Dutka from Mobella Events came in! She took our vision and brought on board some of the best in the industry – our venue, The Grand Bohemian Orlando Hotel, Lee Forrest, owner of Lee Forrest Design for florals, Alejandra Maddox, owner of Everything Cake for the cake, Janina Martinez with Quest Drape for the fire red draping, Kerrie Mercuri-Smith, owner of Modern Bridal Shop, Dustin Seltzer of Seltzer Films, and Bumby Grimm, owner of Bumby Photography to capture all of the images.

The inspiration for the shoot was a glamorous, upscale Halloween wedding with a little bit of a dark twist. By incorporating skulls, crosses and antique candleabras, Lee Forrest Design took the centerpieces that ran the entire length of the 8′ x 16′ table to another level. Dogwood Blossom Stationery did an amazing job with the paper goods, the menus at each place setting were stunning in black and gold, while the escort cards were tombstones printed on wood surrounded by Spanish moss.

Our dessert buffet featured a variety of sweets flanking Alejandra’s stunning wedding cakes. We borrowed Lee’s stunning (huge) black owl to anchor one end of the table, and ran pillar candles all along the back of the table. We added a wine bar to the opposite end of the table, featuring Handsome Devil Malbec wine served in wine glasses rimmed with edible gold glitter. We were completely blown away by the beauty of the Curly Willow linen that Carrie Smith of Wildflower Linen helped us select.

We were over the moon with how the shoot turned out. We think it was simply stunning and hope you will too! Thank you so, so very much to everyone who gave so much to ensure this was a success!

Credits:

Venue: The Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando

Planner: Mobella Events

Dessert Buffet: Two Sweets Bake Shop

Cake: Everything Cake

Floral and Decor: Lee Forrest Design

Wedding & Reception Gowns: Modern Bridal Shop

Photography: Bumby Photography

Video: Seltzer Films

Draping: Quest Drape

Stationery: Dogwood Blossom Stationery & Invitation Studio

Hair & Makeup: Marigold Scott

Jewelry: Monarch Jewelry & Art

Lighting: Elegant Entertainment DJ & Video Services

Tuxedo: Absolutely Fitting

Guest Table Linens: GBS Linens

Dessert Buffet Linen: Wildflower Linens

Tables, Chairs, China Rentals: A Chair Affair

Models: Nathaniel Lyra, Jackie Nixon

Occasionally you meet a client who you just know is going to become a friend. That’s the way it was when I met Barb. She had contacted me around the holidays to see if we could provide some desserts for an event she was hosting. We were booked up and unable to accommodate her request. I was surprised when a month or so later, she reached out again – this time to talk about her upcoming wedding to her sweetheart Steve.

She had already booked the lovely Grand Bohemian Hotel in downtown Orlando as her venue, and they were actually providing some desserts for her reception. She had also already enlisted Jennyfer at The Sugar Suite to create her wedding cake. I wasn’t sure what we could offer, but I was certainly willing to listen. Barb had seen some of the weddings we had done at Bella Collina where we created dessert buffets using wine barrel tables. She was interested in something similar for her wedding. She wanted something that was going to wow her guests and her fiance, and she had definite ideas on what she wanted to do. She had begun collecting antique containers months earlier and wanted to come up with a way that they could be incorporated into the buffet. By the end of her appointment we had outlined our plan to create something totally fabulous for their April wedding.

Barb is a very creative person, so over the next several months, she created a collection of sparkly items from custom popcorn cones to blinged out tongs to be used on the buffet.

We worked with our stationery partner, Dogwood Blossom Stationery and Invitation Studio, on custom signs that would mesh well with the antique inspired invitation Barb had found. We created a menu of items that we would prepare that were some of Barb & Steve’s favorite treats and created a table design that included two 8′ wine barrel tables from A Chair Affair and a custom centerpiece from Bluegrass Chic.

Steve’s best friend asked if he could create something special for their wedding, so he made a custom cupcake stand out of tree rounds. We’ve never seen such a large or heavy stand! It took three people to move it!

In the weeks leading up to their wedding, Barb and I met twice more to go over the plan for the table, finalize the list of items that the hotel would be providing, and for me to collect all of the antiques and items that Barb had created. Our final plan was written up, which contained 22 different dessert options for her guests!

On their wedding day, we carefully laid out all of our plates, platters, stands and decorative items along with everything Barb had collected or made. For two hours we placed and rearranged desserts and decorative elements until the table was perfect and so full we couldn’t have fit one more thing on it!

When Barb and Steve were brought in to see their reception that evening, Barb was overwhelmed with emotion as she looked at what we had created for her.

Barb and Steve’s dessert buffet was a stunning collaboration by several vendors, brought into a singular design that was exactly what our couple wanted. Our very best wishes to our clients and now friends, Barb & Steve! ❤

Scroll on down for more photos from Barb & Steve’s beautiful wedding!