There is so much more to a beach wedding than bare feet, windblown hair, and embossed anchors on the menu card. In a completely fresh and innovative interpretation of the beach wedding, Ivy and Dan combined the simplicity of hand-done details and oceanfront views with the extravagance of a large Persian wedding.
To create their unique blend of fairytale and whimsy, they started with the venue – a nouveau Victorian hotel – and added tie-dyed tablecloths and banners made by their families. Ivy wanted her florals to look as wild and unmanicured as possible. Her color palette called for green, white, light blush, ivory, and energizing yellow accents. The vibe was simple, comfortable, and fun, said the bride. From her effortless silk slip wedding dress to wedding candids crammed with friends, Ivy kept that vibe going from the bridal suite to the dance floor. She called the reception a dance party and noted that she “ditched the veil” for it, of course.
This bridal bouquet takes a walk on the wildflower side. Ivy envisioned an asymmetrical, wild bridal bouquet. The final result was this armful of yellow, peach, blush, and green stems that combined pert, round shapes with elongated, elegant blooms that bowed gracefully over the arm.
“I loved how it looked like it was bursting out like an explosion,” Ivy said. Micro pompons in white and yellow huddled tightly in the center and were framed by butterfly ranunculus, larkspur, and, Ivy’s favorite piece of greenery in the bouquet, the dramatic sword fern. She wanted the wildflower aesthetic.
Ivy’s inclination was toward sturdy daisies and sunflowers. Poppy’s interpretation of that vision was this kaleidoscope of color and texture that could pass as a hand-gathered bouquet of wildflowers (if the bride had been lucky enough to traipse through a meadow with limonium and eucalyptus). Dan wore ranunculus with Italian ruscus, and he managed to carry both the bouquet and the bride’s shoes when she needed respite.
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We’re seeing raw and candid photography everywhere in weddings this year – see our 2023 Trends Report for more on this trend. Highly posed and stilted formal photography is almost as dated as the pictures that came with your frames. Images that show couples in their most intimate, unfiltered moments – whether that’s embracing, laughing, or sipping their signature wedding cocktail – are what really capture the day.
Ivy and Dan stole their own private dance in the lobby of The Dunes Hotel out of guests’ eyesight. He’s left his jacket behind, and she’s slipped off her veil and into an iridescent wrap her sister made. Meanwhile, the dance party thumping in the nearby ballroom was flooded with color, from the Persian ceremonial table, the sofreh aghd, to the vibrant coasters and matchbooks that Ivy’s friends designed as wedding favors.
Tables were draped loosely with rich green Italian and Israeli ruscus and adorned simply with greenery bud vase trios. The sofreh aghd got the showstoppers: lush compilations of daisies, cremon, limonium, eucalyptus, and ferns.
Poppy predicts that the maximalism trend is only going to get more, well, maximalist. Couples want to have fun, and everything from their stationery and accessories to their flowers and cakes show it. Maximalism is about bright, highly saturated colors; mixed textures; and over-the-top details that make a big statement at the event and in photos.
Ivy gave the camera plenty to play with, including a cloudless coastal sky, sandy pink hotels, a candy apple red classic car, and her retro, something-blue sunglasses suspended coolly by a long pearl chain. Set against her bright white slip dress, the effect is bold (and ultra-frameable).
If there are two paths to the perfect beach wedding – restrained palettes and simple monobloom bouquets, or boardwalk glitter, games, and fun in the sun – Ivy chose the latter, then added the couple’s unique requirements. It was beachy, traditionally Persian, and uniquely Ivy and Dan. “Just the right amount of whimsy,” the bride said.
