southern table scape series: blue and white china

After receiving china, whether it be passed down from a family member or gifted from your wedding registry - we tend to continually set the table the same way over and over again. It’s easy, you already have the design memorized and everything needed. However in this Southern Table Scape Series we want to show you ways to simply change a few minor details for a completely different look.

Pink and Navy Southern tablescape featuring Blue and White chinoiserie plates. Flowers and styling by Maxit Flower Design

Navy taper candles were the focal point in this design. Peach florals, white chargers and white linens give it a clean look. Flowers and table styling by Maxit Flower Design

be inspired by your china pieces

Use your china pieces as the inspiration for your details. This plate’s navy color is repeated in the candles and the blue touches in the floral arrangements. We pulled from the white of the blue and white and layered it with the linen and charger. Don’t over think it, repeat colors makes it easy, timeless and beautiful.

change up the linens

Whether it be in the table linens or the napkins, changing the color and texture of those details can make an impactful difference. For the look bellow, we went for a monochromatic route with the china and linens. Sometimes we are afraid to add a bold linen, but as you can see this blue on blue is so fun and different and truly highlights all the shades of blue in the china.

Blue and white China with navy linens. Peach and white florals. Flowers and styling by Maxit Flower Design

Blush napkin on blue and white chinoiserie china. Something about pink and navy is so southern. Flowers and styling by Maxit Flower Design

be bold with color

You can never go wrong with taper candles. Whether it be a more casual place setting or special occasion taper candles add another level of detail to your table setting that can really pull out fun details in your china. This is an easy color detail to continuously change.

Gold charger for a more formal look. Navy taper candles and navy linens together give such a cohesive look. Pops of pink garden style arrangements. Flowers and styling by Maxit Flower Design

update the flowers

And our absolute favorite, getting creative with your flower color options. This is the easiest way to drastically change your table scape, from season to season or occasion. Your flower color choices can change the entire aesthetic.

Committing to another linen, napkin, or charger might not be in the immediate list of to-do’s. Instead, order some flowers for the special dinner in a different color palette that you are used to and watch it quickly transforms a space.

Bright spring garden style floral arrangement paired with blue and white chinoiserie china. An elegant spring tablescape. Flowers and styling by Maxit Flower Design

Stunning Southern spring tablescape with blush taper candles and blue and white chinoiserie china. Flowers and styling by Maxit Flower Design

working with your flower designer: 4 tips to making magic happen

Iron gates at Houston Oaks Country Club covered in greenery and roses to create a climbing rose bush romantic feel.

Creating a wedding from scratch is a daunting task. It’s difficult for us, and we do this every day. There are so many decisions to make and considerations to take. One of the more important ones is choosing your flower designer. I don’t have much to say here on this post about how to choose one, as it is as simple as choosing your Dr. Read reviews, ask friends and go to a consultation. Do you like them, do you have an innate trust in them, have you reviewed their work? Great, then book them.

Now what? This is what I want to dive into. And here are 4 tips to making this process as easy and seamless as possible.

1 - Find Your Inspiration

Is there a favorite pattern, color, art work, piece of architecture that inspires you? Is the venue or your dress inspiring the aesthetic? Find the item that inspires you and bring that to your consultation. Designers want to know what we can build from. Give us a little something and let us create from that point.

Garden style arrangement with high and low impact on head table at Houston Oaks Country Club

2 - Get Out of Their Way

Hand over your trust and allow a professional to create. We love your opinions and absolutely need time during our consultation to hear about your vision. When that time is up, we need room to let ideas grow. When hiring someone it is important that you will have complete trust in their abilities. When micro managing a creative the inspiration to create new innovative ideas dwindles.

3 - Communicate

Be truthful with budget and design and communicate any changes that might have occurred. Budgets change, color choices might need to be updated. This is ok. Tell us. Nothing is too late to update and our 30 day out review is a perfect time to make that happen.

Gorgeous detail shot of groom’s boutonniere. Made with ranunculus and a touch of jasmine.

4 - Sit Back and Enjoy

After all this work, you deserve to sit back and enjoy. Decision making is tough and we understand how overwhelming it can be. This is where we shine and produce the work we are best known for. Allow us to wow you and make your wildest dreams come true.

the 5 closest people

Place setting detail with calligraphy bride name card. Photographed by Kate Elizabeth. Styled by Shannon Ducker Events.

We have grown up hearing the saying that goes… “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. This might or might not be true in your life, but in mine I have found it to be mostly true.

We are not immune to this concept in business. To have business owners that build you up, exceed more, challenge you to do more, might be the best thing we can do. We also have to edit the people we keep close. Making sure that the people are striving for more and are not settling in their style, aesthetic, customer service, reputation, and kindness.

You have seen people get in a rut in life, but I have also seen that in business. Spending time with women owned businesses that are growing and achieving great things is electrifying. It is necessary for my soul and my sanity. We need each other and this past week has solidified that for me.

I have been surrounded with event planners that challenge me, build me up, cheer me on and keep me going. Hearing their worries and lifting them up has made the struggles we deal with easier and more palpable. We need each other, and to deny that is to deny yourself one of the more essential parts of business ownership… one another. You need your community of like-minded strong willed humans. And for that I am thankful.

Table scape with white and blush garden style arrangement by Maxit Flower Design. Photographed by Kate Elizabeth. Styled by Shannon Ducker

Here are some amazing images from one of those ladies that I hold close. She is rocking it you guys. Nothing is stopping her from achieving her goals and she sets them lofty and big. This year Kate Elizabeth photography started her own photography workshop and I am sincerely cheering her on. This is not a small feet as such projects can feel daunting with our everyday work load.

She mastered it and completely exceeded my expectation on design and aesthetics. Go check out more information on her new formed instagram page HERE.

Tree installation and aisle flowers by Maxit Flower Design. Photographed by Kate Elizabeth. Styled by Shannon Ducker

Bridal bouquet with blush and white flowers in a garden style by Maxit Flower Design. Photographed by Kate Elizabeth. Styled by Shannon Ducker

let's splurge on flowers, but where?

Garden style bridal bouquet with coral, pink, blush and white garden roses. Maxit Flower Design’s work captured by Adam Nyholt

Many times we find that our clients are confused on where to spend their money. We work in a creative industry that allows so much room for flexibility when budget is concerned. But with all budgets, large or small we are convinced that you need to have 3 main area where you should spend your money on your wedding.

ONE - Your bouquet

Sorry gentleman you are being left out of this one, unless you are wanting to cary a bouquet too. This is an important one that I have seen left out. Someone said not too long ago that what’s the point of splurging on a bouquet when they would only be holding it going down the aisle for a couple minutes.

EEK! Where do I begin? Let’s just list off all the monumental shots that your amazing photographer will capture that will have your bouquet. Walking down the aisle with your loved one as you go to meet your partner down the aisle. Your father, uncle, mother, that special person that means the world to you will be walking you down that aisle and that moment will be captured in your memories for a life time.

When you just got done getting married and now walking down the aisle with your life partner. That bouquet is the perfect decor piece. Family, bridal party, your portrait, couple’s portrait, bridesmaids shots, etc all these pics that we so fondly look back on, all have your bouquet. Trust me on this one, you want one and you must hire someone that makes fabulous bouquets.

Head Table with garden style, lush compotes with coral, pink, blush and white garden roses. Maxit Flower Design’s work captured by Adam Nyholt

TWO- Head Table

This is it, once in a life time. (I couldn’t say that with a bouquet as we, in The South, take bridals, so many times our brides does cary a bouquet more than once) But your head table… this is it. The one time that you get to indulge yourself and your immediate family and bridal party with an amazing, over the top experience.

It creates an anchoring spot for the room and it allows you to sit in a moment where all the most abundant florals and decor will be placed.

And let’s face it, the photographer is not capturing every singe table. They will walk into the room and capture the table that has the most decor, where all the details are centrally located.

Band front with greenery to decorate the stage. Created by Maxit Flower design and captured by Adam Nyholt

THREE - Dance Floor

Either creating a hanging installation or a band front. We suggest having this as one of your main focal points. This is where your first dance will be, your father daughter dance and all those fun, gushy speeches will be held. It is the main gathering location for the rest of the evening. Do not leave this are left out.

We have created band fronts, hanging installations and even added 4 pedestals around each side of the dance floor to help create an intimate area where all images are captured. Allow us to be creative and make something that will be captured and remembered for a life time.

is this weird?

Entry arch covered in flowers, with coral charm peonies, garden roses, roses, ranunculus, spirea, black berries and smilax. Keely Thorne Event Planning, River Oaks Country Club, Maxit Flower Design

Something super odd about myself I must confess. I look back at the work we do and love it more once I have had some time to review. I just looked back on a wedding we did a year ago and I absolutely love it. On the day I thought we produced good work, but I could not get out of my head about a couple things I though we could do better.

As a creative entrepreneur I have to say that I am incredibly hard on myself. I love what I do, but there isn’t a time I don’t think we could have done it better. Not that everyone didn’t do an amazing job and that the client wasn’t super happy. (And that is what is most important!) But that I can improve.

One random thing I got hung up on was during set up was that I didn’t plan for the floral chandeliers needing to fit through the door. Sounds so absurd, but you guys…. they wouldn’t fit through ANY of the front doors. We had to truck them through the whole entire back end of the country club, roughly two city blocks. Ok, maybe just one, but when you have 4 floral chandeliers it started to feel like a stinking marathon.

Compote arrangement of lush, premium flowers. White ceramic container with coral charm peonies, garden roses, roses, ranunculus, spirea, black berries and smilax. Keely Thorne Event Planning, River Oaks Country Club, Maxit Flower Design

That happened Friday as we got access a day early. From that moment forward I could not get that out of my head. I began to have a pity party in my head and it would not go away. I lost sleep, and set up on Saturday feeling like I let my team down.

A year later I have perspective, learned lessons, and can totally appreciate the hard work and pieces of flower art we created for our amazing clients.

I never received professional pics, so please excuse the lack of quality. But sometimes we have to still share what we’ve created no matter the quality of images, right? Otherwise how is everyone going to see what we can make happen for you on your special day? Can I get an Amen?!

Hanging floral chandelier with coral charm peonies, garden roses, roses, ranunculus, spirea, black berries and smilax. Keely Thorne Event Planning, River Oaks Country Club, Maxit Flower Design

Small vases with taper candles. With coral charm peonies, garden roses, roses, ranunculus, spirea, black berries and smilax. Keely Thorne Event Planning, River Oaks Country Club, Maxit Flower Design

Garden compote with coral charm peonies, garden roses, roses, ranunculus, spirea, black berries and smilax. Keely Thorne Event Planning, River Oaks Country Club, Maxit Flower Design

Cross alter with coral charm peonies, garden roses, roses, ranunculus, spirea, black berries and smilax. Aisle covered in blooms. Keely Thorne Event Planning, River Oaks Country Club, Maxit Flower Design

Cross alter with coral charm peonies, garden roses, roses, ranunculus, spirea, black berries and smilax. Keely Thorne Event Planning, River Oaks Country Club, Maxit Flower Design

Room shot of Mollie & Alejandro’s wedding. We combined tall arrangements, low garden style compotes, with hanging floral chandeliers. Keely Thorne Event Planning, River Oaks Country Club, Maxit Flower Design