If you saw the 2011 issue of Seacoast Bride, then you will have seen the amazing photo shoot done for a $25K budget. We reached out to Jennifer with Cookie Creatives, who designed the dessert spread for this shoot to talk about her inspiration behind the design and to explain to us how the spread can be altered to fit any couple’s budget!

PW: Please describe your dessert table for a $25k wedding.  What did the table include for baked items?  Any special ingredients or must haves?

JB: For this table I chose to do a variety of desserts and confections that both incorporated the wedding colors and evoked the feel of summer in New England.  The sweets included chocolate lemon mousse cups, sea salt caramels, white chocolate starfish, homemade marshmallows, 2 kinds of mini cupcakes, lemon ginger swirl cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, rock candy, blueberry flavored candy sticks, cake pops, large decorated cookies, as well as mini seashell sugar cookies, caramel popcorn balls, two flavors of meringues, and finally shot glasses filled with sparkling cider and a blueberry puree.  One of the must haves were the large decorated cookies because they’re a great way to bring in color and personalize the table to the event.  Another was the use of lemon and blueberry which is a very summery combination.

PW: What design elements were used? What was your inspiration?  How did you go about deciding on the design?

JB: Some of the design elements included using rustic wooden boxes provided by Carrie that matched the centerpieces on the tables and added height to the display.  I also incorporated the branches and one of the yellow plates from the dining tables to pull in the color.  The square white plates looked crisp and really popped against the bright turquoise tablecloth. This helped showcase the desserts and sweets.  I used a variety of bowls and vases to add some interest while also displaying items in a way that used less surface area on the table.  My inspiration was really the colors that Carrie had selected, as well as an overall summer feel and the waterfront location.  By making a variety of desserts; some tall, some long, some small, some that could be stacked, etc… I was able to have options and piece together the final display using the 3 wooden boxes as a starting point then working outward.

PW: If you had to cut down your budget, what would you change or take out?  If a couple wanted to splurge a bit more, what would you change or add to the dessert buffet?

JB: To cut down on the budget I would remove some of the items.  Having such a large variety of dessert choices on the display does increase the overall price of the table.  A few things that could be removed while still maintaining the original feel/style of the table are the mini seashell cookies, the sea salt caramels, the popcorn balls in the branches, the rock candy, and the lemon ginger cookies.  To splurge a bit more you could replace some of the items with more expensive desserts, for example rather than basic mini cupcakes you could do filled mini cupcakes or change out the lemon ginger cookies for more luxurious lemongrass ginger French macaroons.

PW: Which of your items were your favorite?  Why?

JB: I was very happy with how all the desserts came together and one of my favorite items was the lemon mousse cups because I love the flavor combination.  Also the decision to make the meringues in the two sizes and colors made for an interesting display in the square vase.  I really liked the shots because I think that they added something unexpected and a bit out of the box to the list of treats.  Finally the placement of the popcorn balls in the branches had a whimsical and light feel.

$25k Design Team:

location |  Harbour Place, Portsmouth NH
photography |  Douglas Levy
floral designer |  Dutch Bloemen Winkel
invitations and paper |  Parrott Design Studio
desserts |  Cookie Creatives by Jennifer
hair and makeup |  Wingate Salon
tent |   Sperry Tents Seacoast

*previously posted on 3.3.11

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Can you describe to us your design for a $50,000 wedding?

For the tablescape, we chose to do an 8-person banquet table.  Our design aesthetic was a refined rustic decor using white, burlap, yellow, and touches of blue that blended with the beauty of the Round Barn while complimenting the classic/vintage style of modern New England brides.  We also chose to incorporate a motif of bees, though we used a light touch with the bees — keeping an inspired feel rather than overbearing and cheesy.

For an intimate, homey feel, we brought in two large blue chairs for the bride and groom. Intended for use with only the head table, these provide color, texture, and a true sense of the couple’s style. While they are more comfortable than traditional wedding chairs, their use is best seen through the eyes of a camera – for all of those candid images of the bride and groom, these chairs are much more appealing. For the guests we chose basic white wooden folding chairs that are both comfortable and cost effective.

We decided to layer classic linens for both visual interest and texture. A basic white table cloth, a wide burlap runner and a narrower yellow runner, finished with turquoise napkins provided a clean palette for the patterned but simple white china, including a stacked dinner plate, napkin with menu/escort card, then dessert plate with a tart. Our table design is well balanced and allows guests to notice the various details without becoming overwhelmed.

For flowers, Ideas in Bloom used yellow roses, white garden roses, tulips, billy balls, freesia and dusty miller.  Kristin (of Ideas in Bloom) also used in season sweet pea, mimosa (the whimsical little yellow ball-like tufts), callas and spider mums.

For favors, we had mini glass bottles with cork stoppers filled with honey, and tied with mini honey dippers and a small note.  Our menu cards doubled as place cards, as each menu displayed a guest’s name as the heading.

What was your inspiration?

We looked to the setting and natural design of the Round Barn as our inspiration- we loved the raw wood walls in both the upstairs and the white walls of the Milk Room, as well as the rustic setting and feel of the overall location.  We took that rustic feel and decided to use burlap and antique-feeling elements such as the window pane “escort display” and the an old scale on the dessert table.  However, we still wanted to have a feel of refinement and cleanliness, so we decided to use white, yellow, and turquoise blue in very clean ways to maintain a level of sophistication.

How did you spend your budget?

We went with fairly basic linens, chairs, and tableware so as to focus on design details and elements that they guests would remember- such as the bride and groom’s chairs, the antique container for the floral arrangement, the burlap table runners, and the beautiful array of desserts that were art in and of themselves.

Where can they find these things other than asking their event/floral designer first?

With enough time, couples can locate design materials – but the cost of time spent searching, as well as in purchasing materials they may never use again, adds up quickly. But if DIY decor is the goal, a great place to start is HomeGoods – you can find interesting elements without breaking the bank.  However, as these stores have a tendency to be overwhelming, only venture in when you have a clear idea of your theme and color scheme and an idea of what you might want.

If you had to cut down your budget, what particular items of your design would you take out?

If we had a larger budget, we would upgrade the white folding chairs to a fruitwood chivari chair and consider both a larger size and variety to the floral arrangements, but otherwise, we are very happy with the way our table turned out.

If we had to cut down expenses, plain white plates, more simplistic flowers, a less elaborate favor could all be methods to save money.

What do you consider to be the most eye-catching element of your design?

We think the overall color palette – the juxtaposition of the bright white and yellow with the mellow and very organic feeling burlap – really made the shoot as striking as it was.  All of the elements, from the chairs, to the flowers, to the favors, all complimented that palette, which gave the entire table a wonderful feeling of cohesion.

$50k Design Team

location  The Inn at The Round Barn Farm, Waitsfield, VT
photography  Stacey Hedman Photography
floral designer  Ideas in Bloom
invitations and paper   Papier Gourmet
dessert buffet  Vermont Cake Studio
hair and makeup  AfterGlow of Vermont (Erin McKenna) & Vivian Infantino
dress  Fiori Bridal Boutique
rentals  Vermont Tent Company

*previously posted on 5. 5.11

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