day 2 - the reception

Newlyweds dance together on a dance floor surrounded by dancing wedding guests — photo by Symboll

The second day of Kunal and Shreha's wedding weekend was a feast for the senses! There was delicious food. There were choreographed dances. Then there were the colors found throughout the ballroom: the dresses, the lighting, and our centerpieces.

A newlywed bride and two backup dancers perform a choreographed routine on the dance floor of a wedding reception — photo by Symboll

Set in one of the grand ballrooms of the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage, California, the couple wanted a 'modern art' theme and had asked if we were open to a unique vision. They found inspiration in ikebana arrangements, which coincidentally is one of my favorite type of floral art to create. In contrast to Friday's neutral palette, they wanted Saturday's palette to be bright. I chose colors that were some of the brightest I know to exist without having resort to dyeing. My selection also had enough variance between the colors to be obviously different. We also included the color poppy to match the table napkins.

The result was an art collection of individual ikebana pieces.

A pink themed ikebana centerpiece on top of a round reception table — photo by Symboll

A pink themed ikebana centerpiece on top of a round reception table with multiple tables in the background — photo by Symboll

A yellow themed ikebana centerpiece on top of a round reception table — photo by Symboll

A poppy color themed ikebana centerpiece on top of a round reception table — photo by Symboll

An orange themed ikebana centerpiece on top of a round reception table — photo by Symboll

We also added flameless candles and eucalyptus amongst the metallic gold table numbers and cards that referenced experiences and moments special to Shreha and Kunal.

A yellow themed ikebana centerpiece on top of a round reception table surrounded by votive candles and clippings of eucalyptus — photo by Symboll

A deep purple themed ikebana centerpiece on top of a round reception table surrounded by votive candles and clippings of eucalyptus — photo by Symboll

The sweetheart table arrangement was a combination of all the colors with tabletop embellishments.

A multicolored themed ikebana centerpiece on top of a sweetheart reception table surrounded by votive candles, clippings of eucalyptus, and flowerheads — photo by Symboll

A newlywed couple sitting at their sweetheart table both looking the same direction and smiling — photo by Symboll

A group of dancers on the dance floor of the wedding with the newlywed couple watching — photo by Symboll

A group of dancers on the dance floor of the wedding with the newlywed couple dancing from their seats — photo by Symboll

sustainability notes

The ikebana arrangement vessels, flower frogs, flameless candles, and candle holders were all rentals which helped reduce wasteful consumption and allowed the items to be rented again for future events.
The arrangements’ plant material has been added to our compost to nourish our garden in the future and avoid the landfill.
The on-site breakdown at the end of the night included collecting the water from the arrangements and watering the resort’s landscaping plants with it.