This Colorful Destination Wedding at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, featured in

Martha Stewart Weddings

March 14th, 2020

South Florida has been a long-time “home away from home” for Laura’s family, who vacationed there every year to enjoy Florida’s captivating islands and life on the water. Florida naturally became the location chosen to host friends and family in celebration of the couples’ colorful destination wedding in the gardens of Vizcaya Museum in South Florida.

Grounded in the notion to spend their time together in a secluded venue, Vizcaya’s gardens was the ideal location to host their wedding. Boasting of the meticulously maintained gardens, iconic statues, a waterfront reception, and old-world Italian-inspired home turned museum serving as the backdrop, Laura and David immediately fell in love with all Vizcaya had to offer to them, and to their guests. 

The Morning Of in South Beach

Laura began her morning at the Cadillac Hotel and Beach Club in Miami, Florida with family and her closest friends on Saturday, March 14th, 2020.

A South Florida Wedding with Colorful Sunset Tones

As we began laying the design plans for their event, it was important that every facet felt like it was theirs and theirs alone. Laura had always dreamed of a wedding with warm sunset tones overlooking the water in South Florida. Incorporating these colors, for which Florida is well-known, while touching on subtle references to their time together at Georgetown.

Laura and David first met at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. Throughout their courtship, there was one place Laura and David met for all of their big life decisions, the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. It was there that many firsts took place for them. And for that reason, the Jefferson Memorial felt like the right location for David to propose. 

Cocktail Hour

What I really love about this property – guests have such a vast, visually stimulating landscape to explore throughout the grounds at Vizcaya Museum. The venue boasts of 10+ acres of gardens and hidden sections for guests to explore.

Escort Display

Tucked away in the Secret Garden was the escort, which displayed the seating instructions for their guests. We knew guests might not naturally explore some of these “hidden”, more unique features of the property alone. Our team intentionally cheuffeured guests through the secret entrances of the garden on their way to the reception space.

Tucked away, a surprise seating arrangement hand-calligraphed with each of the names and table numbers. It was important to create an unobtrusive structure that was both substantial, yet not inhibiting the natural architecture of the space.

A First Look in the Secret Garden

The secret garden at Vizcaya boasts of such beautifully maintained landscaping and architecture and was a perfect location choice for the first look.

The Reception at Vizcaya Museum in South Florida

Colorful Cherry Blossoms

One of the founding design elements incorporated a ten foot cherry blossom chandelier overlooking the dance floor as a nod to the couples traditions in Washington DC. The first dance took place, as all of their big life moments had, under the umbrella and symbolic nature of cherry blossoms.

Laura and David enjoyed a private tour of their wedding reception just a few moments prior to revealing the seating to guests. There, they shared their first dance as husband and wife, symbiotic of their proposal surrounded by cherry blossoms at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C..

As guests made their way through the gardens, around the waterfront property of the estate, the expansive reception space became visible. Beautifully lit, guests were greeted with a grand entrance to their al fresco dinner boasting of a hybrid, seated dinner with a cocktail-style infusion.

Under the stars an open tent set the scene for a riveting party led by a 12-person band and after party DJ. Guests dined at wooden tables, with understated, modern striped chargers and an array of sunset inspired floral arrangements in stone pedestals, which gave nod to the stone architecture of the expansive property. For our clients, an understated design, both elegant and in keeping with the venue and added pops of florals were perfect for this destination wedding at Vizcaya in South Florida. 

The Details

Recipes for the couples signature drinks were crafted and tested by the bride’s brother. A Dumbo 75 for Laura and The Cobble Hill for David.

Logistics are an important part of our design process. Therefore, a priority for the team is centered around maintaining flow and ease. This 21′ event bar served as a space within the event design to facilitate flow, no lines, and impeccable service. While seemingly subtle, the inlays of the bar featured the design print from our clients invitation suite. We worked alongside our stationery partners to bring the initial small print to life on a larger scale. The production team then printed and enveloped the print onto the bar, surrounding it with custom-fabricated trim.

The design footprint doesn’t cease with the aesthetics of the bar alone. The team focuses in bringing features to elevate and entice the senses to the forefront and in continuation.

On the days prior to events, we carefully source fruits, herbs, and at times, vegetables as display for each of the bars, always in keeping with the nose and inclusions of the featured cocktails chosen for the evening.

 

The After Party and Speakeasy Bar Lounge

No evening is complete without a nightcap. The 1916 Vizcaya Mansion, which served as a backdrop to the reception, became a really unique location for our clients speakeasy bar lounge.

We couldn’t pass opportunity to once again give nod to the couples courtship and expansive history in DC. So our partners at Nuage built a custom copper penny bar that took “center stage” and featured a select number of small batch bourbons from the family’s distillery, as well as more prominent, well-known brands for guests to enjoy an array of bourbon infused cocktails to round out the evening.

Colorful Destination Wedding at Vizcaya Museum in South Florida

Full Gallery Here

Creative Team:

Planner and Designer: Jennifer Buono Events
Photographer: Hunter Ryan Photo
Venue: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens