"I DO Brunch" Recap - The Design Teams

(stationery by Just Ink On Paper/escort cards by Write Style Invitations)

("corset" cake by SugarBakers)

("corset" centerpiece by Intrigue Designs)

("birdcage" design by Bella Fiori Couture)

("topiary" wedding cake by Sweet - A Bakery & Cafe)

This year's Brunch had a twofold thematic - design and culinary. For some reason, the notion of a classically elegant English Garden resonated deeply within my psyche, so I thought it would be an excellent overall "look" for a Saturday morning event!

I invited some of the best creative talent, both on a local & national basis, to come in and show us what they were working with! From florals to linens, stationery to cake - these pros worked together as a team to best embody my "garden" notion to a level that even the most finicky wedding planner could appreciate!

The teams were given very simple instructions: Using the official color palette of green and purple, with black & white damask or French toile as an ancillary...show my guests what YOUR version of an English Garden looks like. There were no restrictions on their creativity..and I stayed out of the picture! Honestly -I didn't know what anything looked like until installation began the night prior to the Brunch :)

Each team was assigned a "quadrant" consisting of 4 dining tables, 1 cake table and 32 guests. The cake was the "center" of the quadrant and played an important role in the overall design. You see, I decided to make things a little "interesting" this year by incorporating a challenge into the scheme of things. "I DO Brunch" attendees would vote for the BEST Design Quadrant..not an individual table, so it became inherently important that the designers created a cohesive, consistent flow to their offerings. The winning team of the DesignScape Challenge would take home bragging rights as well as a lovely trophy for each participating company.

The quadrants were named after the actual English Gardens of Wakehurst Place, Sissinghurst, Sheffield Park & Kew Royal Botanical - and the placecards for each guest, designed by Write Style Invitations, directed them to specific locations within the "gardens". Each table had a written history of its respective location, so guests could have a bit of history and knowledge of these amazing locales.

Color, texture, fragrance..all collided into so many different facets for our guests. The teams did an extraordinarily excellent job of capturing the essence of an English Garden...truly, there are no words to really express how beautiful everything was!! Each and every participating company truly put their creative "muscle" into defining and portraying the beauty of a garden - it was difficult for the attendees to pick just ONE!!

The winner of the 2010 "I DO Brunch" DesignScape Challenge was the team of Kew Royal Botanical Gardens - Intrigue Design, Select Event Rentals, Diamond Minor Design & SugarBakers Cakes. Their "corsets" and "hats" really put an indelible mark on fashion as design!!

May I present the DesignScape Teams for this year's "I DO Brunch" - my thanks to everyone for doing an absolutely wonderful job!!!

Wakehurst Place Gardens
Florals:
Roberta Salcedo
Bella Fiori Couture

Linens:
Kate Kovalick
Creative Coverings

Stationery:
Le'Trice Penn
LePenn Designs

Wedding Cake:
Cynthia Knox
Cakes By Cynthia

Sheffield Park:
Florals
Jody Krug
Wessel's Florist

Linens
Adrian Goldsborough
Perfect Settings

Stationery
Kristy Rice
Momental Designs

Wedding Cake:
Chris Sikora
Sweet - A Bakery & Cafe

Sissinghurst Gardens
Florals
Regina Davis
Flowers By Gina D.

Linens
Guiliana Cox
Gala Cloths

Stationer
Susan McArdle
Just Ink On Paper

Wedding Cake
Tracey Alston
Cakes By Tracey

Kew Royal Botanical Gardens:
Florals
Sarah Campbell
Intrigue Designs

Linens
Susan Childs
Select Event Rentals

Stationery
Karron Davis-Minor
Diamond Minor Design

Wedding Cake
Jordan Fewell
SugarBakers