NICK SPANSWICK
EVENTS AND DESIGN
Taking the woodland setting a inspiration, I designed this invitation in the form of a wooden log, with a naive hand-painted floral motif and a fun swivel twist.
Kemer Country Orman Evi, a small grass area surrounded by woodland, was exactly the kind of rustic country atmosphere the bride and groom were looking for.
The bride and groom wanted to keep the place feeling very relaxed and informal, with traditional wooden furniture and natural local greenery for flowers. I seated young guests near the large dance floor, and older guests sat at flower-shaped table formations under hanging light 'gazebos'.
The couple got married under the trees on a stage covered in ferns, logs, moss and candles.
The family own a ceramics firm so I designed plates for each of the courses.
The family own a furniture-production firm so I worked with the family to custom-design and produce all the furniture.
Mixing the chair styles helped create a more informal boho feel.
Older guests sat at flower-shaped table arrangements beneath 'gazebos' of sparkling fairy lights.
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'A very English engagement party'
It's always nice to design for clients who appreciate the hardwork that goes into all the details, and this bride was really fun to design for.
She knew exactly what she wanted: an engagement party in her garden for 250 guests - and she wanted her garden to reflect the eccentric whimsy of the newly refurbished London hotspot 'Annabel's of Mayfair'.
To seat so many guests and provide dance and bar spaces for them, I would need to block off parts of the swimming pool and extend the garden outwards.
Seen here, the garden before we began work.
My hand-painted design for the party decor became the artwork for the embossed invitations.
The illustration of the party decor became the template that I worked from in choosing fabrics and colours.
I tried to use combinations of unique vases and candleholders to create a slightly vintage eclectic feel while the colours of the flowers and the almost mis-matching cushions created a fun sense of eccentricity.
Seen from the house, the garden set-up felt magical and inviting.
The bar featured these fabulous peacock-shaped lamps and floral fabric coverings for the bar shelves. Colours were quirky and carried a strong retro vibe while the soft wooden colour of the bar details and lamps kept the decor from being too garish.
My hand-painted menus continued the vintage feel with water-colour illustrations and exotic animals and plants.
The bar and lounge areas featured more quirky combinations of over-sized lampshades, candle holders and eccentric flower and cushion combinations.