Weddings | Finch and Thistle

{ Monday, March 27, 2017 }

New E-Design Service for Weddings!

category: E-Design Service, Home, Weddings

I have exciting news! After running Finch & Thistle as a full-service event design and planning studio for the last nine years, I have decided to branch out into e-design services for clients who cannot afford to hire a designer but still want to achieve a beautiful and cohesive look to their wedding or event. Working remotely with clients enables me to bring my design services to clients all over the world in addition to continuing to provide full event design and planning services to clients locally.

Here’s a little bit of information about how the process works:

1. Purchase the design package in my ETSY SHOP
2. Fill out the detailed questionnaire that I will email to you.
3. Add a link to your Pinterest Board(s)
4. I get to work putting together a detailed branding and event design board that you can implement yourself or hire local vendors to implement.
5. Turnaround time is around 10 days from the time you send back your questionnaire.
6. One revision is included.

…and here’s what you will receive:

A PDF DOCUMENT that gives you…

1. A cohesive color palette for the event
2. A separate color palette for the floral design
3. Branding examples for stationery/website
4. Decorative rental suggestions within your described budget
5. Floral design suggestions
6. Display ideas (dessert table, guest book, photobooth, seating chart etc)

PLUS, I can also include rental shopping lists, vendor referrals, and sources for decorative pieces in a customized package. Event design at a fraction of the usual price!

Here’s a peek at an example of what you would receive and some pictures from the actual wedding to show how the design could be implemented…

For more information, check out our new shop here: Finch & Thistle Weddings.

Tagged: design boards, e-design for weddings, event design, Finch Thistle Weddings, mood boards, remote design services, wedding design

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{ Friday, February 24, 2017 }

Nautical Summer Wedding at Seattle’s Admiral’s House

category: Home, Weddings

This was such a delightful wedding to plan because Annie is an old friend from college. We met as Freshmen at The University of Puget Sound but had only stayed in touch via social media in the thirteen years since graduation, so it was lovely to hear that she was getting married and would like my help with the planning and decor.

Annie and Kevin were married last July at The Admiral’s House in Magnolia. With some dubious weather on the horizon, we played it safe and ordered a clear tent for their garden ceremony and a marquee for the reception on the front lawn. Annie wanted brighter pops of color and a small nod to a nautical theme which inspired the gorgeous, raw linen napkins and runners in navy and taupe which we layered over a very pale grey tablecloth. To add some vibrancy to the flowers, we added orange dahlias and tangerines in the tablescapes. My favorite part was creating the ceremony arbor which we covered in green plum branches, sweet pea vines, garden roses and dahlias. Julie Harmsen took these lovely photos.

Tagged: Admiral's House Seattle, Finch & Thistle Event Design, julie harmsen photography, Nautical Wedding, Seattle event planner

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{ Monday, January 2, 2017 }

Published GWS: Provencale Country Club Wedding

category: event design, floral design, Home, Weddings

Leslie and Glan’s love of Provence inspired all the details of their Everett Country Club wedding (down to the photo booth!) which was featured on Green Wedding Shoes. Photography courtesy of Jagger Photography.

The ceremony took place on the First Fairway with a custom built arch draped in garlands and custom crocheted linen held with floral tie-backs. We used loose bunches of lavender, boughs of pears and market baskets to define the space where the bride and groom would stand. Guests were greeted with strawberry water and lavender lemonade as they found their seats. Cocktail hour took place on a patio lit with cafe lights and guests found their tables at the dried herb bundle escort card display.

In terms of decor, I started with herbs and lavender and went from there adding soft grey linens, hemstitch napkins, vineyard chairs, cream draping, cafe lights and beautiful rattan chargers. We filled the long banquet tables with garden compote arrangements, potted herbs and topiaries and brass candlesticks. The arrangements overflowed with local fruiting blueberries, garden roses in peach, coral and butter yellow, zinnias, apple blossom dahlias, pears on the branch and lots and lots of flowering herbs. They were a riot of color and soft fragrance. Each place setting had a sprig of lavender and was accented with lace.

The sweetheart table was set on the stage so the couple could look out over the reception space. We styled the dusty blue vintage couch and farm table with french market baskets and overturned vintage apple baskets overflowing with lavender and garden roses. The cake was also displayed on the stage on top of a vintage dresser with pear boughs filling the open drawers.

Tagged: Finch & Thistle Event Design, green wedding shoes, Jagger Photography, Provence wedding, seattle event design, seattle wedding planner

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{ Monday, September 12, 2016 }

Spring Wedding at Chihuly Garden & Glass

category: Home, Weddings

These clients married in a medieval chapel on a private estate just outside Seattle. They wanted the chapel to have a dreamy, forest feel and I had an amazing time dreaming up the altar installation of Japanese snowbell, privet, foxglove and clematis. By contrast, the Chihuly Glass museum is bright and airy with a huge glass poppy installation. This was the biggest set up we’ve ever had to do in a two hour window and I tried to keep that in mind with the event design as it was easy to get carried away with the greenhouse theme. We brought in potted vine maples and soft seating, created a custom bar backdrop and hanging plants to decorate the tented courtyard. I designed three styles of tables and a greenhouse inspired dessert table backdrop complete with custom 5′ wide laser cut monogram and trailing moss and orchids. The florals were filled with garden roses, mock orange, ranunculus, peonies and kumquats. Italian poppies in sherbet shades added a pop of color and served to incorporate the infamous Chihuly glass installation. Photography by Stephanie Cristalli with assistance by Jenn Tai. Event design, styling and floral by Finch & Thistle Event Design.

Tagged: chihuly garden and glass seattle, chihuly wedding, finch and thistle event design, seattle event designer, spring wedding, stephanie cristalli photography, wedding design

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{ Friday, August 19, 2016 }

Published SMP: Dreamy Washington Winter Wedding

category: Home, press, Weddings

I am thrilled to see Krissy and David’s dreamy winter wedding featured on the front page of Style Me Pretty today! It is always a treat to work with your industry besties and this wedding was a true collaboration between myself, stationery designer Sally Balt at La Happy and fine art film photographers Scott and Ashlee O’Malley. The gorgeous bride is actually one of Sally and Ashlee’s best friends and if you look closely, you’ll see that they were both bridesmaids in this wedding too. For a full album, take a look at the SMP post here.

Tagged: Finch & Thistle Event Design, Foliage Runners, Head Table Design, la happy, O'Malley Photographers, Rosehill Community Center, Spring Wedding Flowers, Style Me Pretty Wedding, winter wedding, Winter Wedding Flowers

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{ Wednesday, March 23, 2016 }

Woodland Wedding at Alderbrook Resort

category: floral design, Home, Weddings

This wedding was such a treat to design but the install day shall be forever burned into my memory because I was suffering from horrendous morning sickness (at only 8 weeks pregnant), couldn’t keep a thing down and had to rely on my amazing team to do the heavy lifting (literally – we had wood stumps to haul around!) All that aside, I always love going back to Alderbrook because that is where Grant and I got married almost 9 years ago. It is a beautiful, sophisticated, quintessential Pacific Northwest hotel and spa with all the charm of a 1950’s summer camp. Guests relax on their balconies or around the firepits and look out over the Hood Canal and the Olympic mountains beyond. Seals have even been known to swim with you along the boat dock.

Kristin and Marty wanted a woodland feel to their beautiful day with lots of ferns and woodgrain details. For the ceremony, we lined the aisle with wood stumps and potted ferns in distressed garden pots. For the tented reception, we created three huge chandeliers of greenery and white flowers and then added color to the tables with floral arrangements in coral, orange and pink. It was a beautiful, festive, joyful day photographed beautifully by Angela and Evan Photography and expertly coordinated by Chesney of All the Flutter.

Tagged: alderbrook resort and spa, alderbrook wedding, Angela and Evan Photography, finch and thistle event design, floral and event design, seattle

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{ Tuesday, February 16, 2016 }

Summer Corson Building Wedding

category: event design, Home, Weddings

It’s always fun to watch an old friend get married and even more fun when that friend is a fellow artist with excellent taste. Sarah is an art history professor who specializes in ancient Italian art so the decision to host her August wedding at the Corson Building was an easy one. Sarah and Mark wanted their wedding to feel like a large Italian dinner party and the Corson Building’s Tuscan style villa and beautiful gardens were a perfect match. For the event design and floral, I drew inspiration from the landscapes and gardens of Italy, with lush garden flowers in soft pastel tones, bowls of oranges, persimmons, grapes on the vine, and organic herbs. Guests feasted on locally caught, foraged, grown, and harvested products, served family style. I can personally guarantee that not only was it the best food I have ever eaten at a wedding or event, it was the best food I have ever eaten. Period. Each moment of this gorgeous gathering was beautifully captured by Ryan Flynn and was published on Elizabeth Anne Designs.

Tagged: Corson Building, event design, Finch & Thistle Event Design, floral design, seattle

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{ Thursday, December 31, 2015 }

Modern, Foodie Wedding at The Corson Building

category: event design, floral design, Home, Weddings

Ornella and Lucas’ wedding this August at The Corson Building was definitely one of my favorite weddings to date. Ornella wanted an intimate, stylish and fun dinner party for 60 of their closest friends and family with no detail too small to be overlooked and an overall feeling of modern, casual elegance. Together, she and I chose a bold and vibrant color scheme of navy, burgundy, blush and gold while her planner, Katie Aweida of Wonderstruck Event Design, brought in fabulous bulb-lit initials, romantic soft seating, sweet cashmere wraps and a stacked cigar bar. We worked with Sally Balt at La Happy to create a stunning burgundy and gold foil invitation suite including gold and navy place cards in Sally’s signature calligraphy. We draped the clear top tent with gorgeous garlands and created a hanging ombre installation for the ceremony and dessert display. The navy linen runners contrasted with a dupioni silk blush napkin and strings of gold sequins were an unexpected touch in place of ribbon. We created ombre burgundy-palest blush arrangements overflowing with garden roses, herbs, bay leaves and raspberries – a nod to the couples’ family restaurants (Un Bien ) and history in the Seattle food world. We contested an enormous storm the day of the wedding with the tent threatening to take off in the gale force winds and the tent sides coming undone and knocking over the chairs and tabletop decor. It was a stressful setup but the end result was glamorous and beautiful as the couple celebrated their evening ceremony and reception during a serendipitous break in the weather and photographer Kristen Marie Parker captured the festive mood perfectly.

If you’d like to see more from Ornella and Lucas’ wedding day, I’m happy to share their amazing video by Wade Koch of Shark Pig Productions:

Tagged: Finch & Thistle Event Design, foodie wedding, Kristen Marie Photography, ombre flowers, seattle event designer, Shark Pig Productions, The Corson Building

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{ Thursday, December 3, 2015 }

Published: Seattle Bride Classic Ballroom Wedding

category: event design, floral design, Home, Weddings

I absolutely loved working with Hanna and Brian to plan and design their Washington Athletic Club wedding last summer and it was so fun to relive the memories of this classic and elegant wedding when it was published by Seattle Bride. Like many of my clients, Hanna and Brian live out of state so we collaborated on their wedding remotely and with a few in-person meetings to make site visits and round out the details. For such a large, formal wedding, it truly felt like a family affair: Hanna and Brian’s high school best friend made the stunning cake and macarons, Hanna’s cousin is the photographer who shot the wedding, a friend of theirs provided the Tesla for the getaway car, and her mom collaborated with me on many of the small details such as the portrait display for the escort cards and the fun confetti shower surprise during the first dance.

Here’s how Hanna described their day…

“Our wedding really showcased local and national vendors. Our photographers captured the natural beauty of summer in Seattle and the love in the air on our wedding day. My cousin Lindsey is a phenomenal photographer with her teammate Leah, both based in Austin, TX. Our close friend and professional baker from Midori Bakery made our 5 tiered carrot cake topped with gorgeous sugar flowers and our wedding favor macaroons. People are still raving about them! The wedding planning, florals, and decor were done beautifully by Rachel Bowes of Finch and Thistle Event Design. We would highly recommend all of our vendors to future brides! The Washington Athletic Club handled our group flawlessly and we all felt at ease!

The whole day felt like a fairy-tale. Traditional details included my fiance and I seeing each other for the first time when I walked down the aisle with my father, I used the gold pocket watch my late grandfather gave me to wrap my bouquet and I hand-sewed my own chapel length veil. Modern touches included the white Tesla electric car that drove us from our church to the reception, our first dance song was “All of Me” by John Legend, and our final dance was”Magic” by Coldplay while surprise confetti fell onto the dance floor. Looking back, we wouldn’t change a thing!”

Tagged: Finch & Thistle Event Design, seattle event designer, seattle floral designer, The Life You Love Photography, Villa Academy, WAC wedding

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{ Monday, September 21, 2015 }

Published: Styled Elopement on Green Wedding Shoes

category: floral design, Home, Weddings

I am finally getting around to blogging this dreamy Pacific Northwest elopement shoot we did last fall with Kristen Marie Parker that was featured on Green Wedding Shoes earlier this year. Looking over all the images again has definitely put me in the mood for the quickly arriving Autumn weather and pumpkin spice everything…

Tagged: elopement, Finch & Thistle Event Design, green wedding shoes, homestead seattle, Kristen Marie Photography, PNW wedding, seattle wedding flowers

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