“To meet a beautiful woman is one thing, but to meet your best friend in the most beautiful of women is something entirely apart.”

When Bridgerton hit Netflix last year, we, like seemingly everyone else, were immediately taken with the lush opulence of the show. The costumes were drool-worthy, the set design was enchanting, and the balls gave us a severe case of FOMO. Needless to say, it got our creative juices flowing!

So we teamed up with an incredible group of vendors and put together a styled photoshoot that would make Shondaland proud.

We started with the details, providing loose blooms to frame the stunning stationery and heirloom jewelry. It’s a simple but effective trick to punch up your detail shots. Flowers are finicky little things, and we prefer to make beauty out of disaster when the heads of our roses pop off mid design!

We were lucky to have two gorgeous models to work with, each with their own unique style, which was perfect for us! Our approach to this shoot was to blend two distinct but complementary floral designs; one with a lush, dark yet effervescent mood and the other with a pastel, wildflower spirit. Think Eloise versus Daphne!

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The first bouquet featured Pink Sarah Bernhardt peonies (our personal favorite) surrounded by peach Juliet and cream White O'Hara garden roses. Additionally, we used astilbe, astrantia, lisianthus in shades of dusty pink, and stock and ranunculus in a creamy peach to pump up the feminine allure. Then, to add texture and shape, we added some smoke bush alongside the bupleurum and olive leaves. The final effect was lavish and enticing.

We wanted the second bouquet to feel a little softer, so we chose a more pastel color palette. The Mother of Pearl & Bluebird roses, surrounded by the dusty rose lisianthus, gave the bouquet its classically romantic feel, while the lilac and viburnum - two spring favorites - softened the bouquet and gave it a more free-spirited vibe. Finally, we rounded out the arrangement with blue tweedia, mauve snapdragons, limonium, and clemati with a flourish of lilac foliage and olive greenery to tie it sweetly to its sister.

For the sweetheart table, we took elements from both bouquets and bolstered their impact with the addition of some deep, romantic florals like burgundy ranunculus, scabiosa, dark viburnum and cotinus foliages, and toffee roses. We added some burgundy hanging amaranthus for dramatic effect but kept the overall tone bold and romantic. The gold of the bud vases and the votive lights highlights the opulent effect we were going for, and since it was a controlled-style shoot, we were able to get away with candlesticks and taper candles!

Pro-tip: Don’t underestimate the power of floral in front of the sweetheart table! Sweetheart table décor can be tricky since we worry about table real estate. The idea is to draw attention to the newlyweds, not cover their faces with flowers! But a striking floral installation in front of the table allows us to create a larger display that will not only draw the attention of your guests but will keep your smiling faces uncovered and leave you enough room for the butter plate.

For the guest table displays, we once again approached them with two styles in mind. One relies more heavily on greenery, with some wildflowers placed throughout mirroring one of the bridal bouquets. It seems simple enough, but the show stopper of the table was the candelabra! After all, no ball would be complete without a dramatically well-lit room.

The second guest table display relied more heavily on the "more is more" mentality of the show and mirrored the darker, lusher bouquet. Here the vases were positively overflowing with dahlias, roses, astilbe, ranunculus, scabiosa, and peonies with a few strategic chamomile blooms for a touch of sweetness. Everywhere you looked, there was a flower to greet you. Even on the plates!

No opulent wedding would be complete without an equally lavish dessert table. We placed a few strategic blooms around the deserts to highlight their texture and compliment their styling, but we didn’t have to do much with desserts this good!