Colorful and Modern San Francisco Doorstep Elopement

If we’ve gained anything from this pandemic, it’s been creative ways to celebrate life’s biggest moments. We’ve seen virtual engagement parties, drive-by bridal showers, zoom weddings, you name it. But I particularly love the concept of doorstep celebrations -- from the safety of your home, you can get super creative and unique to your style, and invite friends, family, neighbors, and all sorts of passersby in on the action. You may have seen this Brooklyn stoop wedding (and those flowers!?), which is what really got me thinking. 

Courtney of Photoflood Studio and I got to brainstorming, and set out to transform a classic San Francisco doorstep for Jordyn and Nik’s elopement portrait session. Since Jordyn and Nik were so flexible and open to ideas, we had extra fun with this one and decided to use it as a way to serve up inspiration for anyone looking to host drive-by celebrations -- whether it be a baby shower, birthday party, bridal shower, elopement, etc.

When I envision city doorsteps in the fall season, my mind goes straight to clusters of pumpkins, hay bails, and mum plants. But for this I aimed for a contemporary twist on the traditional autumnal setting. 

I incorporated vibrant hues via a color blocking technique, in shades of orange, yellow, pink, and gold. To keep *some* tradition, I included the mums, but then layered in bright orange marigolds, pink anthuriums, fluffy celosia, bubblegum pink orchids, and tall golden lace hydrangea to add some unexpected ingredients and textures. 

My goal was to create this entire installation foam-free, using sustainable mechanics only. All mums were left in their original pots and repurposed afterward, and the rest of the installation was designed using kenzan pins in shallow dishes to maintain a water source. 

For Jordyn’s bouquet, I challenged myself to use one ingredient, and one ingredient alone -- lace hydrangea. There’s a short window where these are in season, and as they start to turn, their soft delicate petals turn crisp and golden and dry permanently that way. By far one of my favorite ingredients to work with! 

So what are your thoughts -- would you host a doorstep event!? 

VENDORS

Photography: Photoflood Studio

Floral Design: Anastasia Andenmatten

Anastasia Andenmatten is a floral design studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area with a modern approach to customizing florals for weddings, businesses, and events.

An Intimate Spring Wedding at Central Kitchen

I have a thing for Friday weddings. Maybe I am biased because I myself was married on a Friday. But let me tell you, when I first heard of the grooms’ plans, I was so happy they reached out and gave me the opportunity to design their wedding flowers. 

Paul and Chen married at San Francisco’s City Hall on a sunny Spring morning. From there, they headed to lunch to celebrate with 20 of their closest friends. What a way to start a weekend.

THE VENUE

The couple chose Central Kitchen, a restaurant and private event space located in the heart of the Mission. They had the upstairs space (fittingly called The Upstairs) to themselves. It's industrial and modern, with paned windows up to the ceiling overlooking 20th Street, cement floors, and earthy artwork by Melissa Dickenson. The oversized communal tables are perfect for a special group meal. Created by the Ne Timeas Restaurant Group to focus on culinary adventures, the food is by Chef Thomas McNaughton of neighboring Flour + Water. This venue is a good one. 

THE FLOWERS

The grooms chose simple orchid boutonnieres for their City Hall nuptials. For the party flowers, their only request was “yellow, spring.” With that, I let the season dictate the ingredients. When I saw these yellow tree peonies, I knew they'd be the focal point. I wanted the arrangements to be asymmetrical and full of texture, so I chose spirea for height and white lilac for depth. Pieris Japonica went in next, spilling over the edge of the ceramic vases. From there, I worked in butter yellows with tulips, butterfly ranunculus, and geranium leaf. Icelandic poppies added some playfulness. I incorporated mokara orchids and tangerine geum for a splash of orange. 

I feel like I say this of every season, but early Spring is one of the best times at the flower market. The options for flowers are endless, full of spring fragrance, and always make me excited for the weeks and months to come. 

GRATITUDE

Celebrations like this one remind me that weddings can come in all shapes and sizes. I had so much fun working on this for Paul and Chen, and wish them all the best in this next chapter.

THOUGHTS

Here are a few other San Francisco restaurants with private dining spaces that would be perfect for a small wedding or party (and places I would love to design flowers for!):

• Marlowe (SoMa) 

• Park Tavern (North Beach)

• Octavia (Pac Heights) 

• Cotogna (Jackson Square)  

• Twenty Five Lusk (SoMa)  *I’ll be here to flower a wedding in July! 

• Del Popolo (TenderNob) 

• The Progress (Nopa)

• Che Fico (Nopa)

• Foreign Cinema (Mission) *see the wedding I did there here

• Fiorella (Outer Richmond)

• Stable Cafe (Mission)