Modern Tropical Meets the PNW

January 10, 2021Melissa Cushman

Well it’s certainly been a while, and it would be an understatement to say I’m fashionably late on writing about this fabulous shoot from January…2020.

But oh well. #2020

I stumbled upon this amazing opportunity by chance. After working with the one and only Alice of Events with Alice on an anniversary party months earlier, she reached out to me about this modern tropical styled shoot she was working on with the very talented Pump Up Party. She already had a florist, but it was looking like they would need to back out, so Alice decided to take a chance on a lesser known florist just getting back into her floral groove after a 3 year hiatus, aka muh.

The vision and style of the shoot was new for me, as I typically would run in the opposite direction from anything tropical because of my previous floral shop experience, where I was forced to combine huge palm fronds, birds of paradise, and alstroemeria into an assembly line of tacky centerpieces for the masses. But after seeing the beautiful mood board proposing lush reflexed roses, elegant monstera leaf, and a fun color blocking/ombre effect, I was in like the blush and white wedding trend (sorry—bad wedding industry joke).

As soon as I showed up to the shoot I knew these ladies had it together. It was seriously one of the most organized, well planned shoots I’d been to. The venue Dockside at Dukes was gorgeous—waterfront at Lake Union—and featuring a neutral color palette that complimented the maritime pacific northwest perfectly. It also made a wonderful backdrop to the bright colors and vibrant textures of the flowers, rentals, paper goods and desserts. Not to mention the incredible balloon installation created by Pump Up Party. There were so many beautiful and intricate details created by this 20+ team.

The designers and vendors all really hit the “modern tropical” vibe out of the park with this one—creating an exuberant, but still elegant, look for couples considering a winter wedding. We all know the drear that is the PNW in winter, but adding a nod to the tropics has the opportunity to make the off-season, the new in-season.