TEXTILES.ORG
Nature-inspired accessories enhance the natural beauty of a Midwestern wedding.
Just outside of Fort Wayne, Ind., lies a private estate with expansive green pastures bordered by weathered wood fencing. Trees surround the residence while out-buildings, including stables and a mare barn, complete the pastoral picture.
When A Party Apart, also in Fort Wayne, was hired to provide tent and event rental services for a July wedding on the estate, staff thought the bride’s choice of decor was the perfect fit. “The bride wanted to enhance the natural beauty that was already there,” says Cheryl Brockmann, owner of A Party Apart. “The decor wasn’t country. It wasn’t vintage. It was just a very natural look.”
Natural beauty
The orange and silver color scheme for the three-day event—the rehearsal dinner, the ceremony and reception and a brunch the next day—was complemented by the natural elements of burlap, twine and pages torn from old books. “It didn’t seem right to have white pole covers so we covered every pole and strap with burlap,” says Brockmann. The crew wrapped the center poles and secured the burlap with zip ties before erecting the 60-by-130-foot main tent. The company also installed a 30-foot hex tent for the bar, a 20-by-80-foot kitchen tent and several connecting marquees.
For the rehearsal dinner that took place in the stables, A Party Apart ordered harvest tables to be made by local Amish artisans. The company had the 4-by-8-foot wood-planked tables crafted months in advance, and on the evening of the dinner, lined 10 of them up end to end to create one long table. The company made doily runners to span the table’s centers. “That look is really big right now for weddings and we’ve rented the tables consistently since we had them made several months ago,” Brockmann says.
Many of the floral containers were wrapped in burlap. Strings of thousands of twinkle lights led the way from the ceremony site on the front lawn to the reception area near the mare barn.
Setup, takedown—repeat
The weather was perfect the week leading up to the event—hot summer days with clear blue skies. On the day of the wedding a thunderstorm with high winds delayed the ceremony by 45 minutes. A Party Apart staff moved tall centerpieces to the floor so they wouldn’t be blown over by the wind and then joined the guests in the barn. While the ceremony took place, staff re-set the decorations, so when the guests entered the reception tent all was in order.
Half an hour later a tornado warning forced another evacuation, and the staff again prepared the tent for the possibility of high winds—this time with the help of the guests. “Forty-five minutes later after the storm had blown over we folded napkins again, and put the centerpieces back on the tables again,” Brockmann says. “When the guests returned, it was like they were walking into the party for the first time. Everything was in its place.”