My husband and I spent two weeks exploring Morocco last spring and I was completely taken by the colors of the country. Though there’s an explosion of color as you wander the souqs of the medinas, I was particularly struck by the color palette woven into everyday Moroccan life. From the terra cotta found in both the deserts and the kasbahs, to the seafoam-colored doors favored by Moroccans, to the rusty reds found both in rugs and on walls, to the misty mauve of sunset over the Sahara, to the airy white blossoms of the almond trees, to the marble of the palaces and the brass of the Berber lamps… every inch was enchanting.
I came home from Morocco refreshed and inspired and bubbling with ideas for this styled shoot! I dreamed of a pale seafoam blue dress, and Modern Trousseau provided the perfect option. Obviously, I couldn’t do a Moroccan shoot without a stunning rug, and fortunately Jennifer of Feather & Oak had the perfect terracotta rug in her collection. Between a beautiful marble table from 12th Table and two stunning backdrops from Telicia Lee, the scene was set. Tableware from West Elm and silk ribbon from Tono & Co completed the tablescape, accented with a brass Berber candle I brought back from Morocco. Amanda Gros worked her hair and makeup magic on our stunning model, Jordyn Stallings. All of this came together so beautifully, but could not have been enjoyed by others were it not for Austin Gros capturing it all so perfectly!
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My inspiration demanded spring flowers, which was part of my hurry to make the shoot happen as soon as we got home from our trip in March! Spirea, clematis, butterfly ranunculus, fritillaria, chocolate cosmos, dogwood, and more all worked together to create a textured design that was finished with tulips and textural accents from Restoration Rose.
The flowers I selected for these arrangements are pure, unadulterated spring! There’s no other time of the year that you can get this specific combination of florals. Spring flowers have a delicate, airy feel and I wanted to highlight a few favorites in this shoot. Look closely, there are many different types of flowers, textures, and foliages in these arrangements!
Ranunculus: I included several varieties of ranunculus, among them butterfly ranunculus (my absolute favorite!). Ranunculus are available throughout the year, but the ones available in the spring are always my favorite because they’re usually super sturdy and you can’t always find the varieties and colors included here!
Clematis: I chose to use clematis because the starry shape was a perfect nod to Moroccan lamps! Clematis is another dainty spring flower that comes in a lovely array of hues from pale lavender to warm magenta!
Icelandic Poppies: The queens of spring, especially because they can be so difficult to time perfectly. The fuzzy buds pop open suddenly and then only last a short while before wilting away. An extra challenge: bunches of these come with a variety of colors ranging from soft peach to ivory to brilliant orange and you don’t always know which color you’re going to get!
Hellebores: You may recognize these from your mother’s garden and know them by a different name: Lenten Rose. They bloom through the winter and into the spring and offer the perfect hues of mauve, dusty rose, and cream.
Lisianthus: In the past, Lisianthus has had a bad reputation as a basic flower most often used in boring flower shops, but she’s made a solid comeback. I used the Roseanne variety and it’s pretty hard to beat that dusty rose color!
Fritillaria: Another superstar of spring flowers! Only available for a short window in the spring, they come in mauve and cream in several different amazing varieties. A must-use if you’re having a mauve/purple spring wedding!
Tulips: These deep eggplant beauties were locally grown in Nashville by Restoration Rose!
Spirea: This one might look familiar because it grows in the wild all over the Southern United States! I particularly love using spirea to create airy, organic shape. It’s specifically a spring flower and is really hard to recreate outside of the season.
Begonia leaves: All the doors in Morocco were painted this amazing pale seafoam blue so I wanted to draw that into my color palette, which is surprisingly difficult in flower world if you’re not including eucalyptus. Those begonia leaves fit the bill perfectly!
Cappuccino Roses: Terra Cotta is a prominent color throughout Morocco and cappuccino roses were the perfect way to bring that color out in my arrangements! Like most varieties of roses, these are available basically year round!
A huge thank you to all the amazing vendors who made this happen:
Floral Design and Styling: Rosemary & Finch
Photography: Austin Gros
HMU: Amanda Gros
Backdrop: Telicia Lee
Model: Jordyn Stallings
Dress: Modern Trousseau
Rug: Feather & Oak
Table and Chairs: Mayker
Tableware: West Elm
Silk Ribbon: Tono & Co
Flowers: Mayesh and Restoration Rose
