Limoncello: A Taste of Italy

In May of 2021 we held our second Green Wedding Guild Styled Shoot challenge! This event gives planners the opportunity to create a styled shoot focusing on green wedding inspiration, to showcase the various ways a couple might choose to plan their weddings with sustainability in mind. We encourage planners to think outside the box and try options they may not have worked with before, whether that's foam free florals, rental attire, or vegan dessert!

This year's styled shoot event took place in Raleigh, NC at Bill Scott Pavilion. Next in our series of styled shoots from the Guild's May event is this Limoncello design planned and styled by KaraMia Events! Check out some of the images by Copper Key Photo below, and learn more about the inspiration behind Maria's design!

A bride is ivory skirt and shimmery bodice stands next to a farm table in the grass, in front of a lake. She holds a bouquet in her right hand. The table is set with candles, flowers, glassware, and purple napkins.

What inspired your theme/style?

The theme was inspired by the Amalfi Coast in Italy, which is known for its lemons, blue and white tiles, and limoncello liqueur. I also love the symbolism of lemons, which stands for longevity, fidelity, purification, love, and friendship, plus yellow is such a happy color!

Tell us about the flowers you used!

I worked with Lisa from Fireside Farm to source locally grown seasonal blooms and greenery, and all of the arrangements were put together without the use of floral foam! Conventional wholesale fresh flowers tend to have a higher carbon footprint, but if sourced with intention and a bit of flexibility, you can absolutely have sustainable fresh flowers. I gave Lisa a color palate and general vibe, and had no particular type of flower in mind, and she did not disappoint! I am so pleased with how the florals looked for this shoot!

A few more highlights:

Dress: The dress was provided by Silviyana Weddings, a sustainable designer based in Washington, USA. This design, The Pauline, is made of hand-woven pineapple and recycled silk fabric and is lined with organic cotton and horsehair tulle. I love the silhouette of this dress, and how the gold sequins worked with the yellow tones of the shoot's color palette.

Jewelry: Joint Venture is a jewelry consignment shop located in Cary, NC and specializes in vintage consigned jewelry. They are a great place to sustainably find beautiful secondhand pieces!

Rentals: A combination of rentals provided by DeeJay's Event Rentals and Southern Vintage Table pulled this design together! The chairs from Deejay's were perfect for this design, as were the blue and white pieces from SVT.

Dessert Table: Taylor's Street Sweets vegan lemon cake and mini crumb cakes were out of this world, and mini mason jars filled with homemade limoncello make a great consumable favor!

Stationary: Whole Weddings designed a beautiful all-in-one invitation and Vow books all on seeded paper!

What else would you like to share about this shoot?

I had such a great time putting this shoot together! I even made actual limoncello for it using Zero Waste Chef's recipe! Our model couple, Maryann and Logan, are a sweet military couple who had been married at a courthouse, so this was a fun opportunity for them and resulted in stunning photos that they will have forever! I loved working with this talented group of vendors and alongside two other fantastic teams, which made for a truly enjoyable day. I'm already looking forward to the next Styled Shoot Challenge!