Purple reigns at this fete, where a juxtaposition of contemporary and traditional styles creates a hip new look. Here, single-bloom bouquets of allium, roses, and freesia are propped in old-fashioned containers. Event design by Nico de Swert, nicodeswert.com.
Sleek white plates sit on pewter chargers, and clear hurricanes share space with purple glass votives. Large hurricanes and candlestick holders, by William Yeoward Crystal, williamyeowardcrystal.com. Medium hurricanes by Simon Pearce, simonpearce.com. China, flatware, pewter, and select linens, from Party Rental Ltd., partyrentalltd.com. Stemware by Juliska, juliska.com.
Our escort-card hedge is as charming as a perfectly manicured topiary—and a lot more functional! We created it by pasting green lemon leaves to a foam ball and interspersing white escort cards. Table-runner fabric from Waverly, waverly.com.
Lanterns hanging from a lemon-leaf wreath cast a warm glow on the unique display. Lanterns from Barreveld, barreveld.com.
To the manor born: A long table is a striking design element and also helps encourage a convivial atmosphere. Ours is adorned with a whimsically draped canopy and updated versions of antique armchairs. Shot on location at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, NYC, ndm.si.edu. Canopy from Waverly, waverly.com. Louis Ghost chairs by Kartell, kartellus.com.
For the reception's signature cocktails, we add a touch of grape juice and a handful of blueberries to flutes of champagne.
A leaf icon, lilac ink, and matching envelope liners make clean, modern invitations just playful enough—and the hue also perfectly matches the garden's flora. Invitations and reply cards, $7 each, from A2 Paperie, a2paperie.com.
Light, summery food is ideal for an outdoor wedding. For the main course, we paired seared black bass with earthy sweet corn-and-lobster "hash browns."
Sometimes the sweetest things are also the tiniest: A summer vegetable timbale appetizer is packed with seasonal flavor. Food, by Executive Chef Tim McLaughlin of Restaurant Associates, restaurantassociates.com.
For favors, we put candy in boxes with paper and ribbon. Boxes from Bags & Bows, bagsandbowsonline.com. Paper from Kate's Paperie, katespaperie.com. Ribbon by Offray, offray.com. Purple candy by Violette. Lilac candy by Koppers Chocolate, kopperschocolate.com.
Who says a sleek, modern cake should be presented with restraint? We put ours on a throne and added a canopy of shimmery crushed organza. A toasted-almond torte is iced with fondant, filled with three-berry preserves and semisweet truffles, and topped with a topiary of gumpaste lilacs. Cake by Collette Foley Specialty Baking, $1,675, serves 175, collettefoley.com.
