Modern contemporary wedding style ideas

This modern wedding ideas and inspiration photo shoot, designed by Sapphire Events, was a collaborative effort between Bees Wedding & Event Design, Perrier Party Rentals, and Marissa Lambert Photography. The inspiration for this shoot was the modern Pantone color of the year, Marsala. Pops of this rich, dark color can be seen in the floral arrangements, accents on the Melissa’s Fine Pastries’ cake, the place cards from Cottonwood South, and the Berry Cordial signature drink. To offset the opulent hue, the rest of the décor was light, bright, and traditional, keeping in theme with the backdrop, the classic Melrose Mansion.

When Marissa approached our team for a collaboration, I eagerly accepted the opportunity. Marissa let me know she envisioned an elegant bride with a modern, contemporary design aesthetic, and enlisted my help to design what I thought her wedding might look and feel like if it was a small wedding elopement in a gorgeous mansion set at the edge of the French Quarter.

I pulled some inspiration for modern design elements by first turning to the Pantone trending colors for fashion, interiors, and of course wedding design. At the time, the Pantone color, Marsala, was the “color of the year,” so I focused on that as the driving element of the design. I developed a contemporary, elevated design board drawing from clean lines, minimal objects, and intentional application of contrast. I wanted the rich tones of the reds, burgundy, and deep purple hues to complement the Pantone marsala focus, accented with thoughtful touches of gold detailing and black and white contrasting elements where appropriate. This also plays off of the Melrose Mansion interior design scheme, with gorgeous, bright white columns gracing the front of the home, and the clean lines of the wrought iron gate at the street. Modern wedding ideas abound!

One of my favorite details about this shoot are the shoes I found for the bride to wear! I was scouring the internet for a source on chic, velvet heels that would complement the overall look and feel of the design. When I stumbled across these Mojo Moxy velvet heels with a bow on the ankle, I knew they would be a hit. One of the most asked about details I still receive today are about these shoes! This unexpected twist on the bride’s overall look is what modern wedding ideas are made of!

Imagining an intimate wedding ceremony and reception, I wanted to showcase the benefit of having a small guest count when it comes to design. Where many couples often have to face the challenge of sacrificing something they might have loved in the name of the budget where large guest counts are a concern, small guest counts allow couples to splurge more on the design details because there is simply more of their budget to go around. This is very true for the inspiration I put together for this photo shoot. The floral details on the chairs, the design down the table, the elegant candle arrangement for the perfect, small modern cake design were all touches that I imagined this bride would have made a priority, not wanting to sacrifice style for anything else.

Then for the getaway car, I pictured the newlyweds hopping into a sleek, black sports car and running away together. I found this car at a move set in town and had to have it – complete with floral garland and cheeky “Just Married!” sign attached to the back as the couple drives off into the sunset. I absolutely love the way this project turned out!