1. Real Weddings

A Modern, Natural Wedding at Perez Art Museum Miami in Miami, Florida

Talk about a marriage of personalities! Kristin Grant (29 and a lawyer) and Andrew Mbaya (38 and in finance) combined his favorite modern decor and he

Talk about a marriage of personalities! Kristin Grant (29 and a lawyer) and Andrew Mbaya (38 and in finance) combined his favorite modern decor and her love of garden-style accents for a custom, ultra-chic wedding. The venue, Perez Art Museum Miami, only enhanced their inspiration. “Perez gave us the best of both worlds,” Kristin says. “We loved the modern architecture of the museum mixed in with the lush greenery of the hanging gardens and the planters. It seemed like the perfect match for our 'secret couture garden' theme.” Planners at Luxe Fete helped bring their vision out of the storybooks with amaranthus-filled arrangements, leaf-inspired linens and lush tablescapes filled with roses from the Flower Bazaar. Their escort cards even held pink watercolor flowers and keys to the garden. After a night of natural ambience and modern music, every guest went home with a little piece of Kristin and Andrew’s hometowns—rum bottles from Barbados and handmade mini bowls from Kenya. See all the jaw-droppingly gorgeous details, beautifully captured by Mademoiselle Fiona, below.

Using their inspiration board from Luxe Fete as a reference, Sarah Rusin Design went to work on a classic ivory invitation suite that fully represented both their tastes. Every piece was lined with a simple yet elegant garland detail in shades of green and blue. The wrap, however, caught the most attention with an unexpected leaf applique.
Of course, Kristin and Andrew's theme called for an incredible bouquet. So she worked with the Flower Bazaar to design an arrangement that was brimming with pink roses, white tea roses, green ranunculus, lamb’s ear, green hypericum and white dahlias. “It doesn’t get any better than that,” Kristin says.
Their ceremony overlooked the Perez Art Museum Miami’s hanging greenery for a gorgeous natural view. The Flower Bazaar's florists made sure the added decor blended in perfectly with the aisle lined in greenery and two overflowing accents. Each had a stone urn filled with amaranthus, white delphiniums, baby’s breath and even more greenery. Kristin and Andrew loved every part of the design!
“It was so lush and perfect,” Kristin says. Their twin arrangements from the Flower Bazaar marked the ceremony space with an abundance of greenery. Hanging amaranthus, white delphiniums and baby’s breath all filled each stone urn on matching stone pedestals. The design couldn't have looked more natural!
Looking for something that fit their secret-garden-inspired theme, Kristin went to Kleinfeld Bridal and found a dress that was covered in different textures and styles. The bodice was lined with tight, chic ruching while the entire skirt was covered with cascading fabric flowers on a sheer overlay.
Instead of choosing a classic black tuxedo, Andrew brought out his personality a bit more with a dapper, midnight navy one by Theory. A white shirt and navy bow tie only enhanced his look. The color contrast also made his grand white rose, pink rose and dusty miller boutonniere from the Flower Bazaar stand out that much more.
“He wanted a very modern, clean wedding and I wanted a garden wedding,” Kristin says. “Perez gave us the best of both worlds.” Their cocktail hour decor highlighted the space's natural beauty with a white piano and immense view of the grounds. The venue’s hanging amaranthus and other lush greenery provided a picturesque backdrop that perfectly fit their theme.
The escort cards from Sarah Rusin Design gave guests a key to their “secret garden.” Each one was decorated with a pink, watercolor flower and laid on a leaf-inspired linen to fit the natural decor.
Instead of having a wedding arbor at their ceremony, Kristin and Andrew had a similar construction at their reception. The raw, wooden sweetheart table was surrounded with a matching four-post structure, covered in greenery, roses and hanging glass orbs.
As for the reception decor, Kristin and Andrew knew they wanted wooden family-style tables. “We thought it fit right in with the raw and unearthed feeling of the Perez Art Museum,” Kristin says. Each one beautifully blended into their garden theme and matched the wooden structure that surrounded their sweetheart table.
The reception tables beautifully represented both Kristin and Andrew’s tastes. His like for modern design came out in the silver chargers and watercolor-decorated menus. Her favorite, garden style, lined the tables with a garland of greenery, eucalyptus, pink roses, blush roses and yellow roses from the Flower Bazaar. Tall and low flameless candles by each place setting also took care of adding this romantic ambience to the room.
Since the wooden tables and lush centerpieces fit Kristin’s garden style, their seating was all Andrew. They chose modern Lucite chairs from Atlas Party Rentals that were so clear, they almost seemed to disappear.
Their wedding favors made the day even more personalized. Kristin and Andrew wanted friends and family members to take home a piece of their hometowns, so they gave out international wedding favors, including rum bottles from Barbados and handmade mini bowls from Kenya. Each box was given a leaf-inspired wrap to match the day's style.
Talk about classic! The pros at Dominique’s Couture Cakes made a tiered, garden-inspired cake covered in white piping and floral details. On top of that, every tier was accented with fresh pink roses, greenery, white roses, pink garden roses or white dahlias.
Greenery-Lined Perez Art Museum Miami Balcony