And while our first response was mild panic: florist is closed, decorations are out of reach and stylist Sarah and I are in lockdown, separated from each other, turns out there was a whole heap of beautiful decorations to be found without even leaving my front gate.

So with inspiration from Stylist Sarah, keeping with the rustic spirit of the Cinque Terre and using yellow, the colour of spring and the colour to brighten even the darkest of days, we pulled together this Easter table decoration tutorial for the community.

You’ll see we used local muted succulents that can be found all year long growing here in the Cinque Terre, bright Monterosso lemons and wild playful Daisies and Buttercup that I found sprouting from a crack in the road in front of my home. Limoncino bottles hand-painted by my mother-in-law served as the vases. And we raised the table setting to a level of meaningful celebration by including metallic details in the candle-holders, painted eggs and ribbon napkin holders. And if Stylist Sarah had been with me, with her magical pens and calligraphy powers, she would have finished off the setting by delicately scrolling guests’ names on each egg. Then we could have called ourselves the Geese that Laid the Golden Egg place cards, and laughed quietly at ourselves, as no one else would have found it funny.

Anyway, once we got started there was no stopping us, under the same theme Sarah found endless ways to get creative in lockdown and now we have enough Easter table decorations for five Easters!

So, if like us, you are looking to decorate your Easter table, without leaving home, hopefully our simple centerpieces will help give you some ideas. You can check out our Easter table settings by turning your gaze below.

But before you do, from all of us here at Cinque Terre Wedding, we wanted to say a big thank you to all our couples, some from as far back as 2011, who have contacted us over the past five weeks of lockdown to check in – a great excuse to reconnect with old friends. All is well here where we fortunately have no cases – one of the perks of living in tiny isolated fishing villages.

And we also wanted to wish you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and happy Easter.

Now let’s get creative!

Written by Melina Nicholson. Photos by Melina Nicholson and Sarah Pozzi.

The post Easter Table Decoration – lockdown style! appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

We know that from the 1300s to the start of the 1900s there was 500 years of trend setting fabulousness influencing flower design around the globe.

The Baroque period is the second era we explore as part of our five part series on the Five European Influences on Modern Day Flora Design. And in part 1 here we explored the first major historical era of this period: the Renaissance and also revealed our modern day take on this magnificant bygone age.

So now let’s dive back into the Baroque period, and be equally blown away by all the inspiration we can use today to create a Baroque wedding in the Cinque Terre, Italy.

Blending into the end of the Renaissance, the period of Baroque ran from around 1600 to 1750. It built onto the Renaissance period, exagerating it with more ornamental decorations. So for flower design, think about adding details like shells, birds nests and lots of swirling leaf details. Flower design was big, tall and deep and bold in colour with oval and symetrical arrangements ruling the time. Greenery was more plentiful too as was metallics for vases. Think dark, moody opulence and drama, lots of drama.

So for a step back into the past think of the Dutch, Flemish and Belgian greats that dominated this period: the Dutch, Ast and his Flowers in a Vase with Shells and Insect, Rebrandt’s Saskia van Uylenburgh as Flora, goddess of spring and flowers, and Mignon for his Vase of Flowers, along with the Veerendael and his Flowers in a Glass Vase, Butterfly and Beetle on a Stone Ledge.

For the who’s who of the Baroque world think English Queen Anne and Belgian Anthony van Dyck.

So if you are thinking of having a destination wedding in Europe, and in particular Italy, here are 7 inspirational images from that time to inspire a Baroque wedding:

Photo credits (clockwise):Balthasar /  Veerendael   / Luca Giordano / Queen Anne / Mignon / Rembrant / Antony Van Dyck

For our modern twist on the Baroque period we take the deep reds, our big buds and all that drama for a destination wedding here in the Cinque Terre. So here are 8 more reasons to  love a Baroque wedding:

Photo credits (clockwise): Tulle and Chantilly Centerpiece / Strictly Weddings Bouquet, Pinterest Centerpiece / Tulle and Chantilly Centerpiece / Style Me Pretty Floral Crown / Style Me Pretty Bouquet   / House of Felliot Centerpiece /Magnolia Rouge Bouquet /  Elegant Wedding Invites Bouquet

To explore the next European Influence on Mondern Day Flora Design enjoy part 3: the pretty Rococo era here. 

To celebrate your Baroque Wedding here on the Cinque Terre of Italy contact us here.

Written by Melina Nicholson

The post 15 reasons to love a baroque wedding: flower design to inspire appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.