La Dolce Vita: Gorgeous Italian Inspiration For The Nearly Wed
September 24, 2018
Annette Kirkhuff of Wheat and Honey Events in Simi Valley transported guests to southern Italy with a vibrant design punctuated by the spicy red hue of dried Italian hot peppers. “I wanted to capture the feeling of staying at a bed-and-breakfast where they cook the most amazing food,” she explains. Joined by Italian native Jessica Mangia of Jessica Grazia Mangia Photography, based in Sherman Oaks, Kirkhuff found a home for the idea against the backdrop of the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve in the Santa Monica Mountains. The preserve includes a classic 1930s-era California ranch house and 5,000 acres of protected parkland. “I wanted to stay true to the design of my home country with the colors, food, decor and style representing more than just a picturesque Italian scene,” notes Mangia.
Photograph by Jessica Grazia Mangia
Inspired by bougainvillea flowers, which bloom throughout Italy’s summer months, Unique Floral Designs arranged a mix of vibrant red flowers, including garden roses, ranunculus, parrot tulips and anemones, punctuated with dried Italian peppers and the deep green of Italian ruscus, in a variety of stone and metal vases. Party Pleasers’ vintage cut-glass glassware and votives contributed an elegant note. “I wanted red and green to be the center of the attention, all perfectly blended with neutral tones,” notes Mangia. “Together, the shades are colorful yet still elegant.”
Reminiscent of an Italian home kitchen, Party Pleasers’ (partypleasers.com) vintage white shelving unit adds visual interest as a bar back or backdrop to a food station. Fresh rosemary and dried chili pepper wreaths by Unique Floral Designs (uniquefloraldesigns.com) lend a colorful note to the shelves, which are filled with home essentials, such as fresh oranges, jars of dry pasta, bottles of olive oil, and patterned linens and napkins from Luxe Linen (luxelinen.org).
