A Burgundy Summer Wedding at 1909
On July 29th, we had the pleasure of working a beautiful summer wedding at 1909 on Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The wedding featured a rich burgundy color palette, serpentine tables, and plenty of lush florals—including lots of hanging amaranthus and silk wisteria.
It was also very hot.
Our day began at the shop around 10:30 a.m., where we prepared everything before making our way to 1909. One of the first challenges of the day came before we even started setting up. The road down to the venue is incredibly steep, and we had a refrigerated truck bringing in and keeping all of the flowers cool. Getting the truck down was one thing, but getting it back up was a whole different story.
Backing a refrigerated truck up that hill was quite the production. It took three people working together to guide the driver back up without hitting anything. Needless to say, we were ready to move on to the actual wedding setup once that was finally accomplished!
As always, our first stop was delivering the personal flowers. Since this wedding was completely outdoors, we then got started on one of the more unique installations of the day: hanging silk wisteria.
Installing the wisteria took a full team effort. Two people worked from ladders to hang the strands while two others stayed on the ground to guide the placement and pass up more wisteria as needed. It was definitely a process, but watching the installation come together was so much fun—and the finished result was absolutely beautiful.
Once the wisteria was in place, we moved on to the rest of the ceremony area. Because this part of the venue had a bit more shade, we were able to lay out the floor pieces ahead of time without worrying quite as much about the flowers sitting in the heat.
The reception featured a mix of floral arrangements designed specifically for the different table shapes. The serpentine tables were decorated with bud vases, while the round tables featured larger floral arrangements filled with beautiful calla lilies and anthuriums. We also had a larger arrangement for the welcome table.
Because the welcome table was sitting in direct sunlight, we decided to wait until closer to the reception before putting that arrangement out. The same went for some of the more delicate flowers, which we kept safely off to the side until it was time to bring them out.
Of course, the flowers weren’t the only thing giving us trouble in the heat.
The couple had requested tall candles in glass hurricanes throughout the reception. We had everything set up and ready to go, but as the temperature climbed, the candles started getting soft. Very soft. They began tipping from side to side, and suddenly keeping a candle upright became one of our biggest challenges of the day.
We tried everything. One of the methods we attempted was melting the bottom of each candle and sticking it directly into the glass to create a stronger base. Unfortunately, the heat had other plans, and the candles continued to lean.
At that point, we could only do our best and hope they cooperated!
As the ceremony wrapped up, the bride and groom and their wedding party headed off for photos, giving us the window we needed to repurpose the ceremony florals. We moved the floor pieces throughout the reception space, placing some at the sweetheart table, some around the DJ area, and others near the cake inside.
Finally, it was time for the finishing touches. We brought out the remaining reception flowers, placed the larger arrangements on the round tables, and lit all of the candles.
By around 5:30 p.m., we were finished and ready to head home.
This wedding was definitely one of those days where the heat, the steep hill, and all the hauling back and forth made setup a workout of its own. But seeing everything come together made it completely worth it. From the hanging wisteria to the burgundy florals and unique serpentine tables, 1909 on Topanga Canyon Boulevard made for a beautiful backdrop to a truly memorable summer wedding.
