7 Insanely Over-the-Top Flower Decoration Ideas from Event Design Expert Bryan Rafanelli
The former White House party planner shares statement-making flower installations and more in his new book.
"I have the best job in the world." So says celebrity event planner and designer Bryan Rafanelli in the opening of his debut book, A Great Party: Designing the Perfect Celebration (Rizzoli, 2019). That job, simply put, is to help organizations, families, and individuals celebrate the events that matter most to them, he adds. With a client roster that includes President and Mrs. Obama, Chelsea Clinton (who penned the forward to Rafanelli's book) and Mass General Hospital for Children among others, Rafanelli has had plenty of opportunity to pull off the spectacular in the name of celebrating.
Lucky for the rest of us, the event designer extraordinaire has chronicled much of that magic in his new book. Divided into five sections with over 250 pages of stunning photography and lively anecdotes, Rafanelli shares party ideas and insights from dozens of big-budget events, including several at the White House. He wraps up the tome with seven rules, inspiring readers to make "something from nothing" (think columns clad in red drugstore stick-on gift bows) and plan parties that "tell a story."
To purchase a copy of Rafanelli's book, visit here. In the meantime, scroll through our excerpt of his most spectacular flower decoration ideas below.
A Living Rose Wall
Why deck the halls when you can deck your walls? For a wedding reception held on a custom-fitted barge in Boston Harbor, Rafanelli used a combination of spray roses, garden roses, and South American rose varietals to create a "living wall" surrounding the doors through which guests entered the reception. Tropical ti leaves were added to the wall to add a sense of motion.
Heavenly Wisteria Arches
A secret garden on the water—that's what the bride wanted. So for her wedding and reception at an Istanbul palace overlooking the Bosphorus Strait, Rafanelli eschewed a tent and opted instead for a truss system hung with wisteria to create a lush sense of intimacy without blocking the views. The trellised white flowers, which gently waved in the breeze, created an open "canopy" under which wedding guests dined.
A Carpet of Dahlias
Forget rolling out a red carpet for guests. For a rehearsal dinner that took place on an expansive green lawn with no flowers, Rafanelli used hundreds of vibrant dahlias to create a single, and singularly impactful, floral moment: A swirl of blooms that appear to spill out from an overturned bucket. The shape of the floral carpet echoes that of a woodland boardwalk, also on the property, and the dinner table (see the last photo).
Rose Garlands For Days
Talk about making an entrance: For a welcome dinner at Istanbul's Binbirdirek Cistern, which was built in the fourth century and is one of the oldest underground water reservoirs in the world, Rafanelli looked to local flavor to create a more dramatic entryway.
His first stop? The Grand Bazaar, where he picked up Turkish lanterns and Ottoman rugs, which he used to cover the plain cement entryway. A laser-cut false wall with a Byzantine pattern makes the entry hall seem grander in scale while lush garlands teeming with roses plus thousands of scattered rose petals add romantic softness.
An Entryway Festooned with Cowboy Hats
Consider it the ultimate hat-tip the the party's setting in the American West. For a rehearsal dinner on a cattle ranch, Rafanelli framed the entrance to the horse-riding arena with 500 cowboy hats strung up with red ribbons to a massive garland made of foraged greens. The best part? The hats were removable, and guests were encouraged to don them during the festivities.
Blooming Frames And Doorways
Pink never looked so pretty. For a White House state dinner at which President and Mrs. Obama hosted Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan, Rafanelli took inspiration from Washington's blooming symbol of the friendship between the two countries: the 3,020 cherry trees Tokyo's mayor gave to the United States in 1912.
Here in the East Room, cherry blossom branches grace the tables while roses and peonies in vibrant shades of pink surround antique mirrors and fill in architectural recesses.
The Sexiest Outdoor Table
Nice moves: Simple magenta, pink, and lilac dahlias plus the black-and-white table's sinuous curve complemented Rafanelli's lawn flower arrangement (shown in image #3).
For more insanely gorgeous and over-the-top party decor ideas, purchase a copy of Rafanelli's book here.
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