Olive green & lemon tablescape design, fit for a summer garden event

I promised myself this year to really lean into using more colour, so that I could add more personality into my work, sharing my love for bold botanical styling. Experimenting in my studio with different colour combinations is really important to me as a designer as I can play with my creativity as soon as I feel inspired, acting on ideas rather than waiting for a styled shoot to be organised. I have also been keen to practice my flower skills, creating different floral arrangements to build my confidence, playing with the flowers I've grown myself from seed. I can't tell you how satisfying it feels to nip in my own garden and bring a bunch of freshly grown flowers inside to play with. I think this look would set the scene perfectly for a garden dinner party, but the ideas can easily be used as a wedding tablescape design, which I will share how to do below, as you can definitely use the ideas in varies ways. 

Olive green & lemon colour scheme

I have a slight obsessed with the colour olive green at the minute, it's so organic. I love dark green tones but it's so freeing to play with other shades of green for a change, that allow the other colours you pair it with, to really stand out. It works beautifully with mauve shades, but I wanted to add a different dynamic with lemon yellow to give a different look with summer vibes. It made a really interesting colour palette with pops of white and gold to complete the look and add some warmth.

Garden gathered floral table centrepeice

I started creating this design with the flower arrangement. It was full of honeysuckle, ammi, cosmos, scabious flowers, salvia and verbena. Arranged delicately to provide a 'picked from the garden' wild look. This could easily be used as wedding centrepiece for the top table table, sweetheart table or for a ceremony table. These flowers would look lovely in bud vases too. I would suggest green glass bottles to make the colours of the flowers show up really well. And the tones of different greens I think looks really unusual together. Let's not forget the smell either! Honeysuckle has a beautiful scented aroma which is very delicate. I think it's important not to over power your guests with scent, but by added a few scented flowers provides guests with a gorgeous sensory experience as well.

Botanical table decorations

I wanted this tablescape to feel like a romantic summer in a botanical garden, hence adding some tall candle light down the middle. This makes all the difference to the atmosphere and adds an extra elegance to the dainty flowers included. Gold candle holders with lilac and twisted yellow candles add personality and a fun summer vibe. Green crystal wine goblets and folded table numbers with a gold wax seal add luxurious touches that elevate the table to the next level. Lemons add a fresh feeling and a zingy pop of summer colour. This was all styled on top of an olive green tablecloth. If you want to combine this colour for a wedding reception, you could just use a coloured table cloth to dress your top table if your budget is smaller. Or you could opt for table runners in olive green if you have gorgeous rustic trestle tables to show off. 

Shop Folded Table Numbers

Botanical place settings

Each place setting was styled with seagrass charger mats to add a natural vibe, fun scallop plates, mauve napkins, a botanical bow which you can find here, slim menu cards and a name cards with wax seal which I stood up in a wood slice. If you wanted to go heavier with the lemons, to add more yellow, you could add them to each place setting, and cut a slice in each one at the top to hold the name card. Slender gold and white cutlery was placed next to the mats to compliment the other elegant decorations. If you're not using table runners or table cloths, which add bold colour blocks, you could use olive green napkins, with mauve or lemon ribbon, to tie the colours into your design. It's important to stay open minded when you're looking for ideas, as you can still make things work for your own budget and taste.

Shop Wax Seal Name Cards

Shop Gold Foil Menu Cards

I honestly loved coming up with this table design. I'm glad I pushed my creative skills beyond my comfort zone, to come up with a really interesting look. Nothing makes me happier than experimenting with flowers grown from seed from my garden and seeing what I can create. You can let me know what you think to this look in the comments below.

Planning an event yourself?

I hope you have enjoyed reading how this design came together, I really enjoyed working on it. If you would like to find out more about my styling services for your next event you can head here for wedding packages, or to my events page. Where you will also find an enquiry form to get in touch.