Interview – Luxury Wedding Styling

Earthy tones are a huge trend right now for wedding décor and theme. Many couples are looking to create the natural, rustic look for their wedding day that can be created using pieces straight from their own garden. With nature as their inspiration and easy-access to materials like sticks, stones and all the different flowers in bloom, there is an array of projects that brides and grooms can do together to bring the natural look to life.

We have managed to interview the lady behind the creation and design of Edward and Bella’s breathtaking wedding scene from Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1, Tammy Carmona.

5 Star Weddings: Can you please tell us what your company specializes in?

Tammy Carmona: In two words? practical designs! We do everything that has to do with design; color coordination, style, out of the box thinking. I started as an event planner and a chef, but it went on to so many other areas. For example, I have created my line of dishes, Carmona New York & Co. which I use at a lot of the weddings that I design. Being in the service field for so long showed me the need of the market for a new innovative line that doesn’t change like the weather.

People want to be able to repurchase dishes they love, but when they go out of style than what are they going to do? Switch everything they have? Our designs go from the kitchen to windows of stores to events to flower design. Once you are an artist you just have the way to redesign anything! An artist that is limiting himself to only one medium, will always stay in one corner.

Luxury Wedding Design Tammy Carmona: First of all it was intimidating; I thought to myself, can I pull it off? I have done big events before, won competitions, and knew I’m good enough to be able to do it, but still! A lot of people have watched the previous movie and who knows how many are going to watch it now! It’s scary! But I’m a real Twilight fan myself so it was super exciting! When I read the book, I told my teenage daughter “I want to do that wedding” She rolled her eyes at me and said, “Mom, get a life, you’ll never get that!” and now she doesn’t roll her eyes anymore!! It was amazing! When we came to the forest it looked like blank canvas. There was nothing there; just moss, ferns, stones and a million trees. Our job was to bring nature to life and to bring reality in to a dream look.

5 Star Weddings: How did you get into planning weddings and events and what do you love about it?

Tammy Carmona: I started as a chef, but pretty soon I started designing the sweet tables, then the buffets, then the tables themselves. I changed table cloths, redid flowers that I bought from florists until I had a customer that saw me fix a ready-made flower arrangement and she pushed me to do it myself all together. I tried and the next thing you know I won 3 competitions on floral design! I love the colors, the art in it, and the amazing delicate touch of a rose.

Wedding PlannersTammy Carmona: Back to pearls and romance chic! Take Romeo out of the closet and dust him off! Laces are back; more 3D, soft colors and tiny feathers inserted into the flowers as opposed to the Vegas big feather style old look.

Wedding PlannersTammy Carmona: Most brides will look at celebrities to know WHAT’S in style not to copy per say, but just to get the feel. I do have brides with $10,000 budget that bring pictures of a million dollar wedding and want it copied exactly. We try to make sure they understand that it’s impossible! Most brides will want something new , and they take these pictures as a reference only.

5 Star Weddings: What is your favorite part of the job?

Tammy Carmona: There are so many things I love about this job! To sit with the bride and try to read her mind, to come up with new designs, to see thousands of roses in the store everywhere! To see the bride come in and have her mouth drop and see her speechless taking in the room …

Luxury Wedding StylingTammy Carmona: In Cipriani on Wall Street in NYC I just did a job that every table was a different center piece. Some center pieces were 7 foot tall from the table up, then stretched 20 feet across and were actually covering 3 tables at once! I also had a party located around a pool where the waiters were dressed only in a small swim suit and a bow tie. Another event the client invited the original circ de soleil as an opening act!

5 Star Weddings: Do you have any top tips for brides planning their wedding?

Tammy Carmona: You have opinion, you know what colors you like, don’t just follow instructions from other people. Before you go to your coordinator, sit with the groom (if he is open-minded enough for design) or a best friend and talk it through. Come up with a budget you want to spend and try to stick to it! Even if its $50,000- $500,000 you’ll find out you can be dragged to more than you expected and a concept that YOU are uncomfortable with. If you like soft and romantic, don’t let friends try to pull you to do black feathers just because they find it hot!

Luxury Wedding TablesTammy Carmona: Quality more than quantity. I have brides that think that inviting 1,000 people will show how popular they are and will make it grand. It’s not the case! The budget is stretched over too many tables and too many people and it makes the wedding feels like a chicken market.

Too many people who don’t know each other. I love more intimate weddings – tops 300 people, food served on dishes that are not your typical round/ square, more interesting shapes that will be a conversation piece maybe even monogrammed. Also food served in a swap of 10 waiters serving at once an entire table instead of a waiter serving a whole table alone slowly. More courses in smaller portions, sophisticated and smart design rather than big and grand.

  • To speak to Tammy herself please contact Aristocratic By Tammy.
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