As a wedding location, New York City is as romantic and alluring as it gets, which is why so many couples dream of getting married here. A New York City wedding can be anything and everything; from huge and spectacular occasions to an intimate affair, depending on where your dreams take you. After all, the city's romantic and charming atmosphere makes it a fantasy location for couples to tie the knot. Whether they envision a grand extravaganza or a small gathering, it offers infinite possibilities.
As a floral artist, renowned for her sustainable methods in large-scale floral installations, Ingrid Carozzi, the Founder and Creative Director at Tin Can Studios, has had her hand in many of these once-in-a-lifetime, out-of-this-world, dream weddings. Tin Can Studio’s signature style, with its striking color palette, unique composition, and minute attention to detail, is easy to spot and be recognized anywhere across the world.
Flowers Can Infuse Magic Into Any Space
Ingrid has been involved in numerous extraordinary weddings, each with its own unique story. And Tin Can Studios' signature style, continues to gain worldwide acclaim.
According to her, flowers can infuse magic into any space, and they play a central role in setting the tone for a wedding day. She believes that they can tell a couple's story through the artistry put into the floral arrangements.
Ingrid Carozzi:
“Flowers have the power to add magic to a space. At a wedding, they play a central role and set the tone for the day. I like to think that we tell stories through flowers, and at a wedding, we want the flowers to reflect the couple’s story.”
In New York City, there are countless venues to choose from. While a stoop may not be the first locale that comes to mind, it is as quintessential as any landmark.
For actress Jeanine Mason, her front stoop also had a special meaning as it was where her fiancé proposed to her. For her ceremony, Jeanine wanted to create an arch of colorful flowers that would surround the large front door and cascade down the steps, according to Ingrid.
And Ingrid was only too excited to bring Jeanine's wonderful ideas to life using her signature style and sustainable methods.
Ingrid:
“She [Jeanine] had some wonderful ideas that I couldn’t wait to conceptualize, using my signature style and sustainable methods.”
Challenging Settings, and High-End Clients
The upcoming wedding was also set to be featured in Brides magazine. Ingrid and her team at Tin Can Studios are no strangers to working in challenging settings, or with high-end clients. They have previously worked with Ellie Monahan, the daughter of TV host Katie Couric, whose spectacular wedding weekend was featured in Vogue.
Their client list also includes Martha Stewart, Anna Wintour, Carolina Herrera, and the Queen of Sweden. On the corporate side, they have worked with Google, Burberry, MTV, Prada, and Sotheby’s, to name just a few.
A Dream Wedding (Almost Disrupted by Rain)
With the wedding date set, and as long as it didn’t rain on the day of the [Jeanine’s] wedding, what could go wrong? But it rained. On the eve of the wedding, New York declared a state of emergency. The flooding disrupted train services, and the subway system, and many flights were canceled. This caused significant challenges for the nuptials’ preparations.
Ingrid:
“The planners called me to ask if we would be willing to go ahead with the outdoor installation. This was the wedding Jeanine had always dreamt of, so yes, of course we were. It kept raining all morning, up to the ceremony.”
Working in and out of a small frame tent, Ingrid and her team used water containers, chicken wire, Oshun pouches, and custom-built structures, to anchor the flowers, eliminating the use of harmful, toxic foam. This resulted in a wedding backdrop that was both dramatic and romantic, resembling an explosion of flowers!
A Meticulous Curation of Flowers
A carefully curated selection of a variety of peonies, roses, ranunculus, dahlias, and smoke-bush in shades of red was arranged in an organic style to remain up after the ceremony and last an entire week for neighbors and passersby to enjoy. So the chosen varieties were far from your typical ones.
Ingrid:
“All through the day, people kept coming up to us, asking what we were doing. Many thought we were designing an elaborate movie set.”
The stoop ceremony was followed by an intimate reception at Monkey Bar. In this iconic Manhattan bistro, the team had created smaller Ikebana-inspired arrangements using Kenzans and shallow bowls, as well as more elaborate floral installations flanking the bride and groom's table and dance floor.
A True Testament to the Power of Love and Creativity
Jeanine’s wedding, according to Ingrid, was a true demonstration of the power of love and creativity. Once wilted, Tin Can Studios picked up and composted the flowers. Non-compostable materials were brought back into their inventory to be reused, demonstrating that it is possible to create elevated yet sustainable events; maintaining an environmentally conscious approach.
When Ingrid received a thank-you note from Jeanine, who termed her and her team as ‘flower magicians’, she felt pleased that their tireless efforts to create sustainable events in an often-wasteful industry had been worth the effort once again.
This acknowledgment reaffirmed her belief that her team’s efforts to sustainably create sustainable events were truly worthwhile.
Images courtesy of Ingrid Carozzi's Tin Can Studios.
Photo credit: John Dolan and Judson Rappaport