A Mandap Made Entirely Of Flora

For this unique and challenging ceremony at the Gaylord Palms, we partnered with Kis (Cubed) Events to bring it to life. We had eight weeks from the initial planning meeting until the wedding day, and the bride had  a very clear idea of the colors she wanted to see throughout the sangeet, wedding ceremony, and wedding reception.

The festive sangeet tied in her favorite colors, orange and fuchsia, and complemented the colors already in the Gaylord Palms Ballroom.

The vision was especially clear when it came to the wedding ceremony: the mandap was to be all floral with no visible fabrics.

The garlands alone consisted of over 7,000 white carnations. Those carnations were built into the rest of the mandap, which also included snow white roses and Casablanca lilies.

The fragrance was intoxicating and the visual was spectacular, paying off one of the most labor-intensive projects we have ever taken on. From the beginning of prep until final floral setting and placement of the custom aisle runner took over 20 straight hours. 

The reception featured a unique “double X” seating arrangement with a diamond dance floor.

The elephant theme was showcased by two large elephant ice sculptures illuminated with fuchsia lighting. We repurposed all of the carnation garlands from the mandap as runners down the “double X” feasting tables and then completed the look with colorful carnation and rose balls that tied the look together.

Each round table showcased a floral-encased elephant incorporating the wedding colors of green, fuchsia, and orange. Our amazing floral team at Occasions By Shangri-la created over thirty of these fresh floral centerpieces, utilizing over 600 fresh floral blossoms per elephant.

Images courtesy of:

Meggie Velasco Photography