An Intimate Spring Wedding at Central Kitchen
I have a thing for Friday weddings. Maybe I am biased because I myself was married on a Friday. But let me tell you, when I first heard of the grooms’ plans, I was so happy they reached out and gave me the opportunity to design their wedding flowers.
Paul and Chen married at San Francisco’s City Hall on a sunny Spring morning. From there, they headed to lunch to celebrate with 20 of their closest friends. What a way to start a weekend.
THE VENUE
The couple chose Central Kitchen, a restaurant and private event space located in the heart of the Mission. They had the upstairs space (fittingly called The Upstairs) to themselves. It's industrial and modern, with paned windows up to the ceiling overlooking 20th Street, cement floors, and earthy artwork by Melissa Dickenson. The oversized communal tables are perfect for a special group meal. Created by the Ne Timeas Restaurant Group to focus on culinary adventures, the food is by Chef Thomas McNaughton of neighboring Flour + Water. This venue is a good one.
THE FLOWERS
The grooms chose simple orchid boutonnieres for their City Hall nuptials. For the party flowers, their only request was “yellow, spring.” With that, I let the season dictate the ingredients. When I saw these yellow tree peonies, I knew they'd be the focal point. I wanted the arrangements to be asymmetrical and full of texture, so I chose spirea for height and white lilac for depth. Pieris Japonica went in next, spilling over the edge of the ceramic vases. From there, I worked in butter yellows with tulips, butterfly ranunculus, and geranium leaf. Icelandic poppies added some playfulness. I incorporated mokara orchids and tangerine geum for a splash of orange.
I feel like I say this of every season, but early Spring is one of the best times at the flower market. The options for flowers are endless, full of spring fragrance, and always make me excited for the weeks and months to come.
GRATITUDE
Celebrations like this one remind me that weddings can come in all shapes and sizes. I had so much fun working on this for Paul and Chen, and wish them all the best in this next chapter.
THOUGHTS
Here are a few other San Francisco restaurants with private dining spaces that would be perfect for a small wedding or party (and places I would love to design flowers for!):
Marlowe (SoMa)
Park Tavern (North Beach)
Octavia (Pac Heights)
Cotogna (Jackson Square)
Twenty Five Lusk (SoMa) *I’ll be here to flower a wedding in July!
Del Popolo (TenderNob)
The Progress (Nopa)
Che Fico (Nopa)
Foreign Cinema (Mission) *see the wedding I did there here
Fiorella (Outer Richmond)
Stable Cafe (Mission)