At this year’s Martha’s Party Vendor Showcase, Island Weddings magazine tasked four local planners with creating tablescape and lounge displays based on the seasons. Here, we showcase their unique and inspirational designs in an editorial photo shoot.
Spring Renewal
Elizabeth Cecil
The Vision
“This design was rooted in the feeling of spring arriving on Martha’s Vineyard – that magical moment when the Island emerges from winter hibernation and everything begins to feel alive again.
Elizabeth Cecil
The tablescape was intentionally layered with organic textures and soft movement to mirror the natural beauty of the season. Rich moss spilled naturally across the table, creating the feeling of the landscape growing directly through the design, while delicate florals from Fire Cat Farm brought a sense of abundance and freshness to the space. Lily of the valley, spring grass, and sculptural blooms created an ethereal garden atmosphere that felt both elegant and deeply connected to the Vineyard in springtime.
The crisp, white embroidered linen from Nuage Designs and refined tabletop pieces from Big Sky Tent and Party Rentals grounded the design with understated sophistication, allowing every delicate detail to shine. One of the most whimsical touches was the sculptural 3D swan menu cards, designed and provided by Boxed Wedding Invitations, which added dimension, artistry, and a sense of romance to each place setting.
Elizabeth Cecil
Nearby, the lounge seating area – provided by Uniquely Chic Vintage Rentals – extended the garden-inspired aesthetic, inviting guests to gather comfortably within the immersive spring environment with Fire Cat Farm’s florals. Every element was designed to feel fresh, layered, and celebratory, much like Martha’s Vineyard coming back into its own this time of year.”
– Jessica Shai
founder of GATHER Event Company
Elizabeth Cecil
The Details
Designer: GATHER Event Company
Flowers: Fire Cat Farm
Linens + Pillows: Nuage Designs
Lounge Furniture: Uniquely Chic Vintage Rentals
Uplighting: Luke Renchan Entertainment
Day-of Stationery: Boxed Wedding Invitations
Tabletop Rentals: Big Sky Tent and Party Rentals
Summer Sunset
Elizabeth Cecil
The Vision
“For our summer-inspired installation, we drew inspiration from the breathtaking sunsets that define evenings on Martha’s Vineyard. Designed to evoke the transition from golden hour into nightfall, the tablescape centered around a rich indigo linen reminiscent of the deep summer night sky, while vibrant florals created a striking contrast to reflect the vivid colors of sunset.
Throughout the design, we incorporated subtle nods to the sun and evening light without leaning overly celestial. Thoughtful details, such as the menu designs and napkin hues, echoed these warm sunset tones.
Elizabeth Cecil
Lighting played an essential role in bringing the installation to life. Candles from Nines & Co. added a soft, romantic glow throughout the space. Faux candles can often feel artificial, but their real wax designs and realistic flicker created an ambiance so authentic that guests mistook them for the real thing.
We were especially excited to incorporate the brand-new shelving units from Big Sky Tent and Party Rentals into the design. Styled with vintage books and collected objects arranged in a rainbow-inspired palette, the shelves became both a visual focal point and the perfect opportunity to reimagine a seating chart display in a creative way.
Elizabeth Cecil
Boxed Wedding Invitations designed seating chart cards that seamlessly coordinated with the stationery suite for each season. For summer, this included beautifully cohesive menus finished with charming tassel details. Each guest’s name corresponded with the featured menus, creating an immersive experience throughout the installation.
The florals, locally grown and designed by Slip Away Farm on Chappaquiddick, were truly the heart of the summer story. Their stunning use of color, texture, and movement perfectly captured the vibrancy and warmth of a Martha’s Vineyard sunset, bringing our vision to life.”
– Jamie Newhouse
founder of Island Dreams Event Design
Elizabeth Cecil
The Details
Designer: Island Dreams Event Design
Flowers: Slip Away Farm
Rentals: Big Sky Tent and Party Rentals
Linens: Nuage Designs
Day-of Stationery: Boxed Wedding Invitations
Candles: Nines & Co.
Décor: Island Dreams Event Design + Slip Away Farm
Autumn Golden Hour
Elizabeth Cecil
The Vision
“This is an editorial tablescape inspired by the quiet romance of autumn on Martha’s Vineyard, where coastal air meets rich, seasonal texture, and understated elegance feels deeply personal. Rooted in the warmth of harvest season, the concept embraces a slower, more intentional style of celebration designed for a couple who values atmosphere, fashion, and meaningful guest experience over excess.
Elizabeth Cecil
The inspiration draws from the Island’s natural contrasts: weathered cedar homes, windswept beaches, golden fields, and deep ocean blues softened by the fading light of early evening. Every detail is meant to feel collected rather than overly styled through an effortless blend of refined tailoring, organic florals, tactile linens, candlelight, and layered seasonal tones. Cotton is intentionally woven throughout the tablescape as a subtle nod to comfort, heritage, and the longstanding history of Martha’s Vineyard as a place of gathering, rest, and tradition for generations of African American families.
Elizabeth Cecil
Honey-gold, caramel, warm neutrals, and earthy browns are balanced with subtle hints of coastal blue to reflect the meeting of sea and land. This editorial tablescape reimagines the traditional fall wedding through a fashion-forward lens, prioritizing intimacy, movement, and emotion by capturing the feeling of gathering on the Vineyard at golden hour, when the light turns soft and every detail feels cinematic yet deeply grounded in place.”
– Pearl Farquharson
founder of DELSIE
Elizabeth Cecil
The Details
Designer: DELSIE
Flowers: Forevermark Flowers
Linens + Pillows: Nuage Designs
Furniture + Chandeliers: Uniquely Chic Vintage Rentals
Uplighting: Luke Renchan Entertainment
Day-of Stationery: Boxed Wedding Invitations
Tabletop Rentals: Big Sky Tent and Party Rentals
Winter Brilliance
Elizabeth Cecil
The Vision
“This installation was pure silvery joy to create. As a planner who often works in the corporate space, I’m typically designing with bold color, so I welcomed the opportunity to embrace a more restrained palette – focusing instead on texture, tone, and subtle variation.
My intention in the design was to capture the Vineyard at its most quiet and reflective, inspired by the shimmer of snow, the translucence of ice, and the way light moves through a softened winter landscape.
Elizabeth Cecil
I always begin a design with the linen, and discovering the Cloud Luna linen from Nuage Designs was a gift. Its soft, shimmery silver became the foundation for the entire concept, perfectly capturing the icy, reflective quality I wanted to evoke.
A palette of layered whites, soft ivories, and cool silvers built from there, with materials such as acrylic, glass, and metallic accents used to catch and reflect light. The beautiful floral design by The Social Butterflies Events and Magnificent Flowers & Design added softness and movement, blending white blooms with silvery foliage.
Elizabeth Cecil
The tablescape featured baroque flatware from Uniquely Chic Vintage Rentals, introducing a sense of history and ornament, while clear chairs from Tilton Tents & Party Rentals added a modern lightness, allowing the textures to remain the focus. Stationery by Boxed Wedding Invitations carried the winter story through to the guest experience, with menus thoughtfully designed to feel as though you’re cozily looking out onto a quiet, wintry landscape.
Candlelight brought warmth and intimacy to the space, complemented by strategically placed lighting from Luke Renchan Entertainment to highlight the dramatic floral table drop and enhance the reflective qualities throughout the design.
Rather than recreating winter literally, the goal was to transform what can feel stark into something luminous, layered, and beautiful.”
– Kharma Finley-Wallace
founder of HoverFly Events
Elizabeth Cecil
The Details
Designer: HoverFly Events
Flowers: Magnificent Flowers & Design + The Social Butterflies Events
Linens: Nuage Designs
Tabletop Rentals: Tilton Tents & Party Rentals + Uniquely Chic Vintage Rentals
Lighting: Luke Renchan Entertainment
Candles: HoverFly Events
Day-of Stationery: Boxed Wedding Invitations
Lounge Furniture: Uniquely Chic Vintage Rentals + HoverFly Events
This article appears in Summer-Fall 2026.