Pastel Seas & Petal Dreams: A Coastal Spring Wedding at Fairfield Beach Club

weddingreal weddingSet and Style Wedding

Nov 12

Written By Emma MacHugh

Newlyweds sharing a moment with pastel florals and ocean backdrop.

A Coastal Garden Party (With a Side of Salt Air)

If pastel season had a favorite venue, it would be the Fairfield Beach Club — soft light, ocean breeze, and just enough sand to make things interesting for a florist balancing a bucket of delphinium.

This one was a dream. Our couple wanted their wedding to feel like a pastel rainbow washed up on the shore — playful, coastal, and deeply personal. She pictured a day filled with spring color, barefoot vows, and flowers that looked like they’d grown right out of the dunes. He was mostly just thrilled to be marrying her on the beach.

And because they’re the kind of couple who like to get their hands dirty (or in this case, covered in rose petals), they opted for our Partial DIY wedding package — meaning we handled the personal flowers and ceremony design, and they took on the centerpieces with our guidance. More on that little stroke of genius later.

bouqets and bouts

The bride carried what can only be described as a walking spring garden — a lush, gathered bouquet overflowing with butter-yellow garden roses, lilac clematis, apricot ranunculus, viburnum, and those local butterfly ranunculus that seem genetically engineered to make photographers lose their minds.

We tucked in stems of white and purple lilac (yes, it smelled as good as it sounds) and finished it with an ivory silk ribbon that fluttered like a sea breeze had opinions.

Her bridesmaids wore sage-green dresses that felt quietly coastal — perfectly neutral for the color riot of spring flowers in their hands. Each bouquet was a smaller echo of hers: loose, airy, and unbothered by symmetry. We call that elegant chaos, and honestly, it’s the most flattering style for everyone involved.

The groom and groomsmen kept things simple — classic gray suits, blue ties, and tiny boutonnières of lisianthus and clematis buds. A little floral whisper to balance out the rest of the party’s petal power.

Close-up of butterfly ranunculus and garden roses catching sunlight by the sea.

Bridesmaids in sage dresses carrying loose, airy bouquets of pastel garden flowers.

Butter-yellow roses, apricot ranunculus, and lilac clematis gathered into a lush coastal bouquet.

Ivory silk ribbon trailing in the ocean breeze from a hand-tied pastel wedding bouquet.

Simple lisianthus and clematis boutonnières for groomsmen in coastal gray suits.

fashion

The bride was the epitome of “beach chic” — strapless gown, wind-tousled hair, and Jimmy Choos that lasted about four minutes before she ditched them for sand between her toes. Her bridesmaids floated around in those sage slip dresses that somehow make everyone look ethereal, and the groomsmen pulled off formal but fun with gray suits and ocean-blue ties.

The flowers tied everything together — structured fashion meets whimsical florals is our favorite combination.

And a quick florist’s note: this was our first official Partial DIY wedding, and it set the bar sky-high. She had a crystal-clear vision (pastel rainbow, but make it coastal), trusted us with the design direction, and then totally nailed her centerpieces with her friends the day before. There was clinking glassware, clippers, and the kind of laughter that tells you everything’s going to be perfect.

Fairfield Beach Club wedding ceremony featuring spring florals in butter, blush, and lilac tones.

Candid bridal party moment — pastel bouquets, sage dresses, and ocean breeze.

Jimmy Choo sandals next to pastel bouquet — bridal flat lay with ocean tones.

Groom in classic gray suit and blue tie at Fairfield Beach Club wedding.

ceremony

This ceremony was the kind of seaside moment that makes you forget you’re working — just the sound of waves, a soft wind off the water, and flowers doing their thing in the sun.

Instead of an arch, we created a grounded floral meadow that wrapped around the couple in a half circle, as if the beach itself had decided to bloom for them. Tall blue delphinium and purple larkspur gave the structure height and drama, while apricot ranunculus and double white hellebore kept it delicate and layered.

At the aisle entrance, we added two garden-style arrangements — airy, textural, and full of movement — to frame the walk without competing with that view. Guests were greeted by a sea of color: butter yellow, blush, lilac, and dusty blue. It was soft, intentional, and just messy enough to look like nature planned it.

The best part? When she stepped into the meadow barefoot, every bloom caught the light like it was in on the secret.

Two garden-style floral baskets filled with local blooms greet guests at the aisle entrance.

Oceanfront wedding flowers in butter yellow, lilac, and blush designed for a coastal Connecticut couple.

Wind-swept pastel florals surrounding a spring coastal wedding ceremony in Connecticut.

A romantic seaside ceremony framed by a pastel floral meadow and blue delphinium under soft sunlight.

Grounded floral meadow in pastel colors surrounding the couple on the beach.

Pastel meadow ceremony design — no arch, just flowers growing right out of the sand.

Barefoot bride exchanging vows in a colorful floral meadow by the water.

Lush spring flowers arranged in First Blush’s signature airy, coastal style.

Close-up of hellebore, larkspur, and viburnum in a beachside floral installation.

centerpiece + reception

Here’s where the Partial DIY magic really happened.

We designed the overall concept, wrote the floral recipes, ordered the product (yes, wholesale access and quality control — you can have both), and then handed the baton to the couple and their friends to bring it all home.

The result? Tables filled with bud vases of peach ranunculus, lavender larkspur, and buttery roses — each arrangement slightly different, like a collection of ocean-colored poems.

They followed our styling guide perfectly: airy, layered, never forced. Every vase felt like a miniature conversation with the sea.

And because we never let good flowers go to waste, we repurposed the ceremony meadow to surround their sweetheart table.

If that’s not coastal romance, we don’t know what is.

Soft pastel bud vases filled with garden roses and butterfly ranunculus on coastal reception tables.

Pastel florals in mixed bud vases with sage napkins and pale blue glassware.

Foam-free, sustainable wedding flowers by CT floral designer First Blush.

Bud vase centerpieces created through First Blush’s Partial DIY floral program.

Fairfield Beach Club reception tables styled with pastel blooms and candles.

reception inspo

Designer’s Note: The First Blush Partial DIY Experience

We get it — not everyone wants a full-service floral package, but “ordering flowers online and hoping for the best” is… risky at best. (No shade to the cardboard-box bouquets, but we can do better.)

Our Partial DIY weddings are the middle ground. We handle the high-impact pieces — bouquets, personals, and ceremony installations — and you take on the smaller details with our help. We’ll:

Write custom floral recipes for your palette and vision.
Order your flowers wholesale and make sure they arrive hydrated and happy.
Give you a mini design guide so your centerpieces actually look cohesive.

It’s perfect if you’ve got a crafty crew and want to get your hands in the blooms (and maybe a glass of rosé). It’s feel-good flowers meets hands-on creativity — the kind of project you’ll actually brag about later.

Partial DIY centerpiece setup — flowers sourced and prepped by Connecticut wedding florist First Blush.

This Fairfield Beach Club wedding was spring in full technicolor — coastal, joyful, and so unapologetically them. The pastel rainbow palette against the ocean backdrop was pure magic, and watching the bride step into that floral meadow barefoot was the kind of moment that sticks with you long after teardown.

But what we loved most was the collaboration. Our Partial DIY weddings are about trust — trusting the process, the design, and the fact that a little imperfection makes things feel real.

The flowers bloomed exactly as they were meant to: free, layered, and a little wind-tousled. And honestly, that’s exactly how the best days — and the best designs — should be.

Spring coastal wedding inspiration with pastel rainbow florals and ocean air.

Planning your own coastal Connecticut wedding? Whether you’re dreaming of a full-service floral installation or want to roll up your sleeves for a Partial DIY project, we’ve got you.

Let’s make something beautiful (and maybe a little sandy).

let's make magic