American Grown Flowers hosts an annual "Field to Vase Dinner Tour" all around the country. In 2017 they brought the first dinner to Alaska, which was hosted at Scenic Place Peonies in Homer, Alaska overlooking Kachemak Bay. When they first approached me about being their event planner, I jumped at the chance because their mission is to support locally grown flowers, as well as local foods, wine and beer - and I am all about celebrating the best Alaska has to offer.
Beth VanSandt and Kurt Weichhand of Scenic Place Peony Farm hosted the event. Their home and farm overlook the ocean with peony beds cut into the steep hill. True to the Homer aesthetic, they have a lovely maritime theme around the property, celebrating the gorgeous ocean view.
As the event planner, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with many creatives involved in this event from volunteers, to floral designers, to food prep and all the many people it takes to put on an outstanding event of this caliber.
Guests were shuttled onto the property and were met by the shuttle driver who embraced the floral theme with wildflowers woven into his beard. And can I just say... I hope beard flowers are a trend that never go out of fashion!
Upon arriving on the farm, guests signed in with Andrea from American Grown Flowers and got their escort card for dinner. They then progressed to the boutonniere bar to create wearable flowers they could sport for themselves.
Guests were then invited to the backyard for cocktail hour to enjoy the view, taking photos with the amazing floral framed selfie station, and hear from Kelly Shore our floral designer on the different types of peonies grown in Homer.
Local beers were donated from King Street Brewing and Saint Elias Brewing Company. Margo of Jakalof Bay Oyster Farm served up her tasty fresh little oyster jewels of the sea at the raw bar.
Heaters and blankets were provided to out of state guests to enjoy the fresh Alaskan sea air with comfort.
My absolutely favorite design element for the event was the beautifully created and decorated hand washing station that our hostess Beth and crew made for the port potty.
If you haven't met Beth yet - you should! She is an amazing person. She is dedicated to her farm, as well as mentoring many farmers and florists. Beth is truly inspirational.
As a hands on teaching farm, Beth really wanted to incorporate demonstrations into the event, so it was educational as well as delicious and beautiful. Demonstrations included a talk about the different types of peonies in Alaska as well as inviting Chef Delicious Dave to show how to filet a king salmon.
Kelly Shore of Petals by the Shore Event Flowers was brought in from the D.C. area to take the lead designing the florals with numerous local volunteers who completely transformed the event tent. Guests were then invited to the dining tent where they dined amongst the peonies under the midnight sun overlooking the Kachemak Bay.
Delicious Dave and crew provided a to-die-for amazing Alaskan meal of fresh seafood and Alaskan grown produce.
After hearing about the amazing movement of American grown flowers and the purpose behind the Field to Vase dinner tours, guests enjoyed dessert and coffee from the local Two Sisters bakery. Guests were then given goody bags, centerpieces and take home floral bouquets.
This Field to Vase Dinner Tour is hands down one of my all time favorite events. Everyone was so filled with love and joy, it was truly infectious. I also had the amazing opportunity to be their planner again in 2019 when American Grown Flowers returned again for another Field to Vase Dinner Tour at the Josleyn Peony Farm in Homer. Stay tuned for another blog post on that event!
To learn more about Field to Vase Dinners see this link!
THE DETAILS
Venue: Scenic Place Peony Farm
Planner: Rebecca Kopperud, La Boum Events
Planning service: Full service event planning for non-profit
Florist: Kelly Shore, Petals by the Shore
Photographer: Joshua Veldstra Photography
Catering: Delicious Dave
Dessert: Two Sisters Bakery
Rentals: Serendipity Event Rentals, CBC Rentals
I hope you have been inspired to incorporate Alaska grown flowers, produce and seafood into your next event. Feel free to leave a comment, I always try to respond directly. I would love to work with you on your Alaska event big or small!
Until my next blog post, here's to making your next event YOUR BEST BASH YET!
To book me fill out our CONTACT form to get started.
xoxo - Rebecca .
MEET REBECCA
Hey there! I am Rebecca Kopperud, a born and bred Alaskan, as well as the owner and chief designer behind
La Boum Events.
I began my career in event planning organizing conferences and meetings. In 2012 I had the opportunity to strike out on my own and start my own company. I choose the name La Boum Events because it is slang for "the party!" I was looking for a name that reflected my love of french culture, my bubbly personality and above all, my love for entertaining. La Boum Events was born and we absolutely took off planning Alaska's best weddings and celebrations.
Since then I have invited other super organizers and decorators to collaborate with me to offer spectacular event planning services throughout Alaska. Meet our team on our ABOUT page.
To book La Boum Events for your event, fill out our CONTACT form to get started.