Fishing Tavern Turned Harbor Hangout

La Ponche is the kind of place that simply radiates a mystical, otherworldly kind of feeling. And we knew from the moment we first stepped foot in this iconic square that it had the bones for an epic Welcome Party for Kate & Chad. We vollied countless different concepts in the beginning, chipping away at the flow until we arrived at the perfect sequence of well-designed vignettes (and moments) that would walk their guests back in time, to Saint-Tropez in the 40's & 50's.

Layout & Flow

We had to be strategic about how we positioned everything within the space, particularly because of a metal structure planted smack dab in the middle of the square. We embraced the bones of what could have been an eyesore and turned it into an explosion of teal with a red + white striped awning to match the wraps we created for the dining spaces opposite. This was the first space the guests would spend some time in, so we knew it had to make a positive first impression!

We took over the 3 restaurants that made up this square, one of which has been owned by the same family for over 80 years! Despite many requests, they've never allowed anything like this before, and for that we're eternally grateful.

With limited real estate, we had to get clever and be intentional about every piece of furniture we brought in. So we used the windows of the existing restaurant as bar fronts, creating our own makeshift bar inside. We used the same space as storage for all the restaurant's existing furniture (Saint-Tropez has a lot of things, but ample storage space is not among them), so we workshopped some clever draping solutions with the production company to create the illusion of a counter-service bar.

One of the major challenges was the shape of the 2 restaurants' dining spaces. Not only were the sizes totally different, they were angled in different directions! And when you're working with stripes, every piece of the puzzle has to line up just so. Symmetry was one of our biggest obstacles in designing this vignette, but we used some interior design tricks of the eye to master it in the end!

We also had to get creative with the seating plan based on the final number of RSVPs. Playing into the restaurants in a town square ambiance, we added a few more dining tables along the large stone fortress that featured a long built-in bench. We made it comfy with made-to-measure cushions inspired by the red + white yacht cushions from midcentury films, and those tables ended up being some of our favorites from the night! Always a silver lining... or at least a red, blue or yellow one! 

We placed the DJ along the stone wall, backdropped by the sea so the dance party vibes would be just so. A secondary bar to ensure speedy service during guest arrival sat opposite the DJ and turned into a live action crêpe station during dancing.

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