The most important rule to successfully style a memorable tabletop, according to Rachael Affleck Mayo—principal of Rachael Ellen Events, is to determine your look and use it to guide every choice you make. For a decidedly modern-meets-romantic design, Mayo begins with the flowers, which she uses to establish the loose romantic side of the setting’s style, then adds contrasting elements to give it a modern edge. See the full tabletop design here.

1.

Start with a base layer of greens to create a foundation. Mayo chose mini-variegated pittosporum to form the base on which she built the arrangement.

2.

Place “filler” flowers that help get the shape established. Here, blousy, old-fashioned roses and peonies flesh-out the arrangement.

3.

Stick in directional pieces like long, curved calla lilies and sky-reaching burgundy scabiosa stretching the boundaries of the arrangement.

4.

Fill in blooms with unique shapes and colors—like beautiful Mokara orchids—boosting the arrangement’s dimensional design.