Designer Spotlight… Birch Events
Meet Josh Spiegel of New York’s Birch Event Design. With great details, colors, and for the focus of our story, many long tables, these images showcase a range of their beautiful wedding and event designs.
Jamali Garden: Tell us about your background. How did you get your start in floral and event design?
Birch Events: I’m a proud born-and-bred New Yorker (accent included!). I launched my career in 2005 after discovering my second love: playing with flowers. Partying is in my blood: my dad’s been in the balloon business for over thirty years. In fact, I launched my then-fledgling flower business from the anteroom of his balloon shop. I had been working in a business management position that didn’t quite ignite my passion. For months, my wife had been encouraging me to cultivate my creativity and decor talents (smart woman!). I started with small weekly bouquets for a select group of clients. Pretty fast, it mushroomed into massive floral arrangements, engagement parties, and then weddings. My clients kept coming. I left my previous job and never looked back. Since that beginning, my team and I have orchestrated 3000+ events— weddings, corporate affairs, bar and bat mitzvahs, and soirées. We’re passionate about transforming raw spaces into breathtaking ballrooms, eyesore counters into eye-popping tablescapes, and bare-as-bone poles into efflorescent fairylands.
JG: How would you define your floral and decor style?
BE: Outrageously exquisite—our two favorite words. We consistently blend modern elements with traditional styles to produce aesthetics that are shockingly clean, deceptively simple, yet overwhelmingly beautiful. This photo showcases a statement bridal backdrop built for a lavish wedding at Miami’s Trump National Doral. Featuring custom gold ironwork topped by white Phalaenopsis orchids—against warm, traditional lighting and moldings, it’s got our signature stamp: clean, contemporary, magnificent.
JG: Tell us about this gorgeous wedding ceremony. How did it come together?
BE: We pride ourselves on working with clients—not for them. Much of our work takes place in the planning process, when we’ll sit for hours digging deep, piecing together jumbled thoughts and half-baked ideas till we emerge with a blazing vision that encapsulates the client’s dreams. For this wedding, the bride wanted everything floating—and so it was! Both the ceremony and aisle installations were designed with custom-built Lucite structures to create an illusion of floating Phalaenopsis orchids. The result was lush and fluid, unmistakably romantic yet refreshingly simple. When the ceremony began, the bride and groom appeared to be walking through floating orchids, then standing side-by-side under a shower of cascading flowers. It was very impactful.
JG: How did you continue the design for the reception?
BE: In line with the bride’s dream look, the centerpieces ran continuously down the tables, giving the illusion of orchids floating overhead. To intensify the effect, we chose mirrored tables that reflected the orchids from below; it was breathtaking. To ramp up the energy, we introduced some dramatic, glitzy elements to the dance floor via the fairytale suspended string lights. This modern, minimal, and somewhat whimsical lighting was offset by the delicate florals, which maintained the overall traditional vibes.
JG: The colors here are dark but beautiful. What was this event?
BE: We wanted to create deep, dramatic undertones for this Friday night milestone dinner. To achieve that effect, we used bold chairs, sharp lines, mirrored tables, and imperial candlesticks contrasted with a variety of light, low-lying flowers. Floral arrangements included cymbidium, orchids, boxwood, hydrangea, roses, and Dendrobium orchids in polished aluminum square pot vases.
JG: Another dark look we love.
BE: This was an intimate party for 100. The hosts wanted their guests to feel like they’d been invited for a warm, personal dinner, so we opted for a single Buckingham-style table; everyone sat as family. The installation was complex: we used trussing to hang the chandeliers, then suspended a frame below to hang the wisteria. For a dramatic but graceful feel, we used black taper candles in crystal candlesticks with an abundance of peonies, orchids, and hydrangeas
JG: This tablescape looks both classic and romantic.
BE: This wedding was a small, intimate affair held in a tent on the grounds of a Westchester country club. The bride and groom, an elegant, understated couple, were looking for a magnificent event that wasn’t overdone. To realize that vision, we went for a warm but neutral color scheme, using all-nude tent draping and off-white floor carpeting. Long mirrored glass tables filled with flower petals and shimmering crystal accents imbued the room with royalty and richness. Crystal candlesticks with towering taper candles, gold-rimmed goblets, and gold-framed chargers reinforced the aristocratic undertones. To add an element of intimacy, we prepared fresh mini-flower collections, each in their own vase. The florals: Lisianthus in Wazon Koral vases, and spray roses, garden roses, and sweet pea in antique silver fish bowls, were lush and high-end, but arranged in an understated way…just like the couple.
JG: Tell us about this outdoor event.
BE: This lively bash took place in a private residence in Deal, a beachfront hamlet in New Jersey. We wanted light, fun florals that would lend warmth and interest while jibing with the carefree summer feel. The centerpieces used hydrangeas, Lisianthus, stock, and roses in antique light gold vases.
JG: All the blues here seem perfect for the poolside setting.
BE: This bright, upbeat breakfast party also took place in a Deal private residence. The event was inspired by Dolce and Gabbana; we replicated a spinoff of their fun, printed summer line throughout the design. Gold lanterns were set around the edge of the pool and on the tables we used blown glass cylinders. For florals, we went for an all-yellow-daisy look, contrasted with bold, oversized blue urns. Daisies are a simple flower, but a simple flower done right can take center stage.
JG: Do you find an advantage designing events with rectangular tables versus traditional rounds?
BE: Rectangular tables allow for more depth. They allow for more unique centerpieces—and more centerpieces, period. They also create the option of innovative, unexpected floor plans; there are so many intriguing ways to layout the tables. For couples who are willing to blend traditional with newer, more current elements, we highly recommend going long.
JG: What are some of your favorite Jamali Garden items?
BE: Lanterns are the perfect way to create lighting with character, and Jamali Garden has a diverse, distinctive lantern collection. We also use Jamali tea light holders and crystal candlesticks nearly every day; they are foolproof, always-admired accents that consistently provide the final elegant finish.