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A chic summer wedding set on a country club golf course combines a crisp, classic color scheme and contemporary styling.

The most stunning reception décor is inspired by its surroundings—romantic roses accenting an ornate ballroom, geometrically shaped vases adorning an urban loft. This reception, at Concord Country Club, in Concord, Massachusetts, was no exception. "It is a very nostalgic club in one of the oldest towns in New England, the kind people conjure when they think of old movies," says Bryan Rafanelli of the Boston-based Rafanelli Events. "We wanted to complement the setting with classic colors and flowers."

But, after discovering that the quaint clubhouse couldn't accommodate the expected 300 guests, Rafanelli and his team chose to erect an 8,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art tent in full view of the golf course's 18th hole. Merging a classic, preppy country-club style with the modern feel of the tent created the perfect balance between traditional and trendy

Bryan Rafanelli’s tips for a country club reception that hits a hole in one: • Be sure the space can handle your guest count. • Double-check that older buildings are air-conditioned. For a summer wedding, remember that the lighting, a band and a roomful of people can really heat things up. • You can transport guests from one location to the other in golf carts—or get creative and turn a cart into a beverage or food station. • To take the golf theme further, you can create escort “cards” out of golf balls labeled with each guest’s name and table number. Poke tees into a bed of grass and balance the balls on top, for a cute presentation. • Hats with the club’s insignia make fun favors for guests to take home. • The chef probably has some special dishes—stick to those for a great reception meal.

Without any in-place furniture, color scheme or even lighting, a tent is a blank slate for reception décor. "You want the tent to feel like a room in your house," advises Rafanelli. "Ask yourself, ‘How am I going to make this cozy?' " In this case, Rafanelli and his team started from the ground up, renting a hardwood floor to give the tent a homey feel. Then they designed unique wrought-iron chandeliers, each of which would hold 24 small flowerpots, to hang from the vast ceiling.

Rafanelli chose a sage green, yellow and white color scheme to harmonize with the site's naturally green surroundings and impart a welcoming, traditional feel. "Sage green is a calming color," he adds. "It has a nice softness to it." He topped the tables with yellow-and-green linens with a touch of sheen and embroidered details. "The texture of the fabric adds to the guests' experience at the table," he says.

For guests' viewing pleasure, Rafanelli used classic flowers—hydrangeas, daisies, roses and orchids—in the table arrangements. But he gave them a modern twist by placing the blooms in square and rectangular containers and setting multiple centerpieces on each table. The table décor was finished off with basket-weave chargers, classic sterling flatware and pocket-folded green-and-yellow silk napkins with menu cards tucked inside.

The menu cards, the escort cards and other wedding stationery were all adorned with a monarch butterfly symbol. "Many brides want to include something that's a reflection of themselves, so if a bride loves a certain type of tree or, in this case, a butterfly, we like to include that symbol throughout the wedding," says Rafanelli.
But beware: Motifs can be overdone. "It was important that the butterflies complement—but not overcome—the party," Rafanelli says.

Another distinctive touch, a lemonade bar stocked with frozen, pink and spiked lemonades, made the country club reception complete. The summery dinner menu included field-green salads, topped with pears and poached lobster; filet mignon with vegetables and whipped Yukon potatoes; fruit sorbet; and chocolate-covered strawberries. Ellen Bartlett of Cakes to Remember, in Brookline, Massachusetts, designed a towering five-tier wedding cake accented with Swiss dots and fresh yellow hydrangeas. As the sun set, pin spotlights illuminated each table, and specialty lighting cast an oak-leaf pattern across the tent's hardwood floor. The end result? "A really happy, fresh, classic wedding," Rafanelli says.