It was the perfect summer day at Maple Shade, the historic Hamptons home of KDHamptons founder Kelli Delaney Kot and Dr. Mark Kot. Hosted by KDHamptons, the Luxury Lifestyle Diary, LUX Lifestyle Magazine and Bed Side Reading, the exclusive “Books, Bubbly, and Blooms Garden Party” was held on July 2, attracting invited Hamptons influentials, tastemakers, writers, and passionate readers who came to celebrate the holiday weekend. A dynamic group of selected authors signed their hot new summer reads, and guests toasted with Kelli’s favorite cocktails while being served artisanal summer bites and admiring the beautiful blooms from Island Time Farm of Shelter Island.

The consummate Hamptons hostess, Kelli is known for always adding a fun party trick to all of her gatherings. Guests swooned over Kelli’s jaw-dropping new BLOOM BAR concept filled with over 1,000 fresh cut floral stems from Island Time Farm. Farm owners Kelci McIntosh and Chris DiOrio (pictured below on the farm) arranged beautiful custom bouquets sweetly wrapped in burlap and sealed with a pink pin for each guest to take home – a flower lovers dream.

Kelci shares, “We had such an incredible time. All of the party guests were so fun and interesting and brought such a positive and kind vibe! I’ll never forget when we met and you asked if we wanted to fulfill your dreams of having a BlOOM BAR at your event. We did it and it was gorgeous! Not only did Chris, Dominique and I  have a blast, but we got such an outstanding response that we are now adding a BlOOM BAR to our offerings at Island Time Farm. I love nothing more than to share the beauty of flowers with others.”

Island Time Farm is a regenerative flower and tomato farm nestled between the two forks of Long Island on Shelter Island. Owners Kelci and Chris (pictured above) share, “We focus on creating healthy soil that grows healthy plants and people! Soon our fields will be bursting with beautiful blooms and mouthwatering tomatoes for summer.” The life partners met in 2015 in New Orleans and bonded over a shared love of plants and decided to set roots in Chris’s hometown of Shelter Island in 2017.

Weston Table Founder and CEO Dianne O’Connor curated the BLOOM BAR design to look like a French flower market. Dianne O’Connor (pictured further below) believes that “style is a form of wordless speech”. The BLOOM BAR featuring more than 1,000 flowers from Island Time Farm sang of elegance, beauty, and all the best parts of summer entertaining. Dianne included 19th century copper jugs and watering cans and filled the zinc wine bottle holders of a mid-1800s French rafraichisoire (a fancy name for a table designed to host wine bottles and glasses) with vases of flowers to share as party favors for guests.

Dianne O’Connor (pictured setting the BLOOM BAR below) shares,  “The collection of vintage items created a bit of South of France magic in the Hamptons, and the aromatic Long Island grown lavender nestled in Myrtlewood Garden Trugs fully embarked guests on a journey of the senses to Provence. The wooden textures of the European Wicker Basket Garden Wagon  (further below) offered a natural backdrop for the explosion of vibrantly-colored blooms.” O’Connor noted that, “Kelli’s spectacular blooming gardens and perfect catering created an enviable summer in the Hamptons’ Fourth of July weekend event that will be remembered for its beauty, good taste, and flawless elegance.”

Founder and CEO of Weston Table, Dianne O’Connor

THE BLOOM BAR FEATURED THESE FABULOUS FLOWERS

Weston Table decor showcased flowers from the BLOOM BAR in Arte Italica Scalloped Pitchers filled with layers of Island Time Farm peonies and pink Chinese forget-me-nots, and pastel pink and white Mosser Glass cake stands that served as pedestals for Cheryl’s Cookies, sensational Oishii strawberries, melon cups by Elegant Affairs, and luxurious Tea Forte tea sets.

Twenty authors were selected by Kelli and Jane Ubell of Bedside Reading which places books by the bedsides, poolsides, firesides and in the hands of VIPS through their partnerships with luxury and boutique hotels.

Kelci shares, “At Island Time Farm, we believe our practices should improve, rather than sustain, the quality of our soil and the life around the farm. We believe in Regenerative Agriculture. We are a No-Till farm that creates healthy soils through nurturing the biology in soil with lots of compost, mulch, and cover crops. Our farm is about 1 acre, with half an acre growing crops and a significant portion going to making compost. With over 30 varieties of gorgeous flowers, our farm is an oasis for pollinators and other important creatures.”

Here’s some of the wonderful offers at Island Time Farm:

* Design, build and maintain home vegetable and cut-flower gardens
* Flower Share (CSA) 10 weeks at $75 per week, $750 + tax  for the Season (must commit to all 10 weeks)
* DIY Flower Buckets 50-70 stems $175-195
* BLOOM BARS 
* Customer Floral Design for events and parties
* Home Floral Accounts
* On-farm private pick your own $150 per person 

This was the first Bloom Bar Island Time Farm curated with Kelli, and the great news is you can contact Island Time here to create your own Bloom Bar at your next event! Or call Kelci at 425.879.6939.

To see more great images from the event, visit our exclusive photo album HERE.

Images by: Eric Striffler

Written by: Emmanuela Panepinto