Today I am sharing this beautiful California garden wedding captured by Sarah Kathleen. The bride’s lace back gown is stunning and such a perfect fit for this intimate garden fete. They added a bit of a vintage flair by decorating with the bride’s father’s antique camera collection and old vases they collected from shops.
The Holly Farm is an incredibly lush and beautiful six-acre property, with an amazing tropical secret garden vibe and a variety of areas where we could have different elements of the celebration. The property is filled with orchids and other vibrant plants, so we didn’t have to add much to the space. We decided to keep our additions very natural, classic and laid back, with shades of blush, cream, gray and green.
We have vintage wedding bands from the 1930s and 1950s that we found at an antique store in San Francisco. I wore my mother’s wedding band from 1971 as well. I also borrowed my mother’s diamond bracelet and had a necklace made with a diamond she gave me.
We wanted our wedding to be more than a singular event and feel more like a getaway or retreat. So we invited all of our guests to celebrate the entire weekend with us: Friday welcome dinner, Saturday wedding and Sunday brunch. We had the chance to spend time and have conversations with all of our guests, which was fulfilling and very important to us. And our top priorities for our wedding day were great food, great music, and open bar all night.
We wanted some vintage touches, so for table arrangements we used an eclectic mix of antique vases we had collected. My father had collected old vintage radios and cameras for many years, which we used to adorn some of the serving tables and bars. We designed the table numbers and menus ourselves, with a simple, romantic, organic leaf/floral motif. We made a few chalkboard signs, including a welcome sign and others for the escort card table, the scotch and cigar bar, and the specialty cocktail. And we put together the succulent escort card arrangements and hand-wrote the name cards.
It is so difficult to pick out favorite moments from our wedding weekend. We have SO many. But some of the most special moments were the quiet ones we shared as newly husband and wife. A couple of times in the evening, amidst all the fun and craziness, we snuck away around a corner and the two of us took a brief moment, alone, to let it all soak in.
Photography | Sarah Kathleen | Venue | The Holly Farm | Florals | Laughin’ Gal Floral | Caterer | La Crème | Rentals | Chic Event Rentals | Paper Goods | Julie Song Ink | Musicians | Gaucho Gypsy Jazz | DJ | SoundShine Mobile Entertainment | Gown | Claire Pettibone | Jewelry | Satomi Kawakita | Hair & Makeup | Kim Larson Bridal | Groomswear | Paul Smith | Transportation | My Black Car
