It is hard not to completely love this sweet Japanese garden wedding from Kallie Dawn Photography. Held at the groom’s family property, this wedding is a true family affair. We love how their infused their style into simple and chic details throughout the day.
Sean and I hoped to have a wedding that revealed authentic styles. We were blessed to be able to use Sean’s parent’s place in which the landscape is a beautiful northwest Japanese garden. It was so special to have our wedding there as Sean has been doing Northwest Japanese landscaping through his father’s family business for most of his life to have our wedding in that setting.
When I was looking for a wedding dress, I first looked at BHLDN. About two scrolls in I found my dream dress. I tried looking at other dresses but I knew in my heart of hearts that that was the one. It’s was a Willoby by Watters Ricarda Gown with a hint of blush tulle with large lace flowers spaced throughout, with a plunging neckline and V back with buttons. Adding to the romance I had the matching veil as well. My jewelry consisted of my wedding ring and earrings with London blue topaz to coordinate with the center stone. My shoes reflected my long time favorite leopard print.
We were watching the weather all week to decide if we should get tents for the wedding and we ended up canceling our reservation for some as we looked like we were in the clear. We woke up the next day with the weather report saying that slight rain would come during the evening. Sean’s parents, aunt Cathy, and siblings saw the “writing on the wall” the night before and had got us tents early that morning the day of. When I got to Sean’s parent’s place to get ready and saw I was very thankful. It ended up raining up until the ceremony and completely stopped altogether. It was a blessing with how it all worked out, it added some romance before the wedding with us all a little wet, but then our guests were spared sitting during the ceremony completely dry.
My Parents agreed to host the wedding at their home which sits on two acres and is part nursery, part garden. Aesthetically, it’s somewhere between a native northwest and Japanese garden. The west side of the property features several oaks, and I thought that an evening wedding with the sun setting through a wall of trees would be lovely. I arranged some of the plants from my father’s nursery stock around the surrounding area to fill it in a bit and make it feel like we were in a clearing in the forest.
The ring given to me was a family heirloom from Sean’s Tutu on his mothers-side. It was such an honor for me to have something so special.
I was hoping to not take away from the setting but also add some personal flair. This included lights, some vintage-modern items, and Japanese elements. Overall we wanted things to both blended into the environment but also added sparkle and a pop of color. This was done with stringed lights, geometric terrariums, brass lamps, flowers, moss, and our table settings.
For Sean and me, it was important that we have great food and drinks for our guests to enjoy. This included Hawaiian food and sushi. We also got Sokol Blosser wine for drinks as well as beer kegs. Some friends made wine cocktails to add some extra refreshment options to our drink menu.
Photography: Kallie Dawn Photography | Venue: Private Residence | Florals: Oak Grove Florals | Wedding Dress: BHLDN | Bridesmaid Dresses: BHLDN | Film Lab: Photovision Prints | Submitted via Matchology
