Garden wedding parties are one of my new favorite trends to pop up in the last couple of years. As a nature girlie, the mix of an intimate celebration, lush greenery, and a beautiful outdoor backdrop is a match made in heaven to me. I've now photographed a handful of them, each one completely different, so I pulled everything I've learned into one place.

‍

Quick disclaimer first: ultimately, f*** the trends. I share these ideas to spark your own, but this should be your day, not a "Pinterest-worthy" checklist. Build something warm and fun for the people you love. My cameras capturing your wedding should be an after thought; do what speaks to your soul.

‍

Want the visual version? I keep a running Garden Party Inspiration board on Pinterest you can pin for later.

‍

Here's how I'd think about planning a garden wedding.

‍

Start With the Location and Let it Lead

‍

A garden wedding lives and dies by its backdrop. You don't need a formal botanical garden, just a space where nature already does the heavy lifting. My two most recent are a perfect study in contrast:

‍

• • Maggie + Shannon married at The Inn at Vint Hill, a historic 1800s Virginia estate with heirloom trees burning orange and gold by late October. The property was dressed for a wedding before anyone hung a thing.

‍

• • Angie + Patrick married on at Sky Ranch Lodge on a cliff above Sedona, red rocks in every direction. Their "garden" was the desert itself.

‍

When choosing a space, look for what's already there: mature trees, a lawn, a view, good late-afternoon light. Then build around it. One honest note, an established garden estate usually costs more than a backyard or a park, so decide early whether you're renting the landscape or creating it.

Let the Season Set Your Palette

‍

The easiest way to look intentional is to take your colors from whatever is blooming when you marry. Fighting the season is expensive and rarely photographs well.

‍

• • Maggie + Shannon ran on burnt oranges, deep reds, and amber dahlias, with a bridal party in a full autumn gradient from sage to gold to rust to burgundy.

‍

• • Angie + Patrick pulled blush and blue from the desert and sky, echoed in their glassware and bouquet ribbons.

‍

Pick two or three anchor colors, let the season inform them, and carry them across florals, linens, and attire.

‍

‍

Go Big on Florals, and Keep Them a Little Wild

‍

If there's one place to spend, it's flowers. This is the theme, so lean in.

‍

• • Ask for "gathered from the garden" energy: loose, dimensional, a little untamed instead of tight and symmetrical.

‍

• • Line the aisle with clusters of loose florals. Both couples did this, and it draws the eye without blocking the view.

‍

• • Mix bloom sizes and add trailing greenery for dimension. Angie's oversized bouquet of anemones, ranunculus, lavender clematis, and scabiosa is the look.

‍

• • Marrying together? Try two bouquets in one palette with different personalities, like Maggie + Shannon's, one softer, one bolder.

‍

‍

Bring Flowers Into the Details

‍

The most memorable garden decor comes from flowers showing up where you don't expect them.

‍

• • Flower-filled books. Maggie + Shannon fanned open secondhand books with blooms tucked into the pages, set on windowsills around the inn. Costs almost nothing and feels deeply personal.

‍

• • Embroidered or pressed flowers. Maggie's gown was covered in hand-embroidered botanicals. Pressed blooms also work beautifully in invitations or place cards.

‍

• • A single stem at each place setting instead of a printed name card.

‍

‍

Decide on a Vibe, Then Commit

‍

This is where my two weddings split hardest, and it's the best case for picking a direction and going all in.

‍

Disco garden route (Angie + Patrick):

‍

• • Ceiling packed with mirrored disco balls and starburst lights over a black-and-white checkered dance floor

‍

• • Welcome mirror with mini disco balls sketched in

‍

• • Sweetheart table with a fringed pennant banner and bold retro type

‍

• • A DJ who can actually set the vibe, plus flowers everywhere to keep it grounded

‍

Vintage garden route (Maggie + Shannon):

‍

• • Vintage jewelry, an estate full of history, autumn dahlias

‍

• • Antique china, cut crystal, aged brass

‍

• • Secondhand books and heirloom, passed-down details

‍

Both are garden weddings. They could not look more different, which is exactly why the vibe matters more than the label.

‍

‍

Build a Tablescape That Feels Collected

‍

Aim for gathered-over-time, not ordered-from-one-catalog. Angie + Patrick set long farm tables with blush-and-blue crystal, glass chargers, and gauze runners. Steal from this list:

‍

• • Mismatched vintage glassware. Colored coupes, cut crystal, thrifted goblets. Better when it doesn't match.

‍

• • Charger plates and gauze runners for texture without hiding the table.

‍

• • Fruit as decor. Figs, grapes, citrus, and pomegranates down the center for an old-world, harvest feel.

‍

• • Bud vases scattered between centerpieces, each with a single stem.

‍

• • Potted herbs or small plants guests take home. Rosemary or lavender in terracotta smells incredible and beats a favor that gets left behind.

‍

Layer in Candles and Light

‍

Candlelight is the easiest way to make an outdoor evening feel like a dream.

‍

• • Go heavy: tapers in vintage brass or glass, clusters of pillars, votives lining the aisle and tables.

‍

• • Protect the flames. Put pillars and tapers inside hurricane globes or glass cylinders, or a garden breeze will blow them out all night.

‍

• • Add string or bistro lights overhead, disco balls if that's your vibe, or paper lanterns in the trees.

‍

• • Protect golden hour. Angie + Patrick slipped away to the red rocks right before their reception for portraits in warm, amber light. Ask your planner and photographer to hold fifteen minutes for it.

‍

‍

Add Overhead and Interactive Moments

‍

Two things make a garden reception feel like an event: something overhead, and something for guests to do.

‍

• • Overhead: a floral or greenery installation above the tables, draping wisteria, or a gold hoop arch like the one Angie + Patrick married under. Even a canopy of string lights counts.

‍

• • Interactive: their donut board on little hooks and end-of-night coffee cart were some of the most-photographed moments. Scale it to a grazing table, a garden cocktail bar with fresh herbs, or an airstream photo booth like they had.

Plan for the Realities of Being Outside

‍

A garden wedding is an outdoor wedding, and the outdoors has opinions. Quick planning here protects the whole vision.

‍

• • Shade and water for a midday ceremony

‍

• • Wind: weight your signage and keep candles in glass

‍

• • Bugs and ground: citronella in your candle plan, and remember heels sink in soft grass

‍

• • A real weather backup decided before the week of

‍

• • Sound: a simple mic so guests actually hear your vows

‍

‍

Above All, Make It Yours

‍

Every idea here is a starting point. The disco balls, the flower-filled books, the donut boards, none of it matters if it isn't you. The best garden weddings I've shot weren't the ones that copied a trend most closely. They were the ones that felt like stepping into the couple's own world for an afternoon.

‍

Take what speaks to you, leave the rest. For more visual inspiration, my Garden Party Inspiration board is always growing.

‍

And if you're dreaming up a garden wedding of your own, I'd love to hear about it. Reach out to us here and let's document it honestly and beautifully.