This Pasadena wedding is filling me up with total and complete happiness. I am in love with absolutely every single detail - the DIY wildflower arrangements, the travel decor so appropriate for this anthropologist bride and Austrian groom, the romantic, al fresco setting and, of course, Annie McElwain Photography sweet images. See them all in the full gallery!
Happy Trails Catering Wedding by Annie McElwain Photography
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From the Bride... In deciding to get married, I only had one absolute request: I wanted to get married under a big tree. When we first entered the garden at Happy Trails, we knew it was the perfect spot with the perfect tree. Since Peter is from Austria, and I am an anthropologist, we wanted an international flavor to the wedding, something that represented our love of travel and all the places that are special to us. We didn't have a wedding planner, but I took lots of inspiration from wedding blogs, Etsy and Pinterest, and my mom was a big help in designing the overall look for the day. With help from many friends and family (and some late nights) we made the programs, favors, and flags, and Peter made the beautiful directional sign leading people into the garden.
We also did all the bouquets and centerpieces ourselves, taking advantage of the amazing selection at the LA Flower Market. Wandering the market at 6 a.m. with all the other brides and their mothers was so much fun and really got me excited for the day. We rented globes and vintage suitcases, which we mixed with some old maps and other pieces we had collected in our travels. For the place cards, I found a selection of vintage postcards from our favorite spots in Southern California and slipped them into the napkins. And of course we wanted to add some Austrian touches, so we ordered Bavarian-style pretzels for the cocktail hour and made sure to have plenty of beer on hand. On the morning of the wedding Peter passed on another Austrian tradition, the "morning gift." He gave me a beautiful pair of aquamarine earrings to wear as my something blue.
We lucked out with a beautiful, warm, fall day in Pasadena. Our friend (fortuitously named Karma) officiated, and for our reading, we went with Charles Darwin's musings on marriage, an homage to our scientific roots. The night went by quickly (No many how many times people told us it would, I was still surprised!), but I remember standing aside for a moment during dinner and seeing everyone eating at the long tables under the lit up tree and thinking it really was a perfect day.
Wedding Photography: Katie of Annie McElwain Photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: Happy Trails Catering in Pasadena, California / Flowers: DIY by the Bride via the LA Flower District / Wedding Cake: Vanilla Bake Shop / Cake Banner: ReadyGo / Wedding Invitations: TheLoveFont / Rentals: Archive Vintage Rentals / Wedding Programs, Favors + Flags: DIY / Directional Sign: DIY by the Groom / Wedding Dress: Jenny Yoo / Bride's Shrug: BHLDN / Groom's Suit: Hugo Boss