Pastel Botanical Garden Wedding

Dawn Strong
April 7, 2014
Categories: Casual, Real Weddings

I love flowers. So a wedding overflowing with beautiful blooms from Iron Heart Imports and set against a stunning botanical garden backdrop? Pretty much my most favorite thing ever. As is a pastel color lineup and an al fresco reception where dancing under the stars is mandatory. Check out every beautiful moment (and there are a lot of them) captured by Alders Photography right here.

And a sweet film from Blue Kite Cinema? Yes, please.

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From the Bride… Mike and I met when I was his counselor-in-training at a summer camp for a week. The following year, we were both on staff and spent the summer working with amazing kids and friends and falling in love. We spent six years growing together and becoming a part of each others’ families. Six years later, Mike and I went back to visit camp and he proposed at the end of the dock on the lake.

When we first walked through the Botanic Gardens, we felt like we were transported back to camp, except a little bit nicer! It felt so perfect to be able to share a little bit of the start of our relationship with our guests, and we loved that everything could take place within walking distance. We wanted the wedding to compliment the venue and feel natural and romantic. My dress really inspired the romantic feeling that we tried to capture. We had such a gorgeous spot to work with we just didn’t want to compete with the feeling of the venue.

On the way over to the ceremony, my bridesmaids and flower girls and I rode in a golf cart together and they all started singing “Going to the Chapel of Love.” It was so silly and cute and really made me excited. Listening to our parents toasts also stands out as one of the best parts of the day.

During the ceremony, we had one of our friends from camp read a camp song. Building the arch we got married under was a really fun project, and working with one of my students to design all of the chalkboard details was such a unique experience, I am lucky to have such an amazing student! Also, a week before our wedding we were at a Farmer’s Market and met Curtis, a local poet. You give Curtis a word or subject and he creates a poem for you on the spot. We hired him instantly to come to our wedding for our guests!

Advice for future brides and grooms: don’t be afraid to make choices that seem a little bit strange to some people, as long as they reflect who you are as a couple. Use the support/assistance of your friends and family when they offer it. Trends come and go, so make choices based on what you really love. Don’t worry about every tiny detail, the main thing is that you get to marry someone amazing and be with your friends and family!