You know The Secret Garden? Well, it was one of my absolute favorite books growing up. I couldn’t get enough of the enchanted mystery and believe it or not, it’s exactly the inspiration behind this gorgeous shoot. Ellamah put together the abundance of blooms, The Vintage Table Co. provided the place settings, and Carolly Fine Art Photography captured the gallery just waiting to be swooned. Get started here.
From Carolly Fine Art Photography… If anyone has read the Secret Garden by Frances Burnett, I am sure they remember it very fondly. I’ve had this idea to do a romantic Secret Garden shoot for a long time now, and finally gathered the perfect vendors to bring this vision to life. I still remember the way I imagined the Secret Garden – lots of greenery and flowers with brick walls surrounding it, birds everywhere, and a buried key. I wanted to photograph all these sweet, innocent elements from the book as an inspiration for brides looking to do something similar for their wedding.
Sunny Gables Estate is a relatively new wedding venue with a gorgeous stone courtyard, brick walls, and iron gates. I fell in love with it immediately once I saw how fitting it was for our romantic and intimate garden wedding. There aren’t many venues like this in Los Angeles, so we were lucky to find it!
The bride looked stunning in her gown and hair/makeup by Theresa Huang. The long and elegant Vivienne gown by BHLDN could not have been more perfect, with a silvery beaded bodice, soft cloud-grey silk tulle, and a sheer back. We adorned our bride with a set of gorgeous BHLDN crystal earrings, and a dreamy cathedral veil handmade by Veiled Beauty. Just as handsome was our groom, who wore a dapper navy blue Zara suit to complement her classic gown.
In the garden courtyard is an inviting aged wooden table with linen seating from the fabulous Found Vintage Rentals. Laid out gracefully on the table are the antique floral dinnerware, clear crystal glass, and shimmery gold flatware all curated by the Vintage Table Co. Just like the abundant blooms discovered inside the secret garden, the table is decorated with the most exquisite florals – pink peonies and roses, while draped with lots of ivy, all picked by the amazing Jessica of Ellamah Florals. Guests can also find their escort cards clipped onto the old birdcage dressed with more blossoming flowers.. And as a sweet gift, each guest receives a vintage skeleton key that unlocks the gate to the secret garden where love is being celebrated.
One of the most exciting parts of the wedding day is having cake! We loved the gorgeous rustic cake designed by the talented Leslie of Fantasy Frostings in Pasadena. This tiered cake has a very subtle hint of pink and is embellished with beautiful crafted flowers to match our theme. We all know that a wedding isn’t complete without a set of invitations and gorgeous calligraphy by Nelly of Modern Elements to set the tone for a romantic secret garden wedding. Everything came together with such sweetness, elegance, and romance. Thank you to all the hard work of our vendors as well as our models Michelle and Anthony!
Photography: Carolly Photography | Floral Design: Ellamah | Wedding Dress: BHLDN | Cake: Fantasy Frostings | Bride's Shoes: Ted Baker | Makeup: Kohnur | Hair: Kohnur | Makeup & Hair: Kohnur | Calligraphy: Nelly Chung | Wedding Venue: Sunny Gables Estate | Models: Anthony Ma Michelle Huang | Rentals: Found Rental Co. | Tableware: The Vintage Table Co. | Veil: Veiled Beauty