Oh, how this styled shoot calls to me. These photos from Thomas Steibl bring us all the way to Austria, where a group of wedding professionals styled a garden wedding with vintage accents straight out of a dream. How brilliant is that venue, and that purple hyndrangea bouquet?
Well, it looks like we might just have stumbled across our new favorite venue: Los Angeles’ Carondelet House. With a space that doubles as a beautiful ceremony hall and a warm and cozy reception venue, it’s easy to see why we’re so smitten. Jackie and Matt’s wedding day wanted their wedding to feel like “family living rooms over the holidays,” and judging by these images from Floataway Studios, we think it’s safe to say they achieved just that (and more)!
From the bride, Jackie: Inspired by the time of year, we wanted the celebration to feel like our family living rooms over the holidays. We wanted to capture the warmth, sense of togetherness and ease that comes with the season and infuse the evening air with it.
I have a huge family so food cascades from various corners, while people zip from here to there, and kids crawl about. I wanted to maintain that freedom and liveliness and knew that how we approached food would be the major driver in delivering this. We decided against a formal sit-down dinner and thought that a cocktail reception with passed heavy and playful hors d’ouerves would allow people to move and mingle freely. Matt and I love the outdoors and are daring in our own right. We wanted to nod to this in various ways. Heather of Twig and Twine brought in beautiful mosses and ferns as a backdrop to our story. We also gave our guests the option to donate to nature preservation causes in our registry. And in lieu of favors, we donated to the National Parks Conservation Association in their honor.
The Save the Dates were old postcards that I collected in Australia. I designed and printed out the text content in a bold, masculine font backwards and did image transfers of them with acetone. The invitations were a result of a worldwide collaboration between a graphic designer in Ohio, my mother-in-law in California, and myself in Australia. I knew I wanted to have a blend of materials in the suite and loved the idea of putting kraft paper, wood and cotton together. Alaina at Cheerupcherup printed the wooden RSVP cards and the envelopes. I requested the invite content as a digital file and had it made as a rubber stamp locally. I purchased homespun cotton and red thread at a fabric store, and kindly asked my mother-in-law to cut and stitch them to size. Once they made it back to Australia, I stamped and assembled the suite. Our event stylist created a guest book where our guests were asked to suggest adventures for us to go on or to give us any words of wisdom.
Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Think of your vendors as part of your team. Respect their time, energy, creativity and talent. Carve out a time in your celebration where it is just you and your husband and no one else. We are so thankful that our event stylist and coordinator, Wilmarose, set aside a 30 minute window after the ceremony and before we joined the reception that was just for us. She even had food and champagne waiting in the wings! Take a moment and soak it all in. Because you and your husband are tugged in different directions by excited friends and relatives, designate a friend to nudge you and your partner a couple of times to stop and marvel at the incredible swirl around you.
Wedding Music:
Bridal Party Processional: “Holocene,” Bon Iver
Bride’s Processional: “My Lady’s House,” Iron and Wine
Recessional: “Welcome Home,” Radical Face
First Dance: “Crosses,” Jose Gonzalez
Wedding Location: Los Angeles, CA / Wedding Photographer: Floataway Studios / Event Design and Planning: Wilmarose Orlanes of Lovely Jubilee / Wedding Flowers: Twig and Twine / Wedding Venue: Carondelet House / Wedding Dress: Tadashi Shoji “YR90326L” / Wedding Veil: AgnesHart / Wedding Shoes: Butter “Saffron” / Earrings: BHLDN “Baltic Amber Earrings” / Hair and Makeup: Genie of E2Beauty / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Styled by bride; Banana Republic, ASOS, Madewell, Urban Outfitters / Groom’s Suit: J. Crew / Groom’s Shoes: Batsanis / Wedding Caterer: The Vetted Table / Desserts: Sweet and Saucy Shop / Coffee: Handsome Coffee Roasters / DJ: Prime Elements / Rentals: Found Rentals / Wedding Invitations: Cheerupcherup
It’s almost here! Coming next week we will unveil the new site, jam packed with updates and a brand new Recycle Your Wedding. And so, so, SO much more.
