Art Nouveau Wedding Inspiration with Cattail Reeds & Violet Flowers
Today’s Art Nouveau wedding inspiration is a stairway to paradise, complete with an embellished vintage kaftan style wedding dress, bamboo-lined chinoiserie plates and glass Tiffany lamps from the creative mind + lens of Ashley Noelle Edwards, LLC. And this is just the start! Gracing the images below are also delicate hand-gathered blooms in mauve, periwinkle and butterscotch hues from Hillside Blooms Floristry. The way these colors mingle with the cream-colored latticework of the historic venue and the tapestry-turned-table runners is simply… mmph *chef’s kiss*! We can’t wait for you to witness the splendid gallery below. Shall we?
From the Planner. Designer and Photographer, Ashley Noelle Edwards, LLC: A luxurious editorial set inside and outdoors of sumptuous Villa Montalvo, an historic estate in Saratoga, California which features intricate architectural details, antique carpets, furniture, and epic staircase. Not to mention the incredible floor-to-ceiling glass wall that features an Art Nouveau style, reflecting gorgeous shadows onto the grand staircase, the perfect wedding photo spot and one of the most luxurious venues on the West Coast.
Planned, designed, and photographed by luxury destination photographer Ashley Noelle Edwards-Desmond of Ashley Noelle Edwards, LLC, this wedding editorial is meant to show how glass Tiffany lamps in a colorful, art nouveau style can bring a wedding design together. We have never seen lamps like this used in wedding design, particularly on the tablescape, so we were very excited to bring Ashley’s unique idea to life.
Beginning a wedding design with the tablescape may be outside the box, but the inspiration simply flowed from there and it flowed easily! Not exactly a theme, but moreso a style and a vibe, the art nouveau goodness extended to all other elements of this day, including a 1930s style bridal bandeau, intricate handmade jewelry by Edera, cattail reeds and violet flowers, which are so popular in the art nouveau motif, artistic table tapestries, historic venue, beaded gown, and vintage hair and makeup look by Raven Reed Luxury Beauty.
Ashley Noelle Edwards-Desmond chose tortoiseshell bamboo-shaped flatware to mimic the shape and color of the cattail reeds that are present throughout the design, as well as bamboo-lined chinoiserie blue plates and a trifecta of luxury glassware from Stella Rental.
A yellow wedding cake is another first for us, and we love the sugar-sculpted calla lilies and line art present in this design by Paper Heart Patisserie. We think guests would be absolutely thrilled to see such a vibrant and delicious-looking cake!
Our bride carried a simple hand-tied bouquet consisting of flowers in various shades of ultraviolet with gold roses as an accent. Our floral designer, Cindy Magan of Hillside Blooms Floristry built a lovely half-arch for florals against a rose-gold metal structure provided by Stella Rental.
Capturing varying kinds of light was important to Ashley as the photographer, and all of the images are shot on Kodak film. Wedding days do not take place only in perfect, golden hour light, so I chose to shoot both indoors and outdoors in lighting conditions you would typically see throughout a wedding day. I think shooting only at golden hour is a mistake. So many other lighting situations create epic portraits full of depth and meaning.
Two looks from the brand new collection of Bella Belle Shoes were chosen for this editorial, blue lace heels and satin-bow flats. Ashley photographed some of our favorite shoe moments ever, with our bride model’s romantic “I love you” tattoo creating a cool and meaningful portrait. Incredible calligraphy and invitation design was done by Pretty Written Things, including a showstopping engraved perfume bottle. Check out the adorable little flora and fauna details on the hand-created invitations. The cutest little snails and other art nouveau motifs! The rich colors of the invitation suite set the tone and guests must know something incredible is coming for this day. We don’t think they’ll be disappointed!
There’s just something about these Art Nouveau wedding vibes that make our hearts skip a beat. Weaving modern sensibilities into the most noteworthy elements of this famously ornamental style (stained glass, curved forms and Japanese motifs to name a few!), this dreamy inspiration is a lesson in marrying the old and the new, the beautiful and bold. If you’re anything like us, you probably want to continue your tumble down the vintage wedding inspiration rabbit hole… don’t worry, we’ve got these stunning antique engagement rings on deck.
Wedding Vendors:
Event Planning & Design: Ashley Noelle Edwards, LLC
Invitations: Pretty Written Things
Photography: Ashley Noelle Edwards, LLC
Wedding Dress: Gossamer
Floral Design: Hillside Blooms Floristry
Rentals: Stella + Co
Cake: Paper Heart Patisserie
Beauty: Raven Reed Makeup
Modeling Agency: Look Model Agency
Jewelry: Edera Jewelry
Shoes: Bella Belle Shoes
Engraving: Pretty Written Things
Engagement Ring: Trumpet & Horn