Whimsical Garden Wedding At A Malibu Private Estate

whimsical garden wedding pink ceremony backdrop

We don’t want to be dramatic here, but Kaylee + Ben’s whimsical garden wedding may just be the sweetest of all time. You’ll want to bookmark their day for the impeccable floral inspiration gifted to us by Best Day Ever Floral Design (after all, what a hook!), but if you read their story about how love truly never fails, you may just find yourself not-so-casually weeping in a Starbucks. Olive green and pale blue details decorate the tables, letterpress tea-stained invitations and bridal party fashion, and these bright + joyful images from Logan Cole are sure to captivate your hearts.

From the bride, Kaylee: It’s hard to put into words the kind of love that feels like a undeserved gift. Ben and I’s story is marked by so many real and pivotal moments: moments of choosing to have faith over fear and simply put, choosing each other. We dated each other through the ups and downs of life and fought to see each other’s hearts in it all. I met Ben a year after he had lost his mom––a fiercely loving and strong mother to him and his four siblings. Ben met me as I was finishing my time at UCLA and walking through what was one of the hardest seasons of my life. And somehow, in a way that seems both miraculous and meant to be, we continued to love each other. Knowing that I’m easily anxious, Ben centered his proposal around the one thing he knew would ease my nerves and make me feel childlike and carefree: riding my bike by the ocean. He knelt down and gave me a ring that he designed himself with a radiant family diamond at its center. Moments after saying yes, I was embraced by family and close friends, and as I hugged each one of them, I turned around to see yet another loved one there to surprise me. Later that evening, we were surrounded by “our people” as they cheered for us, toasted to us, and celebrated what they all knew was a long time coming. Then the planning began!

Our wedding was intentional––my husband and I are both creatives and as a result, we desired for everything about the day to be a reflection of the beauty and love that we believe marriage to be. We delighted in crafting the details of our day: the illustrated invitations, the thank you notes we wrote to our guests, the wedding favors. We had so much fun creating together. High on the priority list was our guests. I’d like to think that we truly considered them in every way we could, as we desired for them to feel as loved as we felt on that day. Every person in attendance played a part in our union and we wanted to celebrate them, thank them, and love on them.

I walked down the aisle to Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) as that song carries tremendous meaning for my faith. It so beautifully illustrates the idea of stepping out into the unknown in spite of fear––which sounds a lot like making life-long vows on your wedding day. Ben and I also danced together twice that day. We were joined by friends near and far––from across the country and the world––but not everyone we loved was with us. When I asked Ben how he wanted to honor the life of his beautiful mother, he asked if a poem he wrote to her could be read and then requested that he and I share another dance. For all the years she was here, Ben’s mom was his dance partner. Growing up, she asked him to dance with her when he was sad, full of rambunctious energy, or simply just to make him laugh. This explains why Ben would often ask me to dance while we were dating––in the kitchen, after hard conversations, or just because. He knew that his mom would’ve delighted in him having a new dance partner and wife, so we danced in her honor. It was one of the most cherished, emotional moments of our day. Wedding days are not meant to be perfect, but they are indeed meant to be extraordinary. When I reflect on our day, the details, the sweetness of it all, I feel that it was just that.

Coffee cart – Ben and I love a good cup of coffee, especially the conversation and community that gets created around it, and know that the majority of our friends do too. So, it only seemed right to have an espresso bar during dancing and dessert. It was a hit––there was a line all night! We also partnered with a local coffee shop to create mini bags of coffee beans for each guest. We picked out beans that we loved and were excited to give people a “cup of coffee” on us.

What style and feel did you envision for your wedding?
We desired for our wedding to feel intimate and personal, so naturally we were elated to have the opportunity to host our wedding in the backyard of a private home! It was our hope that the event would feel intentional, whimsical, and special for our guests.

What are some adjectives that best describe the look of your wedding?
Romantic, timeless, summery. Our colors were olive green and a light, pale blue. Ben wore a custom olive green suite that was incredible! And my bridesmaids were absolutely stunning in their soft blue dresses––We were so elated with how the colors looked together. My maid of honor and I made the table numbers, which was a detailed that I absolutely loved. I dried handpicked flowers and put them into pressed glass frames and she hand-scripted the tables numbers on top of the glass. I have since reused the frames to give photos to my bridesmaids, friends, and family members as thank you’s and mementos of our day!

Warm, Earthy Wedding in the Malibu Mountains

What flowers were used for your bouquet and/or floral arrangements??
I absolutely know as I had a whole list of my favorite flowers that I gave to my florist! (Insert monkey covering its eyes emoji here). Among my favorites were peonies (as big as my face), dahlias, bougainvillea, ranunculus, fern, and chamomile. I was in absolute heaven.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Your wedding will be your own––and that is the best part of it all. Ben and I were really intentional in making sure that our wedding felt like “us”, and looking back Im so grateful that we made that a priority and had the amazing support of our family and planner to do just that.

What songs did you play at your wedding? What did you choose for your processional, recessional and first dances?
Processional: Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United
Recessional: Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel (Had to!)
First Dance: Know Me Well by Roo Panes