Garden Style, Nature Inspired Wedding Styled Shoot

On a steamy day at the beautiful Rust Manor House in Leesburg, Virginia, I teamed up with the amazing Clarity and Class, Sharmila Photography and Catherine Georges Cakes to design a beautiful garden style wedding. The theme was Garden of Eden. For this look we wanted to focus on outdoor weddings and how nature provides the perfect backdrop, no drapes required.

Rust House Manor, one of Northern Virginia’s most notable historic mansions, is a little off the beaten path and makes a statement amongst the 68 acres of nature sanctuary it’s nestled in. When I first arrived, I was taken aback by the large columns and cobblestone porch. An entrance fit for a bride to walk down. As we walked inside we were treated to a grand stair case, sparkling chandeliers and furniture that makes you think about days gone by when quality and craftsmanship were king. If you weren’t already blown away, just wait until you stepped out into the gardens surrounding the manor. Now I’m the kind of person that loves to go and get loss on a hike and find little nooks and crannies that seem to be hidden places were nature is left undisturbed. If I had the chance I could have spent some serious time getting to know the ins and outs of this place. Sonia Sanchez, owner of Clarity and Class, had truly picked the perfect location for this theme.

Since we wanted to reflect the Garden of Eden, plenty of green was on the menu. I chose to go with green, foliage heavy, tall wedding centerpieces with white accents of hydrangea and roses to provide an airy but luxurious feel. For the guest and cake tables we wanted to provide an earthy, organic look and went with moss table runners. For the bridal bouquet I chose to do a cascading garden style bouquet with some structure. For this I included lots of green ivy, variegated pitt and ferns with soft lisianthus flowers for a pop of white. The combination created a flowing picture of natures ability to bend and mold itself into whatever shape fits the brides and designers personalities and style.

We almost couldn’t keep our hands off the delicious looking cake, with gorgeous leaf accents. And you might wonder if we actually got a chance to taste it? Yes, Catherine of Catherine Georges Cakes was sweet enough to bring us a few slices on the side, which we completely destroyed so she wouldn’t have to carry all that stuff back with her (Yeah…that’s why we did it J). Vintage plates with green ivy art and gold utensils, sandblasted wine glasses perfect for toasting, and draped chairs all coming to together to create an elegant outdoor event. Sharmila of Sharmila Photography captured every nuanced detail from the ring and shoes, to the grand set up. Our models for the day, Devon Bouldin and Steve Lanelli were amazing to work with and really helped bring the photo shoot to life.

Please check out the list of vendors below and visit our gallery to see more photos from this shoot along with other garden style, organic wedding flower designs.

Sharmila Photography : @sharmilaphotography

Clarity and Class (coordinator): @clarityandclass

Twine and Toil Florals: @twineandtoil

Catherine George's Cakes : @catherinegeorgecakes

Eikoh Design Glasses : @eikohdesign

Devon Bouldin (model) : @dsignosaur

Steve Ianelli (model) : @bmorecreatemore

Sarah Khan Artistry: @sarahkhanartistry

Justine Ellis (jewelry) : @gemmajewelsshop

Atzi Bridal (headpiece) @atzibridal

Ebrada Atelier (dress + shoes) @ebradaatelier

Menguin Tux : @menguintux

Rust Manor House : @rustmanorhouse