Well, hello GOR-GEOUS secret garden filled with endless amounts of inspiration! An absolute dream team, headed by The Perfect Bow Events, put together a shoot so chock full of lovely I am certain you will be Pinning for days! From the florals to the vintage props to the bride’s TWO amazing Christos gowns, it’s almost too much pretty to take in at once. Lucky for your tea party loving-heart, there is an entire gallery full of much more!
From The Perfect Bow Events… After digging through my mom’s china cabinet one afternoon, I came across a beautiful set of vintage mismatched tea cups and saucers. I love that they all are so unique — different colors, different sizes, different patterns — but they all capture the same motif through their feminine details and delicately painted flowers. I thought they would be perfect for a bridal shower or outdoor, garden wedding. So when Steve from Stephen Orlick Photography approached me to collaborate on an inspirational shoot, I was so excited because I knew exactly the theme we had to do: a garden tea party. When envisioning a tea party, I think of ornate tea cups, silver tea sets, frills, lace, dainty desserts and, of course, a breathtaking garden. Immediately I thought of the perfect location for the shoot, a private residence in Irvine with the most immaculate garden. The bright and colorful garden along with the gorgeous view would serve as a perfect backdrop to our garden tea party. I chose a color scheme of soft pinks and ivories, knowing that the flowers from the garden would provide pops of unexpected color. Lace was also incorporated throughout to provide texture and extra femininity … and who doesn’t love lace?
We captured the soft, vintage charm of our tea party with antique finds and keepsakes — from pink depression glassware and vintage books to old lace runners and glass inkwells. Our main table was built around our inspiration — the tea cups — positioned on top of each place setting. Archive Vintage Rentals helped tie our vision together with their one of a kind pieces — from their rustic, farm table and chairs to a French-influenced side table that we used for both the cake and escort card tables. Their yellow, velvet chair, which we used to capture detail shots, was my favorite piece, along with their elegant, bronze chandelier decorated with crystals that helped finish off our table. We also created a “tea table” where guests could help themselves to an assortment of different types of tea and accompanying goodies to doctor it up.
For the flowers, Jenny Gregory created an effortless look with flowers that appeared as if they were straight from an English garden. Sweet and Saucy Shop created a simple yet ultra feminine cake, which I absolutely loved! All the paper goods and stationery were a custom creation by Simply Said Invitations. With pale pink as the main palette, the design was of simple elegance with the different patterned paper of Swiss dots and garden flowers carried throughout. Our models, Carolyn and James, were so fun to work with, not to mention such a beautiful and photogenic couple! Their five-year anniversary was right around the corner, so they were very excited to get the pictures. Carolyn was just stunning in two Christos wedding gowns provided by our favorite couture bridal boutique, The White Dress. Our amazing and talented photographer, Steve, did a wonderful job capturing the day. His attention to detail and artistic eye really were apparent throughout his beautiful images and video!
Photography + Cinematography: Stephen Orlick Photography / Photo Shoot Location: A Private Residence in Irvine, California / Event Design + Planning: The Perfect Bow Events / Floral Design: Jennifer Gregory / Invitations + Paper Goods: Simply Said Invitations / Wedding Cake: Sweet and Saucy Shop / Decor + Props: Landmark Antiques / Rentals: Archive Vintage Rentals / Wedding Dresses: Christos “Eve” + “Nora” via The White Dress / Bride’s Jewelry: Renee Pawele / Bride’s Veil: Olivia Nelson “Audrey” / Bridal + Flower Girl Accessories: Olivia Nelson / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Hair: Hair By Merr / Makeup: A Little Touch of Heaven