This past February (yes, just a few weeks before the world exploded into chaos) I stuffed my car full of flowers and took a little road trip up the coast to Lompoc, California, to a gorgeous little green house nestled amongst gardens so quaint and tucked away, you would almost never know it was there until you blissfully stumbled upon it. La Arboleda is a hidden gem of a property just a stone’s throw from the coast and a few miles North of Santa Barbara. It’s old-world-meets-wine-country landscape is perfect for a romantic and timeless outdoor wedding. And let me tell you, this place is literally right out of some Snow White fairy tale (vintage water wheel and all).

I was invited by my friends Savan Photography, Amorette Events and Photo Native to come make some Spring floral magic happen around different areas of the property for an Old-World inspired wedding editorial as a part of the Photo Native Workshop lineup. With it being slow season, I took this opportunity to have a fun day of designing solo (old school Mulberry & Moss style) and check a few floral designs off my portfolio bucket list… like an arch of primarily Lilac and Tulips. (Check!)

We got to mingle with a busload of attendees who had gathered to learn photography technique from Savan. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Savan, she is a Fine Art Photographer specializing in Romantic and detailed imagery captured on film (but I’m pretty sure if she ever gets bored of Photography she has a career waiting for her in Stand-Up Comedy). Not only that, Savan is a genius when it comes to dreamy, romantic images and capturing fine details. One peek at her flatlay game and you’ll see why people come from all over the place to learn from her. I got a free crash course just lurking while she explained styling and techniques to her students.

We designed the table scape drawing inspiration from all things timeless romance. And what says english garden tea party better than french style linen chairs, a textured white linen, lace detail china and a fairytale-like runner of fresh Spring florals? This style of centerpiece can be pricey, but when will you have another chance to sit and dine amongst a dreamy bed of florals Alice in Wonderland style? This centerpiece was made of all the best Spring blooms including Lilac, Sweet Peas, Tulips, butterfly Ranunculus, Lisianthus, blush Bella Donna Delphinium and Caffe Latte Garden Roses.

Jessica, the lead planner of Amorette Events, was the mastermind behind most of the dreamy details. Her company is fairly new and she is totally #crushingit in the SoCal wedding planning & design arena. Her style and taste are perfectly matched to the timeless romance trends of today’s wedding world, and her sweet and witty personality is the cherry on top. I had a blast chatting it up with her after the shoot while casually stuffing my face with wedding cake and blueberries the students had used for styling earlier in the class (another testament to Jess’s superb attention to detail) Oh yeah…speaking of cake!!

This three-tiered stunner (and its hand-painted smaller counterpart) showed off the diverse custom creations of CocoaBerry Cake Co, another industry gem slanging sweets out of Placentia, CA. The lush floral backdrop was created with repurposed blooms from the dining table. Although this may be tricky to do in a real life wedding scenario (would be difficult to remove centerpieces mid-reception without a few guests scratching their heads), you could still use this idea and steal florals from your Ceremony instead, like aisle pieces, and repurpose those to create a similar dessert spotlight moment.

And of course, no wedding shoot is complete without a romantic golden hour portrait sesh. This real couple gave us all the young-love feels as they worked all the angles of that sunset. After seeing these shots Savan captured, you’re gonna want to grab your boo and find the nearest little country road stat and capture some version of these shots for yourself. BTW, if you are planning an engagement session and looking for the perfect photographer, let me know! I may know someone. 😉

Also, when you plan your engagement session, be sure to hop on over to our shop and order your custom Engagement Bouquet! Because flowers make every photo shoot better. I’m not biased or anything.

That’s all for today, friends! I hope you enjoyed this little slice of inspiration. Until next time, I’ll just be here dreaming about Lilac and Tulips….

XO, Sarah

  

If you’d like to keep in touch and stay informed on all the wonderful things to come, subscribe to my e-mail list.