Wedding Day Florals – How to Style Your Intimate Backyard Wedding
Wedding planning usually starts with the location. Once a wedding venue is selected (if it isn’t an all-inclusive site) the couple generally looks for the next three major vendors: catering, florist, and photographer (pick me!). Even though a wedding venue can determine the style options possible for your wedding, with an excellent florist, you don’t have to be limited. I’ve had the pleasure of photographing many weddings and elopements in the DC Metro Area styled by florist Wander + Whimsy. Working alongside such talented artists has left me convinced that wedding florals are one of the key ingredients to creating your wedding style!
Once your top four vendors are booked (venue, catering, florist, photographer), you can breathe a sigh of relief (whew!). It’s then possible to book everything else because you finally have a plan. These four decisions determine everything from the number of guests you can invite, to your wedding date, and even the vibe of your wedding style.
For Gabriella and Nick’s COVID-era wedding, it went through many different iterations. They finally landed on a backyard wedding reception designed by Wander + Whimsy Floral and Event Styling. The couple decided to use wedding florals to create the summer-themed, boho vibe for their wedding. Here’s the rest of this couple’s 2020 wedding story!
Wander + Whimsy: YOUR Wedding Florist
It’s a rare thing for two different vendor types, but I was there from this florist’s very beginning. Haylie Ahart, Owner and Creative Director of Wander + Whimsy, reached out to me for a branding shoot back when she was first getting started! Her incredible raw talent and eye for designing wedding florals has only increased. I’ve loved working with her ever since!
One of the reasons we have connected so well is our shared values. Haylie and her team actually care about their clients and the work that they do. As Haylie puts it,
“We’re all about: Love above all, community, creativity, balance, service, sustainability, and iced dirty chais.” Also, “We’re not about: Cookie-cutter designs, competition, hate in any form, decaf coffee, or a life without flowers.”
This team of experts isn’t churning out designs for wedding florals just to get it done. That’s why Haylie and her team of artists are always at the top of my wedding florals recommendation list. These florists intentionally create the entire vibe of your wedding the way that you want it!
How to Style Your Backyard Wedding
Wander + Whimsy brought the magic to this intimate backyard wedding in 2020. Gabriella and Nick had just purchased their first home together. They gave Wander + Whimsy free reign to creatively transform their backyard into a whimsical reception space. Cue candle-lit lanterns lining the reception tent entrance!
The backyard was completely transformed into a space with all the boho and free-flowing vibes that this couple wanted. It was an amazing way to share their new home with all of their friends and family!
I recommend Wander + Whimsy’s wedding florals for couples who want something special in their floral design. Newlyweds who aren’t after an ordinary circle of roses, but love the whimsical side that Wander + Whimsy always provides. Anything from full-on color or a more neutral palette, there is always romance, ease, and texture in their work.
Why Wedding Florals Matter: Hear It From the Source
Wedding florals are at the heart of your wedding decor. If you’re looking for a “truly curated design process from start to finish,” Wander + Whimsy will bring your wedding vision to life! Haylie and her team are always on top of everything. They take the time to really reflect their clients’ dreams in their wedding florals.
After photographing a TON of weddings, you end up seeing a wedding design style that’s copied over and over. I am always in awe of Wander + Whimsy’s creations as they curate a couple’s styling in a one-of-a-kind way. Their signature full-service designs also include the perfect coordination of all rentals necessary to bring this vision to life (vases, arches, stands, candles, etc). One less thing for you to plan!
This is how Haylie describes in her own words, the experience of designing these backyard wedding florals, “We worked with Gabi and Nick to transform their backyard through lots of texture, wild blooms, and greenery with a mix of lush traditional blooms such as roses as a nod to their ceremony florals. We also incorporated tons of candlelight with taper candles, votive candles tucked among their floral centerpieces, and lanterns lining the entrance to the tent for a more intimate feel.”
Not only the vibe, but all the feels created by this wedding florist created such magical memories that are such a gift to photograph.
Still figuring out your wedding style? I’d love to brainstorm with you!
Wander + Whimsy Collaborations
