I’ve been looking forward to sharing this wedding at Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield, Ohio for awhile now. Every detail from this romantic and dreamy garden inspired wedding day was just stunning. For starters, I’m a sucker for all things paper and these letterpress invitations by Cheer Up Press were simply exquisite.
The paper is naturally dyed with hand torn edges and it just doesn’t get any prettier than this! This sophisticated color palette with various shades of blush and hints of muted pastels was carried through in every single detail of the day.
I love this series of images of Jake getting ready with his dad and brother at the hotel.
Meanwhile back at the bridal suite, Abbie’s finishes getting ready with her mom and bridesmaids.
I loved this image of Abbie reading a letter from her soon-to-be husband. It really captures the joy and anticipation one feels when you’re about to marry your best friend!
Off to the venue to get hitched! If you’ve never been to the Kingwood Center Gardens, it’s a must visit. It truly is a gorgeous and unique property. The image below is the view from the lawn where guests would be seated to watch the ceremony. It’s truly magical and is the stuff of fairytales. What you would never guess from the blue skies in this photo below is that a massive rain storm was on the way.
This main building at Kingwood Center is just so grand and stately with a European countryside feel.
A classic long flowing veil almost always is the perfect finishing touch for your wedding day look. Abbie was just about ready to go meet her dad before getting ready to walk down the aisle.
These grand windows and staircase created a stunning and dramatic setting for this sweet father-daughter moment.
The bridesmaid dresses were the perfect color to compliment the bride’s gown. Not quite lavender and not quite pink, this perfectly soft hue coordinated so well with the groomsmen’s suits and ties.
Once Abbie and her bridesmaids were tucked away to chill out for a bit before the ceremony, I met up with Jake and his groomsmen for a few portraits. The sun was beaming down hard and it was hot, but all of the trees provided some shade and nice lighting opportunities.
Let’s talk about this sharp dark blue suit from Pursuit for a minute. It’s just the perfect cut and shade of blue (IMO). I wish these had been around when my husband and I were shopping for suits for our own wedding a few years ago! Pursuit is located in the Short North and is a great option to check out, especially if you prefer a more modern cut.
So if you’re lucky, you may even get to see the elusive peacock that roams the property at Kingwood Center! Such a beautiful animal. And these floral arrangements on either side of the aisle when guests enter the ceremony space were incredible. I’m not sure what that feathery stuff is but I love it and I think it’s what really makes these unique and memorable.
I really can’t imagine a more beautiful spot for an outdoor wedding.
Here come the groomsmen! And Jake’s father was officiating the ceremony which I thought was especially cool. I love capturing these small candid moments.
This flower girl’s whole look was so perfect for a garden inspired wedding. The flower crown is absolutely perfect, then topped off with pearls. The PEARLS are just too cute!
This is probably one of my favorite candid images of the day. The groom, accompanied by his dad and brother, beaming at his beautiful bride.
The way the sun is shining in these photos below, you wouldn’t have guessed that it was about to dump rain in a matter of minutes. Luckily it held out for the ceremony and for a few minutes afterwards to grab some important family and group photos.
Before the rain came, guests headed up the steps to the drive in front of the mansion for cocktails before heading to the back of the property to the tented reception.
I’ve never been so thankful for such a gorgeous indoor space to create some beautiful and unique portraits of the bride and groom. They opted not to do a first look, so we did all of their portraits together in the greenhouse after the ceremony since it started to rain. Regardless of the weather though, I still would have wanted to create some images here. I LOVED the aesthetic of the greenhouse and thought it was a more than perfect rain back-up!
The sophisticated and delicate floral embroidery on Abbie’s dress was just MADE for a garden inspired wedding.
Time to head to the party!
Have you ever seen more beautiful place settings?
Now THAT’S a wedding cake! Five tiers of tasty perfection.
What an incredibly stunning view of this unique venue and property from every angle. I can’t imagine a more perfect location for a countryside garden wedding.
The parent dances get me every time.
A classic wedding reception tradition that seems to be gaining popularity again is the shoe game. I find this to be one of the more fun and entertaining traditions, especially for those that really know the couple. Always seems to be good for a few laughs!
As always, Josh Staley Productions did a fantastic job keeping the party going!
Congrats again to Abbie and Jake on a beautiful start to their marriage and thank you so much for having me capture all the joy!
It truly takes a VILLAGE to pull together events with so much attention to detail. Definitely check out all the amazingly talented wedding pros that came together to bring this vision to life for Abbie and Jake! I feel so lucky to be apart of so much hardworking talent.
VENDOR TEAM:
Venue: Kingwood Center Gardens, Mansfield, Ohio www.kingwoodcenter.org
Event Planning and Coordination: Events Held Dear | www.eventshelddear.com @eventshelddear
Bridal Gown: Jim Hjelm from B.Loved Bridal boutique | https://www.blovedbridal.com @blovedbridal
Hair and Makeup: The Bride Bar | www.thebridebar.com @thebridebar
Menswear: Pursuit | https://www.pursuityourself.com @pursuityourself
Flowers: Bear Roots Floral | http://www.bearrootsfloral.com @bearrootsfloral
Ribbon: The Lesser Bear | http://www.thelesserbear.com @thelesserbear
Invitations: Cheer Up Press | http://www.cheeruppress.com @cheeruppress
Catering: Food trucks by Sweet Carrot, Tortilla, and Handel’s Ice Cream
Cake: Sue Larson of Le Gateau
Dessert Bar: Aiden & Grace | https://aidenandgrace.com @aidenandgrace
Rentals: Lasting Impressions @lirentsevents
Donuts: Schneider’s Bakery
DJ: Josh Staley Productions www.joshstaleyproductions.com
Videography: Logan Lambert @loganlambert