A Botanical Bridal Story You Won't Forget

Imagine walking down an aisle of lush green grass and greeting your groom in the shadows of a Victorian gazebo, sheltered by the hushing quiet of dense verdure and blossoms. Your sacred vows harmonize with the quiet hum of nature, followed by a kiss as sweet as the nectar dripping from nearby blooms. The ceremony is followed by a night spent sipping champagne and celebrating, bathed in the honeyed scents of drooping flowers and the warm, damp loam of the earth, the tinkling of piano keys and clinking glasses melding with the gentle battering of leaves. And, as an adieu, you share one last dance beneath the rustling, moon–dappled fronds of towering palms.

This is no Disney–bred fantasy, no teenage dream, but a day of wedded bliss at the San Diego Botanic Gardens. Our beautiful bride and groom meandered the verdant, thicketed paths and hollows at the heart of the Gardens, their flashing eyes and alabaster gowns frosted beacons against the lush and florid growth of the Victorian Gazebo. Traipse along the path between fantasy and reality in our botanical bridal story, a series of photos and fashion that will linger in your memory like the sticky sweetness of ambrosia. 

Photography By Susie Talman

Wardrobe Archive Bridal, The Bustle Bridal Boutique, Peaches en Regalia and GSB

Hair Stylist Deena Von Yokes at Studio Savvy Salon

Makeup Artist Mirror Me by Eileen Haligowski

Florist: Kim Pines

Models: Marcelo Mancini and Elena Uvarova

Shot on Location at the San Diego Botanic Garden

Elena is wearing a gown by Stella York, $1600, and a shoulder neckline by Bel Aire, $620, both available at The Bustle Bridal Boutique.

Elena is wearing a gown by Stella York, $1600, and a shoulder neckline by Bel Aire, $620, both available at The Bustle Bridal Boutique.

Elena is wearing gown by Badgley Mishka, $3350, available at Archive Bridal Studio & Boutique.

Elena is wearing a Claridge gown by Anne Barge, $3950, a Gita veil by Toni Federici, $460, and a headband by Bel Aire, $190, all available at The Bustle Bridal Boutique. Marcelo is wearing a Haupt Sport Coat, Robert Graham White Sport Shirt and bow tie, all available at Peaches en Regalia, price upon request.

Elena is wearing a gown by Ivy & Aster, $2900, an Archive Bridal comb, $105, and earrings by Haute Bride, $135, all available at Archive Bridal Studio & Boutique.