Stefanie + Leigh went on quite the journey when it came to finding the perfect wedding venue, and I’m sure their dilemma will ring true with some of you as well. But in the end, they found the perfect place to celebrate their love + exchange their vows, with a colorful + festive wedding in their beautiful Los Angeles backyard! They incorporated lots of playful details that you’re definitely going to love. Personally, I’m crazy about their adorable ribbon-draped ceremony arch + the super pretty garden florals, featuring the most beautiful pink peonies! Here’s a bit more from Stefanie about their challenging venue hunt:
As Leigh (my then fiancé) and I were searching all of Los Angeles for our perfect wedding venue, he was a bit sticker shocked. He kept joking that it would be more cost-effective to buy ourselves a wedding venue than to book one for a night. I laughed at him as I usually do when he says crazy things, and we continued on our search. Eventually, we found and booked an amazing venue that was reasonably priced. It was a house on hill with views of the city and rolling hillside. Our wedding planning then continued in full force (save the dates sent, vendors booked, pretty much most everything completed). Surprisingly, a few months later, Leigh and I were fortunate enough to purchase a beautiful property in the Highland Park neighborhood of LA that had views of the city skyline and hillside. We immediately knew that our wedding day would be that much more special if we got married right in our own backyard. We had indeed bought ourselves a wedding venue — I hate it when Leigh’s right! ;)
So crazy how things work out sometimes! Big thanks to Marianne Wilson Photography for the lovely images + congratulations to Stefanie + Leigh!
Such darling bouquets, right?! Designed by Primal Flower, they embody the perfect, freshly-picked wildflower feel! For more bouquet inspiration, check out our flowers + bouquets pinterest board!
Imagine getting married beneath all of these pretty, colorful ribbons! Love it!
During my wedding planning, I found and purchased the perfect dress. I was so excited to wear it on our wedding day. Three months before the big day, we found out we were going to have a baby! My gorgeous but extremely fitted around the tummy area dress was suddenly questionable. I thought about getting it altered, but it just didn’t seem like the right dress anymore. Two weeks before our wedding I ordered a dress from LuLu’s, and that is the dress I wore on our wedding day. And you know what, it was the perfect dress! I felt beautiful, it was comfortable, and it seemed like the dress I was always meant to wear.
Stefanie + Leigh styled a fun produce cart to serve as favors for their guests. So cute, right?
Be sure to check out their sweet wedding film from Marianne Wilson Photography below!
The wedding we had on July 6, 2013 was not the wedding we had planned in 2012. My one piece of advice is to be open to change. Sometimes things happen that you don’t expect, sometimes things don’t happen that you expect to happen, too. Your wedding will turn out exactly how it is supposed to, and it will be wonderful.
photography: Marianne Wilson Photography // venue name: bride + groom's backyard Los Angeles, California // florals: Primal Flower // wedding dress: LuLu's // videography: Marianne Wilson Photography // catering: Event Professionals // cake: Vanilla Bake Shop // music: Diamond DJs Entertainment // dress store: Blush Bridal Couture
What a lovely pretty wedding.
A fresh produce stand is a healthy and wholesome alternative to giving pre-packaged favors. I hope this wonderful idea takes off!
One of the loveliest bouquets we’ve seen for a while and the bride is divine, her hair is just gorgeous !
Love how eclectic and colorful this wedding is. Not to mention approachable, thoughtful and creative! Well done!!
We had SUCH an amazing time getting to know these two, their family, and their friends. It was an absolutely beautiful day!
Thank you Green Wedding Shoes (my favorite wedding blog) for featuring our wedding. Thanks also to all of the awesome vendors that made the day so amazing! My hair was done by Tiffany at C the Salon.
Love the colors!! Awesome pictures!!
Oh my word, the colour!! <3
what a beautiful wedding! How lucky are you to be able to have it in such a beautiful backyard with amazing views! If you don’t mind my asking, what was the first location you were thinking of going with? I’m searching and it’s driving me crazy!
Quincy– it was Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve in Calabasas. Or let me know if you want to use our backyard! :)
Can we rent your backyard for our wedding? Hehe. It’s such a lovely location with pretty views.
Love the whimsical boutonniere!
Oh! I am so excited to see our couple Stefanie and Leigh being featured on your site! This was one of my favorite weddings to design last year. That canopy took over 2 1/2 hours to put together but it was so worth it! I loved tying all the ribbons as the floated around us and created a maypole effect.
Such an honor to be featured again here on Green Wedding Shoes! Thanks for all the lovely comments on the flowers and decor. Marianne Wilson Photography did such a beautiful job capturing their big day.
I love the “take away” gift of fresh produce! another great suggestion for friends and clients with this same mood!
Love the bright colors – very creative.
Absolutely gorgeous! The location is incredibly unique and the photographer did a stunning job taking advantage of it.
OMG! I’m in Love! This is exactly what I’m looking for, unfortunately we live in apartment. :-( Beautiful wedding! :-)
Stunning. I just love the different colours. Would love a wedding like this!
What an eclectic wedding, just stunning! Love the brides hair too, just fab!
I ADORE everything about this wedding. wow! Love the flowers and the blue bridesmaid dresses