How To Plan A Garden Party Wedding

Your Guide to Planning The Cottagecore Garden Party Wedding of Your Dreams (from Savannah Wedding Planners, Savannah Wedding Florist & Bridal Shop Stylists!)

It’s no secret that garden party weddings are super popular at the moment, and there’s no wonder as to why - they are SO PRETTY! But what is it, and how do you plan a whole wedding around the garden party theme or cottagecore aesthetic? In this guide, our team of expert wedding planners, Savannah wedding florists and bridal shop stylists will discuss how to successfully achieve the garden wedding of your dreams!

What Is A Garden PARTY Wedding or Cottagecore Wedding?

The cottagecore trend emphasizes simplicity and the soft peacefulness of the countryside life as an escape from the modern world. These garden party style weddings are a romantic, soft, dreamy and whimsical wedding theme inspired by nature, country living, and traditional values. It's a mix of styles that evokes the feeling of being in the countryside, including rustic backyard wedding, romantic garden fantasy, and fairytale whimsy. The goal is to create a laid-back atmosphere that still feels like a fairytale and celebrates small delights and a slower pace of life. A Cottagecore wedding theme or garden party weddings can be upscale and large (think large tented reception on estate grounds), or more casual and intimate (backyard wedding ceremony), depending on the couple's preferences.

Picking A Wedding Venue

Okay, first step to planning your garden wedding is by picking the perfect wedding and reception venue for your day. While there’s no right or wrong wedding venue for a garden style theme wedding, choosing a venue that has large lawns, secret gardens and courtyards is a good start to creating the overall cottagecore aesthetic. Morgan, one of our Lead Wedding Consultants, gives us a few venue options of perfect romantic garden party wedding venues in Savannah, Coastal Georgia or South Carolina.

For a more intimate, backyard wedding ceremony: Harper Fowlkes House, Savannah GA

This 1842 Greek Revival Mansion has a beautiful garden for ceremonies, a bridal suite for dressing, an antique filled home ideal for elegant photographs. They have a no amplification policy, but acoustical music is allowed. The capacity is 120 for outdoor events, and smaller events are allowed in the House. Harper Fowlkes is a perfect wedding ceremony venue for those seeking an intimate and romantic affair, a brunch style wedding reception, or those choosing to not have a wedding reception with lots of dancing. Or, if you want to have a more private wedding ceremony in the gardens of Harper Fowlkes, but still want a wedding reception afterwards, there are lots of wedding reception venues in Savannah, GA that you and your wedding party can move to once the ceremony is finished.

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Real weddings & couples from Ivory & Beau.

For a larger tented reception in the countryside: Ford Field & River Club, Richmond Hill GA

Shaded by colonnades of centuries-old live oaks, lush meadows and sparkling waterfront, The Ford Field & River Club provides a picture-perfect setting for your destination wedding, as well as an opportunity to enjoy your special day in rare privacy and unrivaled natural beauty. Brimming with carefully preserved woodlands, marshes and meadows, and overlooking the great Ogeechee River, The Ford’s Lowcountry setting is truly captivating. Framed by manicured gardens and lush grass, a 390-foot-long entryway acts as a breathtaking stage for your ceremony. On the other side of The Main House, a sweeping lawn looking out across the water offers the perfect environment for a cocktail hour. Boasting stunning Greek Revival architecture with a history reaching back to 1939, The Main House sits atop a bluff overlooking the river. The grand estate provides a majestic backdrop for outdoor wedding ceremonies and photographs.

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Wedding Planner: Michelle Rago Destinations Photographer: Chia & Hon Photography Flowers: Blossom Events

For a whimsical wedding in the courtyard: Ships Of The Sea Maritime Museum, Savannah GA

Located in Savannah, Georgia, Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum provides unforgettable event spaces for weddings. The historic property is home to covered, open-air ceremony options, framed by lush greenery, and well-kept seasonal landscaping. With elegant spaces surrounded by two acres of privately owned gardens, couples will have beautiful backdrops for the milestone they’ve always dreamed of.

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Real weddings & couples from Ivory & Beau

Interesting in having Ivory & Beau help plan your dream garden party wedding?

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DESIGNING Your dreamy Garden Wedding Flowers

Perhaps one of the most important thing in creating the romantic garden party wedding look is by choosing the right flowers and florist for your special day. Savannah Wedding Florist Ivory & Beau LOVE creating organic, whimsical and romantic looking garden floral arrangements.

Choosing a variety of blooms in a range of pastel shades is key to creating the cottagecore aesthetic. For garden party weddings, flowers like peonies, cosmos, ranunculus, dahlias, delphinium, and roses are perfect as they add an array of textures and dancing-like movement to any wedding flower arrangement, enhancing the whimsical and romantic garden look. Choosing a long trailing chiffon ribbon to tie the bouquet together really brings together the entire look!

Ross, our expert Floral Administrator, said this about creating garden wedding flowers and why they’re so popular: “Garden inspired floral designs are a great way to make your guests comfortable and relaxed! These designs often feature bright colors and varied textures that can really transform a space and are best suited to whimsical, outdoor, and sustainable weddings. They can make an otherwise simple venue stand out with the sounds of bees buzzing, and birds chirping, even if it's just in your imagination! Garden inspired florals are best done with seasonal flower varieties in the spring and summer when flower varieties are abundant.”

Including other elements into your floral design such as arches and aisle markers help to amplify the garden party style, and choosing natural curving lines like a half moon ceremony arch and organic looking arrangements help make it feel like a fairytale setting. Or, a trending option for garden party weddings is picking a ground arch over a standing ceremony arch, creating the look of standing in a field of wild flowers during your ceremony. As for the reception, opt for lots of bloom heavy centerpieces, mismatching bud vases and lots of tapered candles!

Real Savannah Wedding Florist Ivory & Beau Wedding Floral Designs:

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Do you want Ivory & Beau to design your Garden Party Wedding Flowers?

INQUIRE ABOUT GARDEN WEDDING FLOWERS TODAY!

How To Pick A Romantic Garden Wedding Dress?

With the rise in popularity of Period dramas (Bridgerton fans, where you at?!) the cottagecore wedding often balances minimalism with Victorian-inspired details such as corsets, puff sleeves and floral or Jacquard prints. Meanwhile, the modern romantic garden wedding tends to lean more towards lots of soft tulle and long flowy sleeves.

Speaking with Naomi, one of our lovely Bridal Stylists in our Savanah bridal shop, she explains how she narrows down her dress selections for garden party brides: “I love hearing about all the different ideas and visions of what YOUR big day looks like to you! I’m a big Bridgerton fan, so one of my favorite wedding themes at the moment is the outdoor garden party wedding aesthetic, it’s so romantic and dreamy! When one of my brides is looking for the cottagecore aesthetic or garden party wedding vibe, I tend to pull more gowns that are flowy A-Lines, something with a floral or jacquard material, and soft tulle. I also love any gown with a off-the-shoulder strap, billowy sleeve or puff sleeve, as I think they’re so trendy right now and definitely here to stay! If the sleeves are detachable then it’s even better, so they get two looks in one!”

Here are just a selection of our wedding dresses from our Savannah bridal shop that scream Garden Party, selected by our Bridal Stylist Experts, Allie & Naomi! Bridal gowns featured from world-renowned dress designers such as Maggie Sottero, Rebecca Ingram, Made With Love, Stella York, WTOO and Willowby.