There’s a unique magic to a garden wedding, especially for couples who want to enjoy their special day surrounded by the scent of blooming flowers, softly whispering trees, and gorgeous sunlight. A garden wedding often feels more like a celebration within a secret, magical world than a grand event.
If you’ve got your heart set on a garden wedding, you’re in luck because you’re starting with a naturally beautiful canvas. The key now is to pick a theme that will make the most of your natural surroundings while staying authentically yours.
Below, we’ve collected three of the most charming garden weddings that we’ve catered before to inspire you and use as a starting point.
photo courtesy of Nelli Noel Photography
Vintage English Tea Party Garden Wedding
While most people would think Alice in Wonderland for an English tea party, we suggest this truly dreamy, vintage-style wedding instead. The couple loved blue and white porcelain and used it as an inspiration for the colors and décor of their garden wedding, even ordering special china and flatware to complement their theme.
photo courtesy of Nelli Noel Photography
Inspired by the English countryside, the floral arrangements have white roses as a focal point, with romantic blue flowers like delphiniums and lavender to create a porcelain look.
photo courtesy of Nelli Noel Photography
To create a picnic-like feeling, the couple chose family-style service, which also had the lovely effect of prompting guests to connect with each other more. Since Anaviv only cooks with seasonal and farm-fresh ingredients, we focused on lighter flavors that would show off the amazing produce we get during the summer, such as bergamot-marinated chicken, slow-roased local wild-caught salmon, and delicata squash stuffed with a spring vegetable and chickpea ragu.
Photo courtesy of Nelli Noel Photography
photo courtesy of Nelli Noel Photography
For dessert, a selection of freshly baked pies featuring seasonal fruit set up at a beautiful pie bar makes a charming and offbeat option that adds a lot to the picnic feeling of a garden wedding.
photo courtesy of Nelli Noel Photography
photo courtesy of Nelli Noel Photography
photo courtesy of Nelli Noel Photography
Luxe and Intimate Garden Wedding
Garden weddings don’t always have to be whimsical, they’re also a great setting for opulent and luxurious details. For couples who are looking to infuse their day with their rich cultural heritage, this is a unique opportunity to create a personal and intimate experience that everyone can participate in.
This couple traded quiet pastels for a stunningly elegant gold and white theme that set off lush marigolds and a gorgeous view past a manicured lawn, with opulent touches in the choice of tableware.
With such a distinctive theme for this garden wedding, we made sure that the menu also had an equally luxurious vibe, as well as a formal service with elegantly plated entrees. To blend together the cultural details of the celebration, we focused on spiced flavors that evoke South Asia and the Middle East, with plenty of cumin, cinnamon, and paprika to add a surprising and delightful element to fresh ingredients like scallops and caviar.
Free-Spirited Boho Garden Wedding
For a couple looking for a more relaxed celebration, a boho-themed garden wedding creates a perfect opportunity to express your personalities and create an effortlessly fun vibe. It's less about perfection and more about going with the flow, with plenty of wildflowers and natural textures and decorations: wooden tables, wine barrels, ceramics, mismatched and eclectic tableware like the mother-of-pearl-handled dinner knives and vintage lace tablecloths. For a complete boho experience, hire an indie band instead of a DJ to provide the perfect musical backdrop.
photo courtesy of Susie Lacocque Photography
photo courtesy of Susie Lacocque Photography
photo courtesy of Susie Lacocque
photo courtesy of Susie Lacocque Photography
photo courtesy of Susie Lacocque Photography
photo courtesy of Susie Lacocque Photography
With the eclectic theme comes a wonderful opportunity to have an equally eclectic menu for your boho garden wedding! A buffet works perfectly for this kind of setting: think about asking your caterer to put their spin on an old family recipe or offer dishes that evoke nostalgic family or childhood meals but with an elevated twist, perhaps lobster mac and cheese?
For wedding cakes, instead of the standard wedding tiered cakes, think of seasonal fruit and plenty of flowers to recreate a natural, easy vibe.
photo courtesy of Susie Lacocque Photography
photo courtesy of Susie Lacocque Photography
Every wedding is a reflection of a unique story, and a garden wedding provides a beautiful, natural frame for the themes you choose, the flavors you share, and the joy and love that comes with your special day. Whether your heart leans toward classic charm, gilded luxury, or free-spirited fun, the goal is always to create a day that reflects who you are and the love you're celebrating.