Secret Garden Editorial Wedding at Seattle Estate

Around the corner from my house there used to be a grand English style manor home, complete with sculpted hedge gardens and a camellia grove that would have camellia collectors envious! The couple that currently owns the property bought it about five years ago with the plan to tear down the house and build something more modern. And because the never planned to live in the house as is, they stopped watering and caring for the beautiful gardens. I’d walk past it every day and watch as established plants died from neglect. Cue heartbreak and tears. But one fall evening as the sun was falling lower in the sky, I walked by and saw the shriveling gardens in a whole new light. Their dying was beautiful. It brought out a warm, rich color palette and textures that you never see in a living garden.

Inspired by all of this, I knocked on the door one day expecting to find no one home but to to my surprise the owner answered! I clumsily complimented her dying gardens and asked if I could style an editorial wedding there. It took a little while for me to properly explain what I wanted (yes, a real couple. but no, not a real wedding. just a couple hours on a sunny afternoon. a team of vendors tromping around. etc. etc.). And she said yes!

With permission granted, we pulled together one of the quickest shoots we’ve ever done - just a few days from idea brainstorming to execution! Olivia Carson photographed, and brought her own stunning wedding gown, shoes, and veil! The detail on the gown is unreal - I am still obsessed with it!

For flowers, we snipped lots of bits and pieces from the dying garden, and added in just a few purchased flowers. This kept the look wild and like it fit into the abandoned garden setting.