Designing My Dream Wedding: A Garden Party Under the Stars

When I began planning my wedding, my ultimate non-negotiable was having a fully outdoor celebration. I dreamed of a garden party vibe—golden hour light, dancing barefoot under the moonlight, and an intimate, magical atmosphere.

Not the easiest thing to achieve in Vancouver, where outdoor venues aren’t always practical given the constant rain for about eight months of the year. But I wanted to stay true to my California roots, and I couldn’t picture our wedding happening indoors.

From the limited outdoor venues available, many were outside of our budget. Luckily, we found our perfect spot at the UBC Botanical Garden. It fit the bill pretty nicely. The garden is stunning with countless areas to explore, and the specific spot we chose featured a charming field and a long arbor draped in ivy. While it was a gorgeous starting point, it came with nothing, except for some basic white folding chairs that we could rent.

the lawn area where our ceremony & reception took place

the arbor that we had dinner underneath

To be honest, this was exactly what I wanted anyway. A blank slate gave me full creative freedom to design a wedding that truly reflected our style. I’m not a fan of a lot of traditional wedding decor, so I knew this approach would let us make the day completely our own. It would be a lot of work, but I was excited about the challenge.

Having worked in wedding design before, and with my love for all things design and styling (not to mention my obsession with Canva and Pinterest), I dove in headfirst.

a glimpse of my pinterest board, which was the backbone of the design process

Laying the Foundation

I started by creating a floor plan for each area we'd be using, researching rental companies, and securing all the necessary furniture. Luckily, I was able to borrow some items from work, which helped us save on costs. At the time, I worked for a property management company that happened to have some larger decor items like wine barrels (which we used as cocktail tables) and white pop-up tents (perfect for the bar area).

A lot of the small decor was either DIY or purchased on Facebook Marketplace. I think that added to the charm, though.

I made a layout mockup in Canva to get a sense of how everything would come together spatially. Far from a professional floorplan, but it worked!

my venue layout in Canva

dance floor + lounge layout in Canva

the ceremony

the cocktail hour

Bringing the Vision to Life

The real magic, as always, was in the details. Here are some of my favorite highlights:

• The Dress: My wedding dress was made from my mom’s wedding gown. I worked with a local designer to transform it into my dream dress, blending something old with something new.

  
  

• Bridesmaid Dresses: My bridesmaids wore pastel dresses with lots of texture—think ruffles, lace, and ruching—creating a cohesive yet relaxed garden party aesthetic.

  
  

• Bouquets: Two friends I used to work with, who now run their own floral business, created stunning bridal and bridesmaid bouquets featuring a dreamy palette of pastel flowers.

  
  

• Welcome Table: We set up a welcome table featuring family photos and handwritten notes for each guest—a personal touch that set the tone for the day.

  
  

• Cocktail Hour: For cocktail hour, we had a DIY charcuterie table. My sister-in-law styled it beautifully after we sourced all the ingredients earlier that week.

  
  

• Floral Details: The bud vases lining the dinner tables were filled with flowers my mom and I picked up from the flower market the day before. My aunts styled them beautifully, adding a whimsical charm.

  
  

• Place Cards: Each dinner place card was a handmade dried flower bunch tied with a handwritten name tag—a labor of love that added a sweet, rustic touch.

  
  

• Dinner: We served pizza for dinner! Our caterer, an authentic Italian pizza company, set up a pop-up tent with three mini pizza ovens and made everything fresh on-site. It was a hit with everyone.

  
  

• Music: Ben was in charge of all the music - playlists for the cocktail hour and dinner, plus a custom mix for the dance floor. And this one wasn't just a playlist - he carefully curated and mixed the music ahead of time, blending songs seamlessly for the perfect flow. It was amazing; the dance floor was full all night long.

  
  

• Dessert: Homemade brownies, again courtesy of my sister-in-law (a professional baker), were the star of the dessert table. They were so popular that my dad still talks about them to this day.

the dinner table

loved how the bridesmaids dresses looked all together

my favorite photo of us

my custom dress, made from my mom's wedding dress

The Result

The day was beautiful. An outdoor celebration full of warmth, love, and personal touches that reflected who we are as a couple. But what made it most special was the community that showed up for us. We were absolutely in awe of all the love we experienced that day.

My vision of dancing under the stars came true; we danced the night away with our best friends, to all our favorite songs.

There were absolutely some hiccups on the day, plenty of things that didn't go as planned. But that stuff never matters in the end.

Our wedding was captured by the incredible Brooklyn Grace Wed (@brooklyngracewed). We were beyond thrilled with the results. Sharing a few more of my favorites below.

Thanks for reading <3