Forest Pavilion at California Botanic Garden

I’m always excited when a venue opens up a new event space! I’ve loved California Botanic Garden since I photographed Stephanie + Tim’s gorgeous wedding in the Container Garden space. They just opened up the Forest Pavilion, which is equally lovely! Just like the Container Garden, this space sits among the botanic garden and makes wedding couples and guests feel like they are inside a romantic woods setting!

For this particular event, an amazing team of vendors came together to bring the space to life! California Botanic Garden hosted an open house to allow potential couples to view the space. I was also fortunate enough to work with 2 incredible models to help couples envision getting their own photos in the beautiful gardens!

Destinee at A Better Party & Design set up this gorgeous arch right next to the Pavilion. I love the macrame!

A variety of vendors set up different table options to give guests an idea of ways to bring the space and their vision to life!

This forest theme was beautiful! A perfect fit for an outdoor garden event!

Rachel and Phyllis at As You Like It Catering are two of my very favorite people in this industry! They always do an incredible job catering events!

Light is my primary focus as a wedding photographer – and my favorite thing about working in a space like California Botanic Garden is the way the natural elements filter the light! It allows for very beautiful rim light to come through while also allowing for a pretty backdrop. All the things running through my head, in addition to getting the couple in good position and some fun emotion too!

I worked with some models here, but they were also a couple, so that made my job extra easy!

We took a little “fake” married stroll at the wedding arch 🙂

California Botanic Garden has a beautiful covered ceremony space right next to a reflecting pool. Of course we stopped to get a few images here as well!

As it got a little later in the evening, we were able to showcase some of the uplighting availabile at the venue! I am such a huge proponent of event lighting. It’s a beautiful way to bring your wedding colors into the space, AND it also looks great as a backdrop when I’m photographing your reception!