Wedding photographer and Magic Castle magician host garden party wedding

Jun 12

It felt so joyous to be included in this special day! My friend, and fellow wedding vendor, Vanessa Todd, is an incredible wedding photographer based in LA. After she fell in love with Mark, a magician from the Magic Castle, they knew they wanted their wedding to feel like them and be really intentional with tons of personal DIY elements included.

From Vanessa’s instagram:
Getting Ready
“Mark and I were luck to have a family member host our wedding in their backyard. Their home is a special place to both of us as individuals and as a couple. Dating in the middle of peek pandemic months, most of our dates were spent at that home, in its backyard, and in the kitchen. To get married in the backyard nearly two years later felt incredibly special and sentimental to the both of us. I had two close friends help me get ready, keep me company, and assist in all the chaotic last minute tasks that go into a wedding day. My cousin made our wedding cake (lemon!) and as she finished it that morning, sent samples to the room for us to try and eat as breakfast - so I got to eat our wedding cake twice on our wedding day! I taught Erin how to use my Super 8 camera which she used to film our first look on. Helen helped arrange impossible last minute florals. My dad and brother assembled our ceremony arch.”

wedding day detail photos with trendy bridal shoes, pearl veil, and super8 camera

bride getting ready on her wedding day with hair stylist in la canada

bride in the hair and makeup process on her wedding day morning

bride puts together her own floral bouquet on the morning of the wedding

bride and groom plan intentional wedding ceremony in a family member's backyard in los angeles

bride chose hair down with loose, boho waves, and natural, gold and bronze makeup

bridal detail shots include all of the sweet and personal elements

magic castle magician gets married in LA

magic castle magician, mark gibson, gets married to the love of his life in an intimate and intentional setting in los angeles

wedding photographer, nessie todd, plans intentional and intimate wedding ceremony in a family member's backyard in LA

bride takes super8 footage of guests on her wedding day

wedding day behind the scenes in the hair and makeup room

natural airbrush makeup and hair down with loose waves was the perfect style to accompany this bride's chic, garden party style backyard wedding

wedding photographer plans chic and intimate garden party style wedding in an LA backyard

bride and her DIY bouquet of wildflowers

bride DIY-ed this insanely beautiful ribbon

backyard garden party wedding in los angeles

garden party aesthetic for this bride's chic backyard wedding ceremony

elaborate wedding reception charcuterie grazing board

First Look
”When we did see one another, it was full uncontrollable tears of happiness and joy from both of us! Some of my favorite video snaps of the day were taken of us just checking one another out after we had recomposed ourselves.We spent an hour together in the rose garden at Descanso Gardens, mostly hugging one another. It was such a sweet time and one of my favorite moments from our wedding day.”

bride's incredible DIY included hand embroidery on her veil with bride and groom initials

intimate and emotional first look at descanso gardens in la canada, california

bride's veil flowing in the wind during epic first look at descanso gardens

couple's first look in the rose garden of descanso gardens

bride and groom share first look moments before their wedding ceremony

bride and groom go to ice cream shop on their wedding day

couple goes to local ice cream parlor on the day of their wedding

bride's chic garden party style wedding in the backyard in los angeles

The Ceremony
”As an avid wedding go-er I have come to feel that the ceremony is the whole reason for the wedding day. It is the ceremony that brings everyone together in celebration. Mark and I both felt we didn’t want to rush the cause for celebration and we also wanted it to feel uniquely special to us, so we added a few personal touches.
We got married in the backyard with 40 family members and friends. I was surprisingly shocked at how nervous I was to say my vows right before walking down the aisle. But as soon as I saw Mark at the end of the aisle, I locked eyes with him and I can’t truly remember seeing any of our guests for most of our ceremony. We both hand wrote our vows out onto paper the night before our wedding, side-by-side on the couch. Unbelievably, we somehow chose the same poem as the end to each of our vows to one another. During the ceremony, we had a Shirley Temple unity ceremony lead by the friend we shared the most about of Shirley’s with, where I poured grenadine and Mark poured sprite. And the best of all, at the end, Mark ✨magically ✨ produced the rings. I let my cousin and flower girl pick the rose petals colors for the flower girl basket and recessional toss and every guest went FULL OUT ensuring the petals were tossed as we exited the ceremony as husband and wife.”

garden party style wedding ceremony complete with wildflowers everywhere

bride walks down the isle during her intimate backyard wedding in LA

magic castle magician's wedding ceremony includes a magic trick and show, of course

newly married couple with rose petal exit

chic film style photos at couple's wedding reception

LA couple plan chic garden party style wedding in their family's backyard

Vendors:
Photo @kamiarant
Hair/Makeup @emilylynnandcompany
Dress @viviennewestwood @brides_for_a_cause
Suit @tedbaker
Catering @forkloreco
DJ @ahsohnthedj
Venue: Private Residence

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Emily Wright