Portland Garden Wedding Shoot

May 21, 2021
Words by Kinsley Brown
Photos courtesy of

The vision for this lovely styled shoot was to capture one of Portland’s iconic bed and breakfasts, The Portland White House, in an elegant and romantic way. Working together to create a look featuring a soft blue color with silvers and soft golds as accent colors Photographer Joie and Planner Danielle show just how perfect the venue is for elopements and intimate weddings. Learn more about the shoot and the vendor’s inspiration behind the elements from our interview with Danielle below:

Q: How did this styled shoot first get started (who contacted who to get the ball rolling?)
A: Joie reached out to me in regards to being part of the shoot. She was also working with another photographer (Chantal) doing another shoot the same week. When they both reached out to me wanting my help with styling and helping keep the day together as well as helping create custom stationery set for each shoot.

Q: What was the inspiration for the theme/style of the shoot? How did the location of the shoot influence it?
A: During the time of this shoot the Hit Netflix Show Bridgerton was just becoming super popular and without really knowing a lot about the show we realized that the shoot had a lot of elements that matched up to the decor style of the show. The location influenced the shoot to provide that romantic garden getaway feel while being in the city and provided some unique and different setup spots for a small ceremony and reception dinner.

Q: Tell us about the ceremony look. What elements were included and why?
A: So normally the ceremony would take place on the deck area of the Portland White House, but when we saw the courtyard area we knew that it would make the best spot for a small intimate ceremony. The floral inspiration was thought up by Tino of Maruwa Design to add color and depth to the ceremony spot to provide a unique style to a deconstructed arch style that is becoming more popular in today’s ceremony looks. This area paired with the beautiful florals really makes you feel like you are not in the city and you are taken away to a beautiful countryside garden.

Q: Tell us about the reception look. What elements were included and why?
A: For the reception look, we wanted to create a unique setting in using a different part of the grounds as well as using colored linen than using traditional white or cream linen. We wanted to capture an elegant dinner look that really captured the beauty of the home as well as the beauty of the gardens around the home. Inside the home, in the dining room, they had Louis Chairs available and I personally knew from a design point that these chairs would give the romantic feel we were wanting and the color of the fabric and framework of the chairs were perfect to go with the romantic blue linen that was provided by Bridgewood Event Rentals. For the flatware, we wanted to keep it romantic and timeless and Setting the Table Rentals had the perfect pieces to really capture that. With the mix of Vintage Pieces and some Modern Pieces that you can find today. Maruwa Design created beautiful floral arrangements that really helped bring the whole vision together.

Q: How did the team of vendors work together?
A: The team of vendors was truly a dream team. We worked together in bouncing ideas off one another and helping one another with the placement of items throughout the whole shoot. When it comes to Editorial Styled Shoots it truly takes the whole vendor team to make a vision come to life.

Q: What was your favorite part of the shoot and why?
A: Favorite part of this whole shoot would have to be the capture of the small details from the invites, jewelry and dress shots. Capturing those small details really helps tell the story of the vision for the shoot and sets the vibe for the shoot as well.