Parque at Ridley Creek
Parque at Ridley Creek is the perfect wedding venue for couples who like the outdoors and yet dream of an elegant celebration. If you like hiking and camping but want your first dance to be in a lux historic stone mansion, this is THE spot! Parque at Ridley Creek features a dramatic English-style stone hunting lodge built at the turn of the century, surrounded by magnificent, terraced gardens complete with a reflecting pool, fountains and romantic stone archways. Step through those archways and you are immediately engulfed in towering mature trees in the forests of the 2600 acre state park that surrounds Parque at Ridley Creek. There’s even a horse stable across from the parking lots, complete with majestic steeds at pasture behind split-rail fences. Talk about photo opportunities!
Speaking of photos, all photos in this post were taken by the talented and generous Emily Wren Photography. Thanks so much, Emily, for sharing them!! We love how Emily and her team always capture the true colors of our flowers by using natural light and few, if any filters, to accurately preserve all the details of the day on film.
Whenever we get a new wedding inquiry from couples who have chosen Parque at Ridley Creek as their venue, we get extra excited! In addition to the space being the perfect backdrop for our natural, sustainably-grown flowers, Parque at Ridley Creek is run exclusively by the best catering team, Peachtree Catering. Their commitment to service and excellent food in unmatched in the area.
Emilie & Steve
And in this case, we hit the jackpot with Emilie and Steve! I knew from the moment we sat down for our initial consultation a year before their big day that we were going to be the perfect match and become friends along the way! Outdoor and garden lovers themselves, they were “all in” with a commitment to sustainable and local flowers for their celebration. Emilie even relinquished specific color choices to us, wanting our design team to have complete freedom to use the very best blooms from our abundant autumn flower fields. She gave us the bridesmaid dress colors and left the rest up to us! Dream venue, dream vendor team, dream couple, AND creative freedom?!? No wonder this wedding will linger in our memories for years to come!!
The Bridal Party
Emilie’s bridesmaids wore mismatched gowns of their choosing in shades of emerald green, dusky pink, brick red, and peach floral. Emilie wore a beaded white gown that looked incredibly comfortable to wear. My kind of bride! The guys all wore navy suites and burgundy ties.
Emilie’s bridal bouquet was lush and textural with a relaxed, natural shape that framed the delicate detailed bodice of her gown. Blooms in hues of soft cream, rich oxblood, muted mauve, barely-there blush, warm red, and deep moody amethyst were coupled with a base of foliage in dusky blues and sage green. It was overflowing with dahlias grown at our farm, including the queen of dahlias, the dinnerplate diva Café au Lait. There was so much more to her bouquet than dahlias though. Nodding branches of dusty blue eucalyptus, soft gray fragrant lavender foliage, bold smoky burgundy cotinus, whimsical blush strawflowers, twinkling talinum seedheads, earthy pink amaranth, romantic ruffled lisianthus, sweet autumn anemone buds, antiqued lace hydrangea, denim blue caryopteris, and the silky spires of ruby grass – all brought an earthy romance and a boat load of soothing fragrance to the bridal bouquet.
Emilie’s ladies carried bouquets that echo hers but did not include the dramatic pops of oxblood or deep mauves. Instead, their bouquets were loaded up with cream dahlias and lisianthus along with lots and lots of textural foliage, keeping the bridal party look relaxed and earthy to match the natural setting at Parquet at Ridley Creek.
Steve requested that his boutonniere be kept simple and textural and not include any large flowers. We happily accommodated by creating a bespoke boutonniere that featured lots of seasonal foliage and seed heads, including eucalyptus, fennel, and wild rose hips. All the boutonnieres were wrapped in earthy twine.
The Ceremony
There are so many spectacular ceremony location options at Parque at Ridley Creek! Emilie and Steve chose the walled garden with the central fountain. Guests were welcomed with a beautiful wooden sign the couple made themselves. The chairs along the aisle were tied with fresh seasonal gatherings of dahlias, lisianthus and eucalyptus.
Emilie and Steve stood at the top of the stone steps, framed by a pair of overflowing floral urns echoing the bridal party flowers. The steps themselves were romantically decorated with mismatched gold lanterns and candles with bits of greenery. The archway behind Emilie and Steve as they said their vows was given a whimsical touch with delicate floral hoops hanging here and there. Later, these hoops made a perfect frame for photos!
The Reception
After cocktails on the stone patio at Parque at Ridley Creek, guests were welcomed into the mansion for an elegant dinner. The space was kept clean and classic with white linens and chiavari chairs. We adorned each round guest table with a gold footed compote bowl overflowing with lush and sprawling seasonal florals. Centerpieces included lots of dahlias, lisianthus, zinnias, amaranth, chocolate queen anne’s lace, eucalyptus, grasses, pin chusion flowers, autumn anemones, antiqued hydrangeas, figs, persimmons, wild grapes, and much more! Each table also showcased a pair of mismatch antique brass candlesticks holding white taper candles of varying heights. The overall feel was warm, timeless and romantic.
The wedding party was seated at a long feast table in front of the grand fireplace. We added green scrambling vines to the fireplace to frame Emilie and Steve during their celebration. The feast table itself was decorated with lots of candles and extra special centerpieces in gold vessels, along with Emilie’s bridal bouquet and the bridesmaid’s bouquets.
Thank You
Emilie wrote us the sweetest thank you card. Here’s an excerpt:
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for adding such an amazing touch to our wedding day! We knew you were going to do a great job, but you really blew it out of the Parque! (haha, get it?!) Steve and I both think that the flowers really made our space complete. We received compliments all night and now whenever anyone looks at our photos, they always comment on ‘those incredible flowers!’ You truly have such an amazing talent! I am so lucky that we found you. I can’t image a more perfect wedding day and it just wouldn’t have been what it was without your special touch.”
Aw, sweet Emilie, the pleasure was all ours!!! We loved you guys!! Thank you for trusting us and for being such a gem of a bride! We’ve definitely made friends for life!
And we can’t wait to get back to Parque at Ridley Creek again too! It is one of our preferred venues so if you’re planning at wedding there, be sure to get in touch! We’d absolutely love to bring your vision to life.
Take a look at some of our other autumn weddings at historic venues in this previous blog post and in this previous blog post.
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