Green Garden Wedding in Louisiana at LSU’s Hilltop Arboretum
Lauren and Zach's green garden wedding in Louisiana was all about embracing the gorgeous greenery that surrounded them at LSU's Hilltop Arboretum. The natural beauty of their venue was only enhanced by the soft whites and neutrals of their big days color palette. Full of elegant southern class and great green ideas like a natural mosquito repellent for guests, you simply can not miss this fabulous wedding!
Naturally you will be looking for more green ideas from Lauren and Zach's wedding. If this is the case, be sure to check out the full gallery here. You can see even more of the details that Cassidy Carson Photography captured so beautifully.
How gorgeous are these wedding invitations? They were designed by the lovely ladies at Serendipity Beyond Design, who use their passion for design and little details to ensure each invite is unique and unforgettable. They especially love working one-on-one with clients to create something completely different and never before seen….after all, life is too short to be ordinary!
From the bride :The moment Zach and I walked into the LSU Hilltop Arboretum, we knew it was our place. We would become husband and wife under one of the beautiful oaks and celebrate in the open-air pavilion, overlooking the water, under an amazing tree branch chandelier.
We live in South Louisiana and wanted our celebration to reflect our love of the music, food, nature, and literature. We planned for over a year—my mom and I attempting to think of every detail: making tiny bottles of all-natural mosquito spray and calling mosquito abatement (best decision ever; it is the South!), transporting guests to and from the off-site parking in a streetcar-style trolley, creating a self-guided walking tour of the grounds, handing out ribbon wands for our guests to dance with during our second-line exit and the list goes on.
Our caterer suggested Zach and I have a private dining moment before we joined the reception. It was a moment to be completely alone and unbelievably happy, husband and wife. Our first dance was to La Vie en Rose, performed by Big Fun Brass Band, and I don’t think we ever stopped dancing. It was a perfect night.
Using vendors who had worked together in the past made planning easier, and our day-of coordinator was a lifesaver. When you plan such an important event for a long time, it starts to feel like your baby, and handing it over to a coordinator on the day of your wedding felt wrong, but she was a fabulous firecracker who prevented anything from ruining our day—I’m even convinced she stopped the rain.
What would I have done differently? I would have chosen a venue with sufficient parking. The Hilltop Arboretum was our dream venue, but it has very limited parking. So, I had to figure out who would get parking spots at the arboretum (older guests, close family, etc.), and who would park in a different area and be shuttled over.
We found a really great streetcar-style trolley that shuttled the guests to and from the off-site parking, but it was a big expense and we had to organize the extra inserts in the invitations that explained the parking situation. It worked out great in the end, and was actually a lot fun for the guests, but parking was definitely a big issue throughout the whole planning process.
To get a closer look at this green garden wedding in Louisiana check out the wedding film Lonely Eskimo Productions created below!
Read on to see how much this green garden wedding in Louisiana cost. Please note that costs change as the years go by, and prices are subject to change. This is just one couple’s breakdown to give you a rough estimate on how much a wedding like this may cost you.
Budget Percentages:
The caterer was about 30% of the budget--this includes an open bar.
My dress, shoes, veil etc. were almost 12%
The flowers were about 14%
The photographer and photographs (engagement and bridal session included) was about 8%
The rentals were about 8%
The arboretum was about 8%
The limos and shuttle service was about 8%
The band was about 5%
The remaining was the cake, invitations, decorations, favors, wands, gifts, etc.
- Cakes & Catering: Ambrosia Bakery
- Caterer: Heirloom Cuisine
- Cinematography: Lonely Eskimo Productions
- Dress & Apparel: BHLDN
- Event Designer, Hair & Makeup: Bride | Coordinator: Kendall Hebert | Officiant: Fr. William Patrick Edwards
- Flowers: Fleur du Jour
- Jewelry: The Gilded Lily
- Jewelry: Susie Saltzman
- Music: Big Fun Brass Band
- Prop or Furniture Rentals: Vintage House, Doug Olinde, LLC
- Veil or Hair Accessories: Town & Country Bridal
- Venue: LSU Hilltop Arboretum
- Wedding Dresses: Watters