By Sun and Sparrow
Table of Contents
Wedding at Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden Gallery
The Couple: Kristen and Chris
Kristen and Chris live in the dreamy land of Santa Barbara California, where the mountains breathe peace into your heart and the ocean sings a gentle rhythm into the air. the two-hour journey from Santa Barbara to Pasadena was planned for the perfect summer day for a wedding at Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden in Pasadena. When Kristen and Chris each woke up, they knew they would be married by evening. But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. Let me tell you about our happy couple.
Chris and Kristen are a playful and fun couple who love their families and friends fiercely, keeping a consistent friend group with whom they love to play Dungeons and Dragons. They invited their dungeon master to be their officiant, which was a beautiful thing to do. Who better to send you off into the grand adventure of marriage than someone who has been leading you on adventures for so long?
While there were so many gorgeous and wonderful details to love in this wedding, hard times are part of life too, and Kristen and Chris’s story has some difficult moments, to say the least. Kristen and Chris made sure to turn their hard memories into cherished moments on their wedding day, as Chris wore a tie pin that used to belong to Kristen’s dad, who passed away recently, and Kristen included a tribute to her Grandmother by including her necklace in her bridal details.
It was always Kristen’s dream to get married in a Japanese garden and the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden in Pasadena was the perfect venue to make her dreams come true. The couple toured many different venues but chose this one because it felt intimate.
The Venue: Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden in Pasadena
Storier Stearns Japanese Garden is a private estate and a historical landmark in Pasadena. It is one of the larger Japanese gardens in southern California and it is the only remaining garden built by Kinzuchi Fuji, who was a rather prolific Japanese garden builder in the early 20th century.
One beautiful feature of the garden is a tea house that sits next to a koi pond. It was originally built in Japan and then brought to Pasadena to be reconstructed. When entering the tea house you are not allowed to wear shoes, you must wear special socks or slippers to preserve the natural grasses that are present in the floormats.
Upon entering the garden, I found myself immersed in a dreamscape where time seemed to stand still. The delicate sound of gently moving water filled the air, painting time with a peaceful energy that assured everyone that this wedding was going to be a magical experience. Every pathway was carefully placed, leading wanderers through a labyrinth of wonders.
The Day
The First Look
The first look is always a highlight of any wedding. Brides and grooms, bubbling with excitement, or pensively yearning for each other often builds the perfect environment for love to spill out into warm embraces, smiles, and in some especially candid moments, tears. This wedding’s first look happened to fall into the “especially candid and special” category. Before the first look, Chris opened a note, handwritten by his bride. As his eyes scanned the paper, they began to fill with small tears of love and connection.
When they were finally able to see each other the relief they felt led them immediately into laughing and crying at the same time. It was like watching love blossoming. Then, once the laughing and crying settled down, Kristen noticed that Chris was wearing her dad’s tie pin, which made her start crying all over again. Their ability to connect through their beautiful and hard experiences was endearing and inspiring. These precious moments of connection are really the highlight of any wedding, and the reason that I love being a wedding photographer.
Romantics
Immediately after the first look, the couple spent some time touring the beautiful garden, easing into their day while taking romantic photos together.
The Ceremony
The ceremony took place on a small bay over a koi pond, showcasing their reflections as they shared emotional and sweet moments before they exchanged their vows. Pink and white flowers adorned an arch and the ground around them, while their love filled the air and the streams and waterfalls all around them brought a natural energy to the wedding.
The Reception
During the reception, the theme of love for family was on display again as Kristen chose to have a mother-daughter dance. The support from all of their guests was palpable during such an intimate moment.
The Party
The couple went on to bring the energy up by taking soju shots with everyone, table by table, filling their glasses with water to maintain themselves while honoring their guests. Then, instead of a bouquet toss, they tossed a stuffed cat toy. I was struck by how much joy and silliness was included in this gorgeous wedding at Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden.
Details and Decor
I absolutely love the little details that make a wedding day stand out! Remember the couple’s Dungeons and Dragons group that plays a large role in their lives? Included in Chris’s details was a 20-sided die used for D&D. This is the kind of detail that makes your wedding day personalized and special to you, and I am so happy that Chris and Kristen decided to include it.
You may want to honor someone you love who has passed on at your wedding. I see lots of couples do this and it always leads to moments that they cherish forever. In this case, Chris wore Kristen’s dad’s tie pin while she incorporated a tribute to her Grandmother in her bridal details by including her necklace in her bridal details.
There was a clear Japanese flair to the wedding at Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden. The ceremony space held Japanese lanterns all over, while the appetizers were all Japanese-themed. There were even little menus with wax seals on them. These details really pulled the wedding together, like seasoning in a perfectly made dish.
Vendors
No wedding is complete without vendors. So many wonderful people come together to make these events possible! These are some of the people that made Kristen and Chris’s day possible.
Dress: A Royal Moment Bridal
Coordinator: Sugarplum & co
Caterer: Little Lily’s Kitchen
Venue: Storrier Stearns
DJ: Ray on the mic
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Hi, I’m Ellie, a dreamer, and lover of romantic moments and unrelenting connections. In my 15 years of photographing weddings, my interest in photography has grown from simply making pretty pictures -to creating the most wonderful and powerful moments for kind and loving people, all the while capturing those permanent memories. Creating awe-inspiring imagery to match those unforgettable moments is my dream come true and I hope that by creating your wedding imagery together, we can make your wedding dreams come true too.
