Birth of Venus

Inspired by the Italian renaissance painting, The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, this talented group of wedding vendors aimed to capture the essence of Venus, the goddess of beauty and love. In the painting, Venus is depicted as fresh-faced with flowing red locks. We drew on this idea of natural beauty to create an overall look that was ethereal, whimsical and subtle while also calling back to the luxurious and ornate details that characterized the Italian Renaissance period.

The venue for this shoot, Dunaway Gardens, offers abundant woods that feel almost untouched against more manicured areas that exude effortless opulence. We opted for linens full of texture and grandeur that took their cue from the flowing garments of Venus’ companions; and chose flowers, including lush Italian Ranunculus, Red Charm Peonies, Caramel Antike Garden Roses and Juliette Garden Roses, in rich tones that evoke love and luxury.

Using traditional Italian elements was also very important. We incorporated olive branches into the florals and design of the cake and layered Italian cheeses with figs and paired them with Italian wine to tie everything together with the origins of the painting. See more pictures from this Editorial shoot featured in the Ruffled blog.