Los Angeles designer Beth Helmsetter used the natural beauty of Descanso Gardens for a couple's autumn nuptials.
By: Rachel Griffiths
A grove of majestic oak trees provided the inspiration for a fall-themed wedding held in horticultural gardens that are just a 20-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles.
For the ceremony, an aisle was created in a grassy clearing beneath the spreading boughs of a grove of majestic oak trees.
After the vows were exchanged, guests were invited to leave their “recipes” for a happy marriage on cards—a touch that the foodie bride appreciated. 
Guests contributed “recipes” for marital bliss.
Cocktails were served in a rose garden on the property, with couches and chairs arranged around a graceful Italian fountain. Waiters passed mini grilled cheese sandwiches and shots of tomato soup. “It was the kind of food you crave on a chilly day,” said Beth. Dinner was served in a large gazebo that Beth had filled with furniture and cushions in fall colors of oatmeal, plum and aubergine.
She set long tables with mismatched ceramic pottery atop cream-colored Russian linens, and mixed October blooms, like showy dahlias, garden roses and lavender, with harvest fruit—figs, champagne grapes, peas and sugared plums. Each place setting was marked by a sprig of rosemary on a hem-stitched napkin, and more herbs peeked out from the flower arrangements. 
The tables were elegant but natural looking, as if, the planner said, “The couple had invited you over for dinner.” Small nosegays filled green glassware.
The menu, a feast of cold-weather favorites, including herb-roasted chicken, golden beets and squash, finished with classic fall pies like pecan and apple. The couple had a wedding cake as well, decorated by garlands of olive leaves atop each layer. 
The bride’s organically shaped, autumn-hued bouquet. The custom-made topper: a bride and groom under an arch of fall branches, complete with a tiny squirrel.
At the end of the evening, each guest was given a craft-paper box holding a fudge brownie, the perfect end to a wedding marked by comfort, effortless elegance and glowing autumn warmth. falling in love
Photography by B&G Photography
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