Greenwood Gardens Wedding Inspiration

Greenwood Gardens is a breath-taking estate in Short Hills that recently opened to the public, after having been a private residence for one hundred years. Designed by William Whetten Renwick, one of the early twentieth century’s most prominent landscape architects, the gardens were owned and enjoyed by two successive families, but little-known to the wider world. When the last owner died in 2000, his heirs carried out his wishes that the garden be preserved for future generations. They created a non-profit and partnered with the Garden Conservancy to restore the garden, bringing back the exuberant and quirky spirit of the original Art Deco-inspired design.

Greenwood Gardens officially opened to visitors in April 2013, and it is also available for weddings and private events. Since a wedding had never been photographed there before, the garden’s director of special events, Carol Gaffney, asked us to help produce a series of images that evoke its potential.

The best part about the photo shoot — besides the incredible backdrop of formal gardens, meandering woodlands, and manor house — was the team of people with whom we worked. We pulled together some of our favorite people from the central New Jersey wedding industry. We spent all day exploring, designing, and photographing (and laughing at our models’ running banter, which was like a live romantic comedy).

Here is the manor house at Greenwood Gardens:

Numerous table displays were designed by Heiress Event Style and China Rental, a brand-new company specializing in renting vintage china, silver, and linens for special events: