Jenny and Cooper’s ‘Groovy Garden Party’ Wedding in Missouri by Love Tree Studios

Happy Friday everyone and if you are in the UK happy Bank Holiday Weekend! I imagine there will be lots of weddings going on this weekend, making the most of the extra day off, I hope it is a magical day for everyone! I am off to the theatre tomorrow with Dexter and then to the cinema with a friend on Sunday, Monday we are test driving cars, so a busy but fun few days ahead. Today’s wedding is super pretty and full of the most amazing flowers, along with some fun disco themed decoration. With the theme set as ‘Groovy Garden Party’ Jenny and Cooper added a huge dose of fun to their pretty pastel wedding, with disco balls and gold vinyl. The results are this super cute but super fun wedding full of character, all captured perfectly by Love Tree Studios.

Our wedding day went through all the seasons, from a beautiful sunny morning to a freakishly cold thunderstorm, back to a beautiful rainbow just in time for sunset, and through all the chaos and change of plans for weather, we would not change a thing. We simply could not have imagined a more magical day that completely fit our vision for a groovy garden party, surrounded by so much love.

Jenny and Cooper were married on 7th June 2025 at Bluebell Farm – Fayette, Missouri. ‘We wanted a place that would be able to accommodate a large number for an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception. Then we fell in love with the barn’s rustic yet modern aesthetic, the awesome bar, the lovely bridal cottage and the beautiful landscape of the farm fit our vision perfectly. We had 125 guests and it took a year and a half to plan.’

How they met 
We met on Hinge and our first date turned from meeting for a Sunday Funday brunch to spending ten hours together exploring downtown Columbia. We have been together for five years, in that time we have lived together in Columbia, then two years in Hawaii, and now back in the midwest to be closer to family.

The proposal
One of our favorite spots in Columbia for dates was a place called Cooper’s Landing, it has live music, camping and trails by the Missouri River. On one of our visits home from Kauai, Cooper took me on a walk where the leaves were changing on a nice fall day, down to the river rocks where he proposed right at sunset, and then surprised me with my parents and my family waiting for us when we walked back so we could celebrate with them.

How did you allocate your budget?
We focused most of our budget on what was most important to us, venue, florals, photographer and food being top of the list, and the rest we figured out along the way and tried to stay close to our budget.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We splurged the most on the venue, photographer and florals, and saved the most on our stationary, cake, my jewelry and shoes, and extra miscellaneous decor/guest favors.

How did you choose your photographer?
We knew we wanted someone that was able to do a mix of grainy/moody aesthetic and soft, more luminescent photos, and after speaking with her we knew we would get along well, she knew her stuff, and she would make us feel comfortable which is important as my husband and I are both somewhat shy, and that she had a lot of experience with our venue.

The dress 
Dress- “All Who Wander” by Essence of Australia – Purchased at Vows Bridal in Columbia, MO

The suit and bridesmaids
Cooper got his suit from Etsy. The bridesmaids each purchased their own gowns and shoes, and they were given fairly free range to choose, outside of their dress color. The flower girl’s dress also came from etsy.

Theme or colour scheme
Our theme was “Groovy Garden Party”, with colors of a wildflower meadow (soft green, blue, orange, lavender) lots of mixed colorful wildflowers and “groovy” florals and decor, lots of eclectic, retro, funky stuff sprinkled throughout the garden party to fit our music and our vibe.

Flowers
We had a mix of colorful, local wildflowers with lilacs, blue bells, lavender, chamomile, carnations, roses, etc. (Jenny was OBSESSED with the flowers.)

Decoration
Other than florals, we had fun eclectic touches of “groovy garden party” throughout the venue with moss statues on the outdoor tables, wildflower packets and bubbles for guests, a birdcage card holder, big signs and small signs, a tarot card mirror, light blue napkins, a s’mores station outside, a groovy, moody orange lamp in the bar, a large gold custom vinyl with our wedding song for guests to sign, along with custom retro coasters for guests. Also had a giant mirror for our seating chart, and tons of disco balls placed throughout the venue, my favorites being the disco ball vases at the head table. We also had a vintage rug aisle which looked lovely on the deck.

Food
We had arancini and charcuterie and fresh fruit for appetizers, and for our main dinner we had a choice between beef au poivre and lemon glaze chicken, with sides of spinach strawberry and goat cheese salad, smashed potatoes, green beans almondine, glazed carrots with goat cheese, and dinner rolls. Our signature drinks were also a hit: Mai tais and Mint Mojitos.

Wedding cake
We had a three tier cake with two layers of vanilla cake, and strawberry in the middle, with a delicious strawberry buttercream frosting, perfectly decorated with florals in our colors. From Sugar Butter Flour in Columbia!

Entertainment
We had the best DJ (Paige) from DJ Shark Attack.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Cancun, Mexico

Personal touches
Along with the miscellaneous decor mentioned above (and the Record that people signed), we had a table of those who cannot be here with us today featuring framed photos of loved ones who have passed. We also made our own signs using trulyengaging.com.

Special moments

• Reading our vows to each other privately before the ceremony, back to back in the rain.
• After having to move the ceremony to the deck (which still ended up beautiful) because of a cold, nasty rain storm, a rainbow came out right after the ceremony, just in time for photos with our bridal party.
• Our first dance in the barn surrounded by our loved ones
• Dancing with everyone and seeing how much fun everyone was having
• Our private last dance to “Our Love” by Gary Clark Junior to close the night
• Running through the sparkler tunnel surrounded by so much love and happiness at the end of the night!

Advice for other couples
Take time to look around, breathe and enjoy the moment when you’re in it, fully appreciate everyone there and how happy everyone is, because the day/night will go by a lot faster than you think! Make a plan to say hello to everyone who came with your partner, and try not to get separated from your new spouse too much throughout the big venue/chaos of the night! Most importantly, have fun and go with the flow, surprises happen! Don’t stress over little things that won’t end up mattering in the end when you’re marrying your best friend, surrounded by all the people you love.

Biggest surprise 
The rain/rainbow was a great magical surprise, especially after such a rainy morning. Another pleasant surprise was seeing how much fun our guests had and how everyone kept telling us how awesome everything was, from the drinks and food to the music, to the beautiful barn inside and out, to the overall vibe of the entire night, down to the sparkler exit. Everyone understood the dress code and wore their best groovy garden party attire, and we loved seeing what all of our guests came up with for their funky floral outfits. Everyone had a blast and danced the night away. It was surprising because we knew it was going to be a great day after all the hard work we put into it, but didn’t realize just how special it would feel until we were in the moment, where it all felt worth it.

Supplier Shout Outs

• Venue: Blue Bell Farm: Wedding and Event Venue near Columbia, MO
• Decor/Rentals: Pretty Little Things – Home – 3604 Decor
• Dress: Vows Bridal and Formal
• Photography: Love Tree Studios
• Catering: Peachtree Catering
• Cake:Sugar, Butter & Flour- Your sweet and simple home town bakery
• Florals: Sugarberry Blooms
• Makeup: About — JAYLYNAE BEAUTY LLC
• Hair: The Soul Collective | Health & Beauty in Columbia, MO
• Etsy, Michaels, Hobby Lobby for the rest of the decor!

Love Tree Studios

www.lovetreestudios.com / www.lovetreestudios.com/blog / [email protected] / 573-550-1355 / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / PINTEREST

Based in Missouri, I specialize in romantic wedding photography that captures the quiet moments, genuine emotion, and fleeting details that make each love story entirely its own. My work is rooted in classic, clean, luminous feeling where every person carries a light no sun could replicate, and I photograph that.