Featured Weddings
Auri + Ryan: A Backyard Wedding in Sequim, WA
Featured Weddings
Sequim sits on the Olympic Peninsula, in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains. It's known for lavender farms, mountain views, and long summer evenings that stretch well into the night.
When Auri and Ryan decided to get married in the backyard where Ryan's mother had been growing dahlias for years, they already had more to work with than most couples.
The question wasn't how to make the backyard beautiful. It was how to design flowers that felt like they belonged there.
The Setting
The backyard in Sequim was already doing significant work before a single arrangement arrived. Ryan's mother's garden — dahlias in bloom, the greens of late summer on the Peninsula — gave the ceremony space a character that no rented venue could have offered. A Sperry tent went up. Rentals from Olympic Farmstyle Events brought warmth and texture to the tables.
The kind of layered setting many couples spend months creating was already there: mature gardens, established trees, and a backyard that already felt ready for a celebration.
And then Auri had to decide what to do with all of it.
"Even though our wedding was in our backyard and my mother-in-law's garden was already stunning, we knew we wanted to add in flower arrangements to really bring the colors together." -Auri
That instinct — to build on what was already there instead of covering it up—shaped every floral decision that followed.
The Vision
Auri and Ryan came to their wedding with specific intentions. Table names were vinyl records. The thank-you speech addressed something they'd decided needed to be said.
"Ryan and I are an interracial couple, and we really wanted to acknowledge the couples that came before us who were unable to celebrate their love publicly. During our thank-you speech, we made a point to acknowledge both interracial couples and couples from the LGBTQIA2S+ community that came before us and fought so hard for the moment we were currently celebrating." -Auri
The color palette started with something personal rather than something seasonal.
"We love the colors of fall and the warmth of it... We wanted to keep some of those colors in our overall day, so we chose a terracotta palette." -Auri
A terracotta palette works surprisingly well in August when it's built around flowers already at their seasonal peak. Auri had that clarity, along with a tension she was holding.
"I was stuck between wanting a huge casual party and a romantic, whimsical gathering. Luckily, I feel like we were able to achieve both!" -Auri
The Design
The garden already had dahlias. That made them non-negotiable. The rest of the floral direction followed from there.
"I'm obsessed with dahlias and we already had some growing in the garden, so we knew they were a must. I had seen pictures of rust colored amaranthus and loved the romantic look so I requested those as well. We knew we wanted flower arch/towers surrounding us in our ceremony and at our sweetheart table, so it was really nice that we were able to move them around to save money!" -Auri
Rust-colored amaranthus added movement and depth alongside the dahlias. Its long, trailing shape softened the arrangements and reinforced the warm terracotta palette without competing with the garden that was already in bloom.
The arch towers at the ceremony were tall and textural — dahlias, rust amaranthus, the palette carried through from floor to well above eye level. And then, after the ceremony, they moved. The floral arch had anchored the ceremony. The same structure, in the same palette, anchored the sweetheart table.
That's an idea worth borrowing. Reusing ceremony flowers at the sweetheart table created visual continuity across the day while making the most of the floral budget. In an intimate backyard wedding—where guests naturally move from one space to the next—that continuity feels especially seamless.
For more on how terracotta and earth tones work across seasons, the seasonal palette guide covers it in detail →
[IMAGE: Sweetheart table with floral arch towers; show terracotta palette, scale of dahlias and amaranthus.]
[IMAGE: Ceremony arch or ceremony space with towers in place; before or during the ceremony.]
The Day
Before the ceremony, before any of it was photographed or timed, there was a moment in the foyer.
"Right before the ceremony, my bridal party, my mom, my aunt, Ryan, Ryan's mom and I were in the foyer of our house, about to go outside... My sister started playing 'Marry You' by Bruno Mars on her phone. Everyone was dancing and singing, and Ryan and I were in our own little bubble, preparing to walk down the aisle. Being with Ryan in that moment calmed me in a way I didn't think I needed." -Auri
Outside, the garden was ready. The flowers were in place. Guests had begun to gather. Inside the foyer, none of that was what mattered.
When Auri finally saw the flowers, she didn't need any reassurance.
"I was IN LOVE! I was slightly nervous using a floral service that didn't allow me to really see the flowers prior to the big day, but based on reviews, I knew they would be stunning anyways. They really blew me away!" -Auri
The flowers brought the palette together, but they also did exactly what Auri hoped they would:
they made a backyard that had been in the family for years feel unmistakably like their wedding
[IMAGE: Reception details: bud vases, tablescape, candlelight with flowers; show the warmth of the terracotta palette, ideally evening light]
If you're drawn to warm terracotta palettes like Auri and Ryan's, the seasonal color palette guide explores how earth tones translate across different seasons, venues, and floral styles.
Explore wedding flower palettes →
Vendor Credits
- Wedding Planning & Coordination: Your Perfect Bridesmaid (Nicolle Brown) — @nicollesuzanne.weddings / @yourperfectbridesmaid
- Photography: Becky G Studios — @beckygstudios
- Signage & Paper: Impress Ink — @impressinkdesign
- DJ: WA Sound — @wasound_weddingdj
- Hair: Kiss The Mirror — @styledbynataliej
- Makeup: Raquel Alba Beauty — @raquelalbabeauty
- Tent: Sperry Tents — @sperrytentsseattle
- Rentals: Olympic Farmstyle Events — @olympicfarmstyle
- Catering: Mama Stortini's — @mamastortiniscatering
- Cake / Dessert: Corina Bakery — @corinabakery
- Bartending: The Tipsy Society — @tipsytrailerllc
- Bride’s Wedding Dress: The Wedding Bell — @theweddingbell_bridal
- Groom’s Tuxedo: Studio Suits — @StudioSuits
