Private Estate Tahoe Wedding
When Bryant and I started to plan our wedding day we knew we wanted it in the trees, cozy with our closest friends and family. Being that I work the wedding industry I had a leg up on knowing the locations near us. Unfortunately I wasn't too stoked on many of them, whether it be that our budget didn't jive or that that it wasn't the right fit aesthetically. My sister, who also works the wedding industry, had a brilliant idea for Bryant and I to do a destination wedding in Yosemite. Bryant and I both have grown up 3 hours away and had never been. We thought what a way to experience Yosemite, getting married there the first time we go. Things were lining up so well and It was coming together as the wedding of my dreams. Unfortunately 2 days before we were to leave for our wedding a fire evacuated the whole town of Fish Camp, where the lodge and party were to take place. The next two days were a blur of stress and lack of sleep.
Luckily an amazing family friends offered up their home in Tahoe for us to have our special day. We spent the next two days finding new vendors for food, tables, chairs, EVERYTHING. B and I and a few additional hands got up to the house asap to get raking and hanging cafe lights, I am firm believer cafe lights can transform any space into a magical one. Luckily my Mother-in-law and My mom were able to find us an alternative location for the rehearsal dinner as well. Seriously, everything fell into place. UNTIl, dun dun dun, the day before the wedding it began to hail! Yes, mother nature was not on our side for this event.
Friday night my girls and I waited out the rain and hail and then we got out there and set up all the tables, chairs, linens and as much decor as possible; yup! we were up till about 3 am. Luckily Saturday morning in Tahoe was beautiful, and while it did rain (and thunder)
in Tahoe that day there was no rain at the house, a weather miracle! The rest of the day went off so smoothly and just made for the best commentary for speech givers. We were so lucky and inspired to see how willing people were to help us out during , what felt like, the most stressful planning experience ever.
Additionally, My husband is obsessed with Volvos, he is a heavy machine mechanic so I had to incorporate his passion. I bought him Volvo cufflinks and we used his "fancy" Volvo (I like to call it the low Vo) as our getaway car.
Unfortunately 13 years ago his dad passed away and Bryant was left with nothing of his Dad's. Since Bryant is a musician and has a love for guitar I thought it would be special to hunt down his Dad's guitar. I was able, through lots of hunting, to locate the guitar and I surprised him with it at our first look. Little did I know his dad had actually built the guitar himself. It was such a special moment for both of us.
Being that our budget was low ($20,000- and yes I was able to stay below this!) I knew we were not going to be spending lots on florals. After thinking long and hard I decided to go sans boutonnieres. Bryant isn't a huge fan anyways. Since I wanted to incorporate the rock-n-roll kick butt vibes I found cool enamel pins to have him wear in lieu of the traditional floral decor. To go on that trend, I knew I wanted a leather jacket for when it got chilly. I opted to buy a super affordable one at H&M and made an art day out of painting mine. Im not a huge fan of all the "Mr. & Mrs'" decor so I knew I wanted to limit that and have more things that just represented us as individuals and as a couple. So we hung the jackets on the back of our chairs. It was one of my favorite DIY projects.
The "Find your party animal" table assignments was another one of my favorites. I wanted it to be fun and promote people into the party mood. My Friend Alison with Coral and Oak Design did all the Calligraphy for the signs. Including our Welcome Sign "This must be the place". I wanted a sign that we could hang in our home for years to come so I stuck with that phrase to make it a bit different and more colloquial. Another friend of mine, Matt Wicker with Wicker Wood Works, built our Farmhouse sweetheart table. I wanted to have all our tables to be farmhouse style but I knew I didn't have it in the budget so I went with a fancy sweetheart table. I am still obsessing over the navy taper candles and now our dinning table is our wedding table and I LOVE that. We dressed up the back of our sweetheart table with a handmade macramé by Fox and Hare Creations. I always dreaded the question "what is your theme?" , it felt so tacky to answer. So of course like most brides did I classified it to help give focus to the event. My "theme" was Rock-n-Roll meets Boho...which is really B and I as individuals... I felt we successfully combined the two looks into a seamless style.
"I would be lost without your lovin, oh yes in deed, baby"
-Patrick Sweaney
//Photographer: Michael Jame Photography // Dress: Brides of California, Mikaella Bridal //Hair and makeup: Emma Woods Beauty, Nicole Marie, @LaurenRodenbeck // DJ + Photobooth: Starberst Entertainment // Bridal Jewelry : One World Design // Event Design: Lindsay Richardson Better To Gather // Videography: Scala Pictures // Calligraphy: @coralandoakdesigns // Catering: Live Fire Inc
// Table: @Wickerwoodworks // Bridesmaids Dresses: Lulus, Forever21, Showmeyourmumu // Furniture Rentals: Event Masters USA // Rings: Vardy's, The Jewel Box, Etsy // Macramé: Fox and Hare Creations
