This Halloween morning you are in for a real treat from this stylish soirée by John + Louise. With a strong sweet tooth for stationery I was amped to see that Minted was the paper provider for the festivities, and I loved the clever touch of using the menu’s as napkin rings. Bloomsters hit the nail on the head with the decadent décor and floral arrangements and don’t even get me started on my love for the Zac Posen via Rent the Runway bridesmaids! Head to the full gallery for more!
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From the Bride… Jeremy and I have always loved to travel, explore exciting new restaurants and share a great bottle of wine with friends, so when it came time to plan our big day, we both agreed we wanted it to not only be fun and memorable, but also truly reflective of us and what we enjoy. We decided that we wanted our wedding to be more like fabulous dinner party, so although the absence of a first dance, a cake cutting (we did ice cream sandwiches), and a bouquet toss may have raised a few eyebrows, we were so happy to have a relaxed wedding where we could take in every moment.
Throughout our last year of dating, we spent many weekend getaways at Carmel Valley Ranch. We loved that it was under two hours away, yet felt like we were in another world. The setting is so gorgeous and serene, yet there is so much to do and experience (golfing, bee keeping, walking in the organic garden, relaxing in the infinity hot tub). When it came to picking a venue, it seemed like a no brainer. What better way to celebrate our union than to take our friends and family to one of our favorite places on earth?! The only catch with picking such a desirable location was availability. The best available date for us meant we would have three months to plan our dream wedding. No easy feat, but with the stars aligning and our dream vendors all being available, everything went off (almost) without a hitch. We really wanted our day to reflect Jeremy and I, so we made sure to have a team of vendors that could help with that vision. I have been using Bloomsters (a local florist) for events since I was in my teens. They have helped me for everything from arrangements for my junior prom, to décor for my corporate holiday party (with an 800 person guest count!). Their team does a wonderful job of reading your mind and when I walked down the aisle to see everything for the first time I knew they truly hit it on the head and made our dreams a reality. My sisters are great photographers so I have been spoiled with great pictures my whole life. Unfortunately both of them were going to be in front of the camera for once, so we needed to figure out someone who could capture all of the special moments. A coworker recommended John + Louise, and we were instantly drawn in by their photojournalistic approach. We loved their creative take on wedding photography and were yet again giddy to find they had availability on July 14th.
I purchased a vintage dress right after the engagement and after months of alterations, I picked up my dress from the tailor (with three weeks to go) only to find out it was three inches too short … in flats. Not a good look for a 5’11″ bride. With the hard time I had trying to shop for dresses with our three month deadline, I could hardly imagine the looks I’d get with three weeks, so I opted for a Nicole Miller that was on sale online at Neiman Marcus and had it rushed. Luckily it fit like a glove and only needed to be hemmed (considering Jeremy I picked up the suit and dress on the Wednesday the week of our wedding, we couldn’t afford anything other than a perfect fit).
Despite the three month engagement, we couldn’t have been happier with our wedding day and felt so lucky to have such a strong team of vendors to help make our dreams come true, as well as such wonderful friends and family to share everything with!
Wedding Photography: John + Louise / Wedding Venue + Catering: Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel, California / Floral Design: Bloomsters / Wedding Stationery: Minted / Music: Brett Young + Randy Coleman / Wedding Dress: Nicole Miller / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Zac Posen via Rent the Runway / Men’s Suits: Calvin Klein