This lush, fall-hued wedding held among the California redwoods at Deer Park Villa is simply the definition of lovely. The couple crafted an old-world, enchanted forest feel with gorgeous flowers from Village Green Floral, a handmade burlap + lace runner and (my favorite) paper hearts cut from the pages of vintage romance novels! The gallery is overflowing with pretty pictures by Art Soul Photo-see them all here!
From the Bride… We happened upon Grandpa Joe’s Redwood Grove and knew we had found our very own enchanted forest for our wedding day. Chris and I are both old souls, so it was fitting to be married among redwoods that live to be 1,000 years old. We were married in the fall when bright, seasonal flowers and lush foliage were in full bloom. My wedding gown was all lace. I love this timeless fabric. It has an old-world feel, yet the silhouette of my gown felt fresh, modern and flowing. My dressmaker completed the look with a satin sash and a gorgeous pearl broach. I wanted to take Chris’s breath away when he saw me for the first time in my dress. I sneaked up from behind and surprised him. We both had tears in our eyes.
There were so many meaningful and heartfelt memories from the day. Chris’s grandfather had recently passed away, and Chris wore his grandfather’s cufflinks to honor his memory. In the days leading up to the wedding, we considered having them cleaned and polished. Instead, we decided to leave them tarnished and worn, just as his grandfather had left them. Chris said it made him feel closer to him, as if his grandfather had taken them off and handed them to Chris to wear. We had Chris’s wedding band custom-designed to match his grandfather’s hand-hammered, silver cuff links.Instead of traditional flower petals adorning our aisle made of burlap and lace (which I stayed up ironing in the hallway of our hotel until 2 in the morning the night before with my beloved bridesmaids), I cut out paper hearts from classic romance novels. I longed to have a bit of Jane Austen at my wedding. My mom was incredibly helpful in helping us create our enchanted forest. She even taught herself how to use a wood-burning tool and personalized our wedding favors. We found burlap bags, filled them with wildflower seeds and hand-carved our initials onto a small round of redwood — inspiration from our save-the-dates cards.
Our favorite part of the whole evening was an elegant, candlelit dinner under the moonlight — deep in our enchanted forest. It was an unbelievable feeling to look out over our guests eating, laughing and enjoying themselves, knowing that every person was there because they loved us. I just kept saying to Chris, “Can you believe all of this is for us?” It was so special and humbling to be surrounded by the love and support of those we loved most. It honestly felt like the loveliest dream ever, and I never wanted to wake up. That moment will stay with us, in our hearts and minds, for the rest of our lives. One of our most cherished wedding guests left us a wedding wish written on a rock. It said, “Wealth is family and family is wealth.” Chris and I were thrilled to share such a magical day with family and friends.
Wedding Photography: Sarah Metz of Art Soul Photo / Wedding Venue + Catering: Deer Park Villa in Fairfax, California / Floral Design: Karen Rossi of Village Green Floral / Wedding Cake: Shannon Stapel of Fat Angel Bakery / Wedding Invitations + Save-the-Dates: Minted / Transportation: Sausalito Limousines / Wedding Dress: Clarissa Bridal