Heading Outdoors for a Stunning Black-Tie Wedding Al Fresco

Erin Lepperd
April 7, 2017
Categories: Real Weddings, Romantic, The Blog

Black-tie events are synonymous with grand ballrooms but this gem is flipping that notion upside down… or taking it outside. Tucked in the gorgeous surrounds of Rancho Santa Fe, this tented celebration coordinated by Weddings by Design has all the elements of a super swanky affair, including overflowing florals by Anahita Events, and twinkling candlelight in the open air. It’s gorgeous and will completely make you fall hard for all things al fresco. Pore through all the pretty captured by Erica Schneider + a stunning film by Elysium below.

[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/192207942 600 338]

From the Bride… Mike and I met when we were both 18 in class in Madison, Wisconsin and got engaged nearly 10 years later in Hawaii. We spent our Hawaii vacation excitedly thinking about what type of wedding we wanted to have. We talked a lot about doing a destination and even considered getting married at the hotel we got engaged in Maui. Ultimately, we decided that my hometown of San Diego in August was the perfect place for Mike’s east coast family, and our friends to join together for our celebration.

We wanted our wedding to be as much about the two of us and a celebration of all of those who helped us get through the previous ten years and who will be by our sides through the next 10! We looked at many different venues in San Diego but ultimately decided at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, which is not far from where I grew up. I knew from the beginning I wanted a black-tie “tent” wedding and we focused on finding a place that allowed us to have a tent.

The Inn is romantic, quaint, and it just felt like us. I right away saw how my tent-wedding dream could come to life. When I told my mom and planner, I wanted a tent wedding, I really meant that I wanted an outdoor, open-air wedding with some structure in place to make the area feel defined. I knew I wanted as many green hedges as possible to enclose an open-air space. I took several elements from other events I had seen on the internet to make my own vision and that was how my dream was formed.

When we picked the band, we had one major criterion. They had to be able to play Bruce Springsteen, Mike’s favorite artist. We chose Soulville, and I am so glad we did! They took the time to get to know us both and our music preferences, and absolutely nailed it the night of our wedding. They were terrific and played music that appealed to all of our guests and at one point there wasn’t a single person not on the dance floor, which is exactly what we wished for.

My advice to brides planning now would be to do research in advance about the type of wedding they want before picking a venue. Pinterest can be overwhelming, but it helped me figure out quickly what I liked and didn’t like. We put a lot of personal touches in our wedding, from the custom corn-hole boards to the table numbers that featured our dog. I loved mixing upscale features with custom finishes like these – it just felt more like us! We now look back on our wedding day and night, and can only smile. It was simply the most amazing day of our lives and we are so grateful to all those who helped make it a reality.