Nothing but Nature - Ahwahnee Hotel

This was such a refreshing wedding to plan and design. I would have never guessed how much fun I could have with only designing with foliage and some acorn branches. Lindsay and Santiago had a small, intimate wedding in Yosemite National Park at the Ahwahnee Hotel. The wedding party only consisted of the two of them and after the ceremony out in the meadow they gathered on the East Terrace to enjoy an outdoor luncheon. The rich greens and the natural wood vases and hints of acorns are so simple and so gorgeous to compliment the environment.

Birch Logs and Herbs

It is always so fitting to represent elements that are a reflection and compliment to the surroundings of the venue. Kate and Tyson chose The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite for their wedding in July and they had such terrific choices for decor that was so perfect for their day. Their colors were lavender and sage so we designed with dried lavender, scabiosa, olive branches, blushing bride, astilbe, ranunculus and moss. The centerpieces were designed from birch logs that were from a tree cut down at her parents house. The guest favors were my personal favorite, Nature's Leaf which are actual leaves dipped in silver to make the perfect ornament. They used vintage Yosemite post cards for their table names and we polished off designing the cake making olive/lavender wreaths along each tier base.

Yosemite in Full Bloom

When describing my natural style choice for my designs I would categorize it as "rustic elegance" long before the rustic world took the wedding industry by storm. Shannon and Mark's wedding is the perfect example as to why. When Yosemite is your backdrop but the more formal and elegant touches of the Ahwahnee are to be blended with the nature you can't help but to fit right in between the two worlds by creating anything less. The colors they had decided to showcase for their wedding were periwinkle, creams, navy blue, antique golds and a pop of a spring green. The peonies were the most gorgeous I had ever worked with, practically the size of melons. We went with a few style centerpieces to play in to the narrow crescent shaped room of the Solarium. The tall vases were best displayed by allowing some free stems to flow in the water with river rock at the base. Surrounding was three antique mercury gold sundae cups with florals and clusters of gold mercury votives. The second style was in the rustic wood box and then 3rd was in a gilded antique gold vase.

Softly Stunning

This wedding is such a great example of how to achieve everything you want and how to fit within who you are as a couple. The wedding took place on a Wednesday in Yosemite National Park at The Ahwahnee Hotel . They had a total of 48 guests which was a perfect amount to create a warm and intimate ceremony and a nice a full Mural Room. Her floral choices were all colorless with using all white florals and various rich greens....fresh mints, mertle, passion vine, gardenia foliage and lemon leaves. The ceremony framing was created using just birch logs and lemon leaf garlands as well as the garland swags along the back row. Her bouquet was just a petite size bouquet utilizing all white ranunculus and gardenia foliage finished off with material from her dress. She found her glass candelabras at Crate and Barrel and pulled in some beautiful custom linens from Classic Party Rentals , Aurora Vanilla to show off the gorgeous texture and we accented each setting with a couple sprigs of mertle. Loved all of these simple elements to make this such a beautiful event!

Carrie and Jeff - Vibrant Vintage

Like most Yosemite couples, Carrie and Jeff planned their wedding from across the country. When she had first contacted me, we were able to discuss a variety of ideas that she had in her head for the overall look and feel for her wedding. The key points began with colors, wanting to do some fresh, bright bold hues of pinks and purples with some contrast of the spring green. They wanted a black tie affair with a vintage feel to tie in with The Ahwhanee Hotel so we accented her pieces with silver footed urns and ivory lace runners. Although they ended up enduring a rainy day in June, it was such a gorgeous event. Below are a couple images I was able to grab before departing to the venue of her bouquet, bridesmaid bouquet and one of each style centerpiece. All of the following gorgeous images were captured by the amazing Patrick Pike! Ceremony and Reception Venue and Catering - The Ahwahnee Hotel Photography - Patrick Pike Hair and Makeup - Carol at Bellissimo Brides