Seersucker and navy. Stripes and boats. Driftwood hearts and polka dot cakes. Sounds like the makings of a fabulous nautical affair. But what really struck my fancy with this Lake Tahoe wedding was the romantic element added by Merrily Wed. Alongside the boat shoes and the color blocked maids’ were parasols and bright blooms from Bellissima Floral. Both the bride and the groom were ever present in the deets from the day, perfectly captured by both Jay Reilley Photography + Courtney Aaron Photography, and that is something we love to get on board with. Click here for more!
Click here to see the full wedding in the gallery!
From Merrily Wed … We had a lot of fun incorporating their personalities into the wedding! Abby is a teacher so we used chalkboards for the table numbers and she also had a ton of wine corks. I gave her the idea to glue the wine corks around the table number frames and create the bar menu frame backings which we simply pinned the bar menu to as well. We also stacked tons of corks in vases (along with white dendrobiums and limes) at the bar.
Abby also loves mason jars so we used these to serve her signature drink, to showcase family photos at the guest book table and to also suspend orange pillars from shepherd hooks around the property. She found some stemmed mason jars that we brought to them for their quick spin on the Lake after the ceremony. She had some old shutters which we used to present the guests’ escort cards on and embellished them with a few floral blooms. They love riding their beach cruisers so this was stamped on their escort cards and dining menus too.
Abby has a very fun, playful personality and this is seen everywhere with the vibrant orange touches from the parasols to the sashes on her bridesmaid dresses to the flowers in the bridesmaids’ hair to punches of color throughout the reception. We played up Nic and his groomsmen seersucker suits by using navy pinstripe napkins at dinner and using navy pinstripe ribbon for subtle details throughout the reception.
We were striving for an overall casually elegant with a natural, warm inviting feel. Abby wanted to use their initials somewhere so Bellissima Floral created giant initials that we hung around the necks of giant seagrass urns at the aisle entrance and reused these at the entrance to the reception tent later on. We used burlap runners on the dining tables over Tuscany eggshell knobby linen – both very appropriate for Lake Tahoe. The walnut wood dining chairs complimented the walnut wood charger. The centerpieces were a mix of clear pedestal vases and ceramic white pitchers with single stems in white and clear glass bottles – a Tahoe rustic garden elegance feel. Key tables (guest book, lemonade and cake tables) were graced with Tuscany spice knobby linen for bursts of color.
Photography: Jay Reilly Photography + Courtney Aaron Photography / Wedding Planning + Design: Merrily Wed / Ceremony + Reception Venue: Private Estate, Sunnyside Estate / Florals: Bellissima Floral / Catering: As You Wish Catering / Cake: Sugar Pine Cakery / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Bridesmaids Dresses: LulaKate / String Music: Accent Music / DJ: We Ain’t Saints / Rentals: Celebrations Party Rentals