As a designer herself, the Bride behind this Rancho Las Lomas wedding was completely and totally hands on. From the sleek ivory, gold and navy color palette to the hints of moroccan decor, Katie Noel worked this wedding into a beautiful, classic partay to celebrate her and her new hubby. And she had some awesome help too from the likes of The Vine’s Leaf on the floral and design side and Josh Elliott who truly captured every pitch perfect moment of this day. Have a look here for more.
From the Bride… Some couples know, from the day of the engagement, what type of theme and colors they want for their wedding. We were not one of those couples. We took the time to plot and plan and find inspiration from everywhere we looked. But, the more research we did and pictures and websites we looked at, the more overwhelming everything began to feel. Jonathan and I played around with a lot of different ideas, but tried not to lose sight of the fact that, overall, we wanted our day to be romantic, intimate, exotic, and elegant—without being stuffy. It wasn’t until we visited the beautiful Rancho Las Lomas that our vision started to come together. It had Spanish architecture nestled within lush greens, tall palm trees, and even was home to many unusual animals along with my favorite—tigers! We fell in love with the venue.
Earlier in the year we took a wonderful vacation to Cabo and thought maybe it could inspire some of the feel of our wedding day. We stayed at Cabo Azul which was exotically tropical with slight Moroccan touches—think dramatic dark woods, lanterns, candles, and fresh white linens. We knew we wanted to incorporate some of those same elements and recreate the feel for our guests as a romantic getaway, and Rancho Las Lomas was the perfect place to do it.
Since the location was so beautiful on its own, we kept things simple—ivory and navy blue color scheme with accents of gold. Being a graphic designer, I couldn’t wait to design my own invitations and other paper-goods including the programs, menus, drink flags, signs, and more. It was a lot of work but I slowly chipped away at certain projects, so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed all at once. I enlisted the help of some of my bridesmaids and made mini candles for the favors with a chalk-painted top so I could write “thank you” in a gold-ink chalk pen on each one. We really wanted our guests to feel welcomed, comfortable, and appreciated for sharing our special day with us.
As guests walked in and down through a charming cottage to get to the ceremony area, we placed a picture-story of our lives in frames (cheap white ones bought on Amazon that we spray-painted gold) starting with each of our parent’s weddings, baby pictures of each of us, and other milestones until we met, then of course big moments we had together. I wanted relatives from both sides who might not know Jon or me very well to get a sense of “us” both individually and where we have been as a couple leading up to this day.
The ceremony was by far the most memorable for both of us. We had musician friends re-arrange and play some of our favorite songs for the ceremony. Using just a guitar, piano, and cello, the instrumentation was simple and elegant, and the familiar songs playing in the background really grounded the ceremony for us both. Songs for the seating of the parents and bridesmaids included “Emmylou” by First Aid Kit, “First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes, Ryan Adams’ version of “Wonderwall” by Oasis, which led right into my walk-down-the-aisle song: “Angels” by the XX. The recessional was “Strawberry Swing” by Coldplay.
Aly from the The Vine’s Leaf was a huge part in making all the details come together. She was my florist, stylist, and coordinator! She made the gorgeous gold-tipped feather-escort cards not to mention all the beautiful flower arrangements and designed the table settings. We opted for the dark wooden tables with an ivory runner and gold chargers for the reception. We had lots of candles and lanterns to give it a warm amber glow and romantic feel. We didn’t want any huge flower arrangements getting in the way of guests talking so we kept them low and simple yet still full and pretty. It felt like a big family dinner celebration, which was perfect. The meal concluded with mini churros (one of my favorite treats) and of course, later, macaroons and a gold-painted fondant-covered cake adorned with a few peonies.
Our photographer, Josh from Josh Elliott Photography, did an amazing job capturing both the big moments and the small details beautifully. He made us feel comfortable, gave great direction when needed, all the while making it a fun and memorable experience.
My words of advice are hire the vendors you trust—then trust the vendors you hired. Communicate what inspires you and what your vision is but also trust them—they do this for a living. As a designer, I understand how much more inspired I will be if someone allows me creative freedom rather than trying to micromanage. What they come up with may surprise you in the best ways. And if you’re doing most of it yourself, start early, take one project at a time, and don’t be shy to ask for help. At the end of the day, you will be married to the person you love. Don’t stress about the details—take it all in and enjoy the fleeting moments. I thought the whole day would pass by as a blur, but we soaked in as much as we could, and it will be one of the most cherished days of the rest of our lives. It was a huge blessing to have everyone we love in the same place celebrating our happiness with us.
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Photography: Josh Elliott Photography | Flowers: The Vine’s Leaf | Event Design: The bride, Katie Noel & The Vine’s Leaf | Event Planning: The Vine’s Leaf | Ceremony & Reception Location: Rancho Las Lomas, Silverado, Ca | Invitations: The bride, Katie Noel | DJ: Elevated Pulse Productions | Bride’s shoes: Kate Spade | Bride’s dress: Liancarlo | Hair & Makeup: Beauty and the Beach | Catering: 24 Carrots | Cake: Sweet & Saucy Shop