Romantic and Rustic Garden Wedding
There's no denying that garden weddings are my guilty pleasure. I spend more than my fair share of time dreaming of the day that I too can say "I do" amongst lush Lani Elizabeth Fine Design In Flowers & Events blooms. And garden weddings in California? Well, they're pure perfection. As seen through the lens of U Me Us Studios at Los Altos History Museum, every detail is dreamy and it's all right here!
From the beautiful Bride... Jake and I met on his 22 birthday on August 2005 through a mutual friend. It took him nearly 2 weeks to call me. We started officially dating in February 2006. Right when we started dating and he graduated from SFSU (our alma mater) he moved to China for 1 year for work then he got relocated to Chicago for 4 years until I eventually moved in with him.
For our 7th year anniversary on February 2013, Jake thought about surprising me with a weekend getaway trip to New York. Unfortunately the week prior, NYC was hit with a blizzard and Jake had to spoil his own plans and asked me where I would like to go instead. Given that we have not done anything special for the last few anniversaries, I thought it was odd that Jake wanted to take me for a trip. Regardless, I immediately got excited and blurted out “Miami!!” Little did I know he had every intention of popping the question.
Initially Jake wanted to propose in Central Park hoping that it would be a nice and sunny weekend in New York. Now that it was covered in 6 inches of snow, he had to change his game plan fast. When he got to Miami, he threw the ring in his back pocket and began searching for the “perfect moment”. On their last day in Miami, Jake desperately drove around downtown Miami, looking for nice and scenic place to propose. He finally found a park by the bay where he suggested we go for a walk. He found a place by a beautiful fountain and began his rehearsed speech. Unaware that Jake was actually proposing, I jokingly pushed him away and told him he should find a better spot to propose. A bit confused and unsure if I was being serious, Jake fell silent as we continued to walk around the park for what seemed to be an eternity. Eventually Jake built up the courage again and sat me down by a pier and got down on one knee and told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Instead of a smile, kiss, and a “yes”, I laughed hysterically realizing that he was serious and I had ruined his proposal! Although the proposal did not go as Jake planned, it still turned out to be such a memorable and funny story.
We really wanted a small outdoor wedding but we didn't realize our family combined is about 100 people. We've visited several venues and met the managers but nothing gave a wow factor. I found Los Altos History Museum online. We decided to visit and see it for ourselves. We immediately fell in love with it especially the garden, the trees, red brick floor and the bistro lights. The venue manager-Mark was very personable, friendly and quite informative. He was also one of the main reason why we booked our venue. Our ceremony and reception was held in the same place. We knew we will be taken care of. Los Altos History Museum describes Jake and I, simple but filled with natural beauty.
We wanted our wedding to look simple, classic and romantic. I wanted to DIY some of the wedding decor like the place cards, dinner and bar menu so I learned modern calligraphy on my own. I practiced daily to make sure I got it right. I designed the food menu and hand calligraphed each one of them until I was satisfied with the look.
However, I had a family emergency the week before our wedding and was overwhelmed with everything. Jake and I decided not to incorporate the food menu I have designed to lessen the stress of wedding planning. Instead I wrote in modern calligraphy our family and friend's name on a blush cardstock tied to the french macaron favor box. We also decided to get our welcome sign, seating chart and our big program poster from an Etsy seller. She was able to incorporate the style of modern calligraphy that we wanted. My cousin designed the bar menu on a last minute.
Our event was completely fitting to our personalities. The ambiance was causal and free. The venue and setting were perfectly rustic with just a touch of soft romance.
Our wedding day was very memorable but the most memorable part of our wedding was the ceremony. When we were exchanging our vows knowing that we will be in each other's lives until the end.
Though it has been said a million times and can sound very redundant. Do take everything in on the day of your wedding. Remember every passing moment. Time flew by so fast before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye to our family and friends. Also, you cannot predict what is going to happen on your wedding so try your best to look past it. Lastly, make sure you hire a great photographer and at least the day of coordinator. Your beautiful wedding pictures will be the only thing you can look back to and show your family for years to come. Your day-of coordinator will save you from behind the scene stress during your wedding. Try to relax and enjoy every second of it.
For our 7th year anniversary on February 2013, Jake thought about surprising me with a weekend getaway trip to New York. Unfortunately the week prior, NYC was hit with a blizzard and Jake had to spoil his own plans and asked me where I would like to go instead. Given that we have not done anything special for the last few anniversaries, I thought it was odd that Jake wanted to take me for a trip. Regardless, I immediately got excited and blurted out “Miami!!” Little did I know he had every intention of popping the question.
Initially Jake wanted to propose in Central Park hoping that it would be a nice and sunny weekend in New York. Now that it was covered in 6 inches of snow, he had to change his game plan fast. When he got to Miami, he threw the ring in his back pocket and began searching for the “perfect moment”. On their last day in Miami, Jake desperately drove around downtown Miami, looking for nice and scenic place to propose. He finally found a park by the bay where he suggested we go for a walk. He found a place by a beautiful fountain and began his rehearsed speech. Unaware that Jake was actually proposing, I jokingly pushed him away and told him he should find a better spot to propose. A bit confused and unsure if I was being serious, Jake fell silent as we continued to walk around the park for what seemed to be an eternity. Eventually Jake built up the courage again and sat me down by a pier and got down on one knee and told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Instead of a smile, kiss, and a “yes”, I laughed hysterically realizing that he was serious and I had ruined his proposal! Although the proposal did not go as Jake planned, it still turned out to be such a memorable and funny story.
We really wanted a small outdoor wedding but we didn't realize our family combined is about 100 people. We've visited several venues and met the managers but nothing gave a wow factor. I found Los Altos History Museum online. We decided to visit and see it for ourselves. We immediately fell in love with it especially the garden, the trees, red brick floor and the bistro lights. The venue manager-Mark was very personable, friendly and quite informative. He was also one of the main reason why we booked our venue. Our ceremony and reception was held in the same place. We knew we will be taken care of. Los Altos History Museum describes Jake and I, simple but filled with natural beauty.
We wanted our wedding to look simple, classic and romantic. I wanted to DIY some of the wedding decor like the place cards, dinner and bar menu so I learned modern calligraphy on my own. I practiced daily to make sure I got it right. I designed the food menu and hand calligraphed each one of them until I was satisfied with the look.
However, I had a family emergency the week before our wedding and was overwhelmed with everything. Jake and I decided not to incorporate the food menu I have designed to lessen the stress of wedding planning. Instead I wrote in modern calligraphy our family and friend's name on a blush cardstock tied to the french macaron favor box. We also decided to get our welcome sign, seating chart and our big program poster from an Etsy seller. She was able to incorporate the style of modern calligraphy that we wanted. My cousin designed the bar menu on a last minute.
Our event was completely fitting to our personalities. The ambiance was causal and free. The venue and setting were perfectly rustic with just a touch of soft romance.
Our wedding day was very memorable but the most memorable part of our wedding was the ceremony. When we were exchanging our vows knowing that we will be in each other's lives until the end.
Though it has been said a million times and can sound very redundant. Do take everything in on the day of your wedding. Remember every passing moment. Time flew by so fast before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye to our family and friends. Also, you cannot predict what is going to happen on your wedding so try your best to look past it. Lastly, make sure you hire a great photographer and at least the day of coordinator. Your beautiful wedding pictures will be the only thing you can look back to and show your family for years to come. Your day-of coordinator will save you from behind the scene stress during your wedding. Try to relax and enjoy every second of it.