Can we please discuss how ah-mazing this color combo from Three Little Words Paper Artisans is?! Pairing richly hued maroon with gorg gray has never looked so good, and this fresh take on a seasonal hue is bound to make any Bride happy. But if you think that lovely palette is the start and end of stunning think again because Josh Gruetzmacher Photography has got it all in THE VAULT!
From The Bride…Brandon and I chose Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito as our wedding venue because the property perfectly reflected who we are as a couple. After visiting a dozen or so wineries, ranches, restaurants, and restored mansions we fell for the seamless blend of historic San Francisco architecture, stunning outdoor vistas, and natural beauty Cavallo Point offered. Many of our guests traveled from outside of California and we loved the wow factor Cavallo Point has from the moment you turn down its driveway. The amazing food prepared by their restaurant, Murray Circle, and the smoothly coordinated wedding-day assistance led by their on-site catering manager, Lorraine Salceda, also helped confirm our belief that Cavallo Point was the right venue for us.
While planning our wedding we sought to remain true to who we are as individuals, and who we are as a couple. Brandon proposed just a few miles west of Cavallo Point, at Rodeo Beach, and we both realized that we would love to share the beauty of this area with our guests. We knew we wanted an elegant wedding complete with a delicious plated dinner and ballroom dancing, but we just couldn’t picture ourselves celebrating in a stuffy, dark traditional ballroom. Cavallo Point helped us achieve the understated elegance that we hoped to create at our wedding.
Our favorite part of our wedding day was saying our vows hand-in-hand, before the people that mean the most to us. The ceremony took place in Fort Baker’s original chapel built in the 1940’s, and we chose to keep the ceremony décor fairly simple and neutral – all ivory flowers and lots of native California greenery. We’ll forever hold dear the memory of exchanging vows and rings in that special chapel with its warm woodwork bathed in golden, late afternoon sunshine. To pay homage to our love of nature, we performed a unity tree ceremony to accompany our vows and, for a personal touch, the baby redwood tree we planted came from Caitlyn’s brother’s backyard in Danville, California.
Following our ceremony, we ensured enough time to pose for a group photo of all our friends and family who came to our wedding and we are so glad we did because we now have a timeless keepsake to remind us of our special day. We held our reception in a space that originally served as Fort Baker’s gymnasium. The room features lofty ceilings, white washed beams and woodwork, and huge windows with views of the Golden Gate Bridge. A final personal touch to our wedding was the decadent chocolate and raspberry wedding cake that Caitlyn’s sister-in-law from Miami baked for us.
Our favorite time of year is the period when warm, lazy summer days begrudgingly turn to the ever shortening days of fall. Once settled on a date, we knew we wanted to feature the deep, rich colors of late summer. We chose to emphasize Caitlyn’s favorite berry-toned hues through the use of rich pink, deep purple, and burgundy florals in the bridesmaid bouquets, groomsmen boutonnieres, corsages, and all the lush reception table arrangements. Touches of burgundy in the invitation suite, the half-pint berry boxes used as escort card holders, and even the groom’s father’s red Porsche were all coordinated to emphasize our late summer color scheme.
The absence of several much-loved family members was, unfortunately, a reality for us on our wedding day and it was important to us to honor them in a meaningful way. The bride’s sister-in-law sewed a heart made from one of Caitlyn’s late father’s blue dress shirts into the inside of her wedding dress, so the memory of her father could be close to her heart throughout our special day. The bride also made a collage of her favorite photos of herself and her dad to be displayed in the back of the chapel. The bride carried three lockets pinned on her bouquet, all wedding gifts to three different generations of women in her family. One locket held photos of her late father, another held a photograph of her late brother, and the third locket held photos of her late grandparents. The bride also used lace she hand-cut from her maternal grandmother’s wedding gown to wrap the stems of her bouquet. Since her late brother was also a musician, Caitlyn felt a fitting tribute would be to have the traditional father-daughter dance morph into a dance in her brother’s memory with his step-son to a Guy Lombardo tune that he performed countless times.
Our wedding day perfectly reflected our tastes as individuals and as a couple. The day was filled with friends and family, and most importantly with love, and we wouldn’t have done a single thing different!
Photography: Josh Gruetzmacher Photography | Cinematography: Albino Crow Photography | Coordination: Riley Loves Lulu | Floral Design: Chestnut & Vine Floral Design | Wedding Dress: Modern Trousseau | Bride's Shoes: Rachel Simpson | Rings: Tiffany & Co. | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Amsale | Catering: Cavallo Point Lodge | Makeup: Amanda Masson | Hair: Cinta Salon | Calligraphy: Butler's Pantry Calligraphy | Lighting: Got Light | Band: The Fil Lorenz Orchestra | Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss | Groomsmen's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Officiant: Mount Tabor Park | Venue: Cavallo Point Lodge | Bride's Hair Comb: Halo & Co. | Linen Rentals: BBJ La Tavola | Paper Goods: Three Little Words | Veil: Modern Trousseau
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