If you like pretty then are going to L-O-V-E this wedding for the following reasons: first, A Savvy Event planned the ultimate celebration complete with La Tavola linens. Second, it’s one of our very own Blogger Bride’s special day! That’s right, Chloe of Boxwood Avenue dreamed up the perfect lakeside party (hello, s’mores) and thanks to David Newkirk we’ve got every detail of her day in THE VAULT!
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From Chloe of Boxwood Avenue… Wow, what a journey we’ve been on! I have had so much fun getting to share my wedding planning with all of you. It’s truly been an honor! I shared a little bit about my main squeeze in my e-sesh post, but I want to share even more with you today!
You might know that Greg and I live in the absolute middle of nowhere on a cattle ranch, way up north in California. If you didn’t, now you do! It’s amazing living up here, but it is completely different than living in the city. In fact, the experiences I’ve had on the ranch are what lead me to start Boxwood Avenue – as a way to share what modern ranch life is like.
So when we started planning our wedding, we initially wanted to have it at the ranch. However, the logistics of asking hundreds of people to travel hours away from civilization just didn’t pencil out. There really isn’t anywhere for people to stay overnight, and there certainly aren’t many catering or rental options. While discussing it with our families, Greg’s mom suggested we have our wedding at Lake Tahoe. After all, it’s where I consider my heart to be. I love the ranch, but Lake Tahoe is like nothing else. I was over the moon excited that Greg agreed to say, “I Do” there!
So we got to planning, and ultimately decided on a black tie wedding. One of my new cousins put it best, “You moved to this tiny town, on a cattle ranch, where boots and spurs are everyday attire. You’re only going to get married once, so you might as well have your fairytale moment.” I was thankful that she spread the word to the rest of the cowboys: Yes, you HAVE to wear a tux. Yet, you can see in some of the photos – a few of them just couldn’t bear to leave their cowboy hats at home, which was totally fine with me!
As I planned, I knew I wanted to include as many little details from as many vendors as I could. There is so much talent out there! So, last May when I traveled to Nashville for one of my bridesmaid’s weddings, I carved out an afternoon to pop into The Dress Theory! I really admire the shop’s owner, Camille, so I knew I had to go visit the store when I had the chance. I happened to pick up the beautiful belt I wore on my wedding day, but I wasn’t in love with the ribbon it came with, so I added my own Silk and Willow ribbon to it. The ribbon complimented the color of my Bliss by Monique Lhuillier dress perfectly, which was the slightest shade of pink. The moment I tried it on at Swoon, I knew it was the one!
Initially, I had planned on making my own veil, but came to my senses about a month before the wedding. The girls at Swoon were able to order me a custom Jennifer Leigh veil that extended four feet beyond the hem of my dress, I loved it so much I didn’t take it off all night, I even ate dinner in it!
I had the privilege to work with vendors from all over northern Nevada, California and even Utah, but planned most of the day remotely from the ranch, adding DIY touches whenever I could. As I look over our wedding photos I am reminded of my wonderful family who helped make every little detail possible. My aunt hand painted the designs for the garden seed favors and envelope liners, which I hand cut and placed in every envelope. I even handmade the packets the seeds went into! My dad made the base of the chuppah, and I sewed together the covering for it. Nearly every brass candlestick and goblet you see was found at thrift shops by my aunt, who is also the woman who taught me how to sew. Naturally, she fit my dress for me, and even took some of my great aunt’s silk fabric and sewed it in into the inside of my dress, which was my something blue.
One of my favorite DIY projects of the wedding was hand writing each guest’s place card. I actually did it two nights before the wedding! That same night, all of my bridesmaids came over to my mother-in-law’s house where we had a pre-wedding crafting party – being a DIY blogger, this was a BLAST for me – I don’t think my bridesmaids agreed, though, because, they ended up having to add ribbons to every single bell (which were placed at the guests’ seats to ring during the first kiss, you can see and hear it in the video!), bows to every program, bunting to every cocktail stir stick and straw, and tags to every honey favor. By the end of the night, I’m pretty sure their fingers were bleeding, luckily we had champagne to fix it!
The morning of the wedding was celebrated with mimosas and pampering, and while the boys figured out how to properly tie their bow ties, the girls were treated to hair and makeup from Hannah Lashelle of Pretty Parlor and Jenay Duckett of MAC. I was insistent about hand writing our own vows, but was guilty of not putting them onto paper until that morning in the middle of hair and makeup! Early afternoon, I was greeted by my mother in law with sweet gifts form Greg; his great grandmother’s pearl necklace and earrings, which I was honored to wear down the aisle as my ‘something old’.
I think one of the most memorable parts of the evening was when I read my vows wrong, and my grandfather’s speech. Both moments can be seen in the video! My grandfather is from France, and gave a traditional French toast, which involves a lot of clapping, and singing. I will remember it for the rest of my life.
The day of the wedding went by just as quickly as everyone had warned me it would. It really is true when bride’s describe their wedding day as being the best day of their life, not because of the wedding itself, but because you’re completely surrounded by love. Having all of our closest friends and family gathered in one spot was surreal.
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Meet the Bride | DIY Favors | Dress Shopping Tips |
DIY Calligraphy | Bridal Shower | Bachelorette Party | Mistletoe Moment | Translating Your Wedding Vision
Photography: David Newkirk | Event Planning: A Savvy Event | Florals: Karen Tran Florals: Event decorator/designer | Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Cake: Paris Custom Cakes | Ceremony Venue: West Shore Cafe | Reception Venue: West Shore Cafe | Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Makeup : MAC Cosmetics | Hair: Pretty Parlor Sf | Calligraphy : Chloe Mackintosh At Boxwood Avenue | Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss | Officiant : Reno Tahoe Ceremonies | Accessories : The Dress Theory | Cinemetography: Dax Victorino Films | Dress Boutique: Swoon Bridal | Giant Love Letters: Tahoe Entertainer | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Paper: Minted | Rentals: Camelot Party Rentals Nevada | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals Napa | Rentals: Frances Lane | Ribbon: Silk and Willow | Sound: West Coast Audio & Visual | Sound : Crux Events | Veil: Jennifer Leigh Bridal