Romantic Vintage Fall Wedding with Rose Floral Accents at Rancho Valencia

Melissa Baran
March 20, 2019
Categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Vintage Chic

I’ve seen a LOT of pink weddings in my years of writing weddings for Style Me Pretty, but today’s color palette showcases this pretty hue like no other. With vintage details and rose floral accents, you can find layers of mauve, crimson, coral and dusty ivory, mimicking a sweet California sunset. With planning by HauteFêtes and blooms by Plenty Of Petals, Liz and Molly celebrated a day that was equally as beautiful as their love. Make sure to take a stroll in the full gallery from Whiskers and Willow for the entire fete!

As told by HauteFêtes Fine Weddings & Events… Like many couples today, Liz Lundy and Molly Bittner met online six years ago and have since been inseparable. Despite the modern way they met, however, the couple shares a mutual love of tradition. Liz grew up on the east coast in Philadelphia and Molly in Atlanta and they both moved to Los Angeles for work. A NASA JPL engineer, Molly had been in LA for six months, while Liz, who works new programming for Netflix, had only been in LA for two weeks. They met at a café and Molly thought how cute Liz looked with her freckles and black leather jacket. They instantly clicked and after dating five years, Liz finally popped the question and Molly said yes!

While they both love LA, they also love to travel and envisioned for their wedding somewhere intimate and reflective of Southern California, especially since the majority of their guests would be traveling to the wedding from out of state. They both fell in love with Rancho Valencia and its pretty Spanish styling with its terracotta walls and olive groves which provided the inspiration for the wedding design.

With so many pretty spaces at the venue, I wanted to maximize each area while incorporating cultural traditions that were important to them for each wedding day event. Since Liz is Jewish and Molly is Catholic, they were open to a creative take on the ceremony set up while adhering to tradition. For their ceremony, Liz and Molly wanted it to feel intimate and also lush. Together with Plenty of Petals, we incorporated a beautiful Chuppah, draped with a rose-terracotta chiffon reminiscent of Rancho Valencia’s walls, covering it with clusters of beautiful blooms as if growing up from the ground. We surrounded the Chuppah with rows of chairs on three sides, almost like the knave in a church which appealed to Molly, so that guests felt like they were also part of the ceremony. In keeping with Jewish cultural tradition, each bride had both their mother and father accompany them down the aisle – and with three sides, we created a separate aisle for each bride and their respective bridal parties to walk down – and then, once married, Liz and Molly walked back up the central aisle together, further symbolizing their union.

For the reception, inspired by a fall palette of dusty rose, taupe, and caramel, we designed a warm and inviting atmosphere, layering traditional touches such as warm La Tavola velvet linens, wood tables and vintage crystal, china and silver with fun, playful details like knot-tied napkins and pretty customized floral menus by Design House of Moira. In keeping with the Spanish influences of the venue, a beautiful wrought iron gate with escort cards hand tied with rose colored ribbon welcomed guests to take their seats.

Liz and Molly concluded the night dancing to the band Jordan Music Entertainment, with a gelato bar set up outside for anyone who wanted an extra treat with their cake, whose floral design created by Hey There, Cupcake was inspired by the stationery suite. As a further homage to their traditional side, they performed a first dance to Christina Aguilera’s “I Turn to You” and then each bride danced with her father, followed by a raucous Horrah which got everyone onto the dance floor. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day that was in every way a reflection of Liz and Molly.

One final note. When Liz’s mother and I first spoke about wedding planning, she shared her experiences with vendors she had spoken with earlier who had not been supportive of their union. Sadly, we remain a nation divided – whether it’s politics, race, religion, or sexual orientation. When it comes to love, however, we shouldn’t be. Love is after all love, and as a creative, I support same-sex marriage and believe in creating teams for all my couples with like-minded vendors who share the same vision and values.

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