When Rustic Meets Romance at Hummingbird Nest Ranch

Lauren Megerdichian
March 26, 2019
Categories: Real Weddings, Romantic, Rustic, The Blog

Today’s gorgeous wedding at Hummingbird Nest Ranch designed by Fancy Fete LA with planning from Love It Events will completely change what you think of when you hear the word “rustic”. Knot Just Flowers covered this sun-filled day with greenery and blush pink blooms galore. We’re obsessed with the organic ceremony design teeming with climbing floral on a towering tree – the scene is straight of a storybook! Being that I’m Armenian, I was so excited to see the traditional Armenian elements of their wedding ceremony! It was the perfect blend of both their cultural backgrounds. Check out all the magical details at the full gallery of images captured by Sposto Photography. Trust us people, this wedding is one for the books!

From the bride… We were traveling to Umbria, Italy for our friends’ wedding, and although I knew it was going to be an unforgettable trip, I didn’t know what was to come. Alborz proposed atop of the beautiful Park Güell in Barcelona, Spain overlooking spectacular views of the city. We were posing for a photo, and all of a sudden I noticed him dropping to his knee and all I was thinking was “Oh my God. What is he doing? Is this really happening??? Is this the moment? What do I do with my hands?” I had hoped he would propose on this trip, but I was in shock! It was a magical moment that I will forever cherish. We had been together for nine years, and I always dreamt of this moment – envisioning it in front of our friends and family, celebrating and sharing in the joy and excitement with everyone, but the trip was actually a great way to embark on this new adventure. We were able to soak it all in and enjoy our time together traveling through Europe in this state of bliss versus jumping into wedding planning right away. We FaceTimed with our loved ones who could not wait to celebrate with us when we got back which was really exciting.

The beautiful architecture and landscape of Spain and Italy during our engagement-moon definitely inspired me to incorporate old world charm and rustic elegance into our wedding design. Being in Europe felt like being transported to another world, and since we were unable to have a destination wedding, we really wanted to create the same romantic and whimsical experience for our wedding guests through our venue and design details. We had a hanging “Sofreh Aghd,” at our wedding ceremony which was our unique spin on the several thousand-year old Iranian tradition. My grandmother had passed away six months before my wedding, so to keep her close I wore her necklace and carried her favorite blooms in my bouquet. I know she was with me all day. Other than flower girls, we decided to not have a wedding party as we wanted to focus on each other and allow our closest family and friends to feel relaxed and be in the moment, but our parents and siblings walked down the aisle and participated in parts of our wedding ceremony which was really special.

I was really inspired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding cakes, which was a sharp departure from the architectural confections of traditional weddings. We had three cakes with satiny buttercream strewn with blooms and one of the flavors was another unique and unexpected twist – cookies and cream! My father sang a beautiful song that he wrote for me called “My Baby Girl” which was a very emotional moment for me. I grew up singing with him while he played on his guitar, so it was a special nod to this memorable part of my childhood that we share.

After dancing off a family-style feast, I surprised my groom and our guests with an In-N-Out truck at midnight. He was so surprised and it was a total hit with everyone! It was nice to have something special and unexpected planned for him for once! Although we had a non-denominational wedding ceremony, it was important to us to incorporate cultural elements from both of our backgrounds; Iranian and Armenian, but we definitely put our own spin on these traditions. For the Iranian part of the ceremony we had a “Sofreh Aghd” display which includes many symbolic items, all of which represent an element of the couple’s new life together such as a mirror for a bright future, ornate eggs for fertility, gold coins for prosperity, honey for a sweet life, and so on.

Since we did not have a traditional Armenian wedding in a church, I wanted to incorporate some symbolic elements from my culture that were special and important to me such as: The Crowning, where the couple joins foreheads and are crowned as king and queen of their own kingdom, the home, which they will rule with wisdom, justice, integrity and loyalty. (This was one of our favorite parts of our ceremony. These beautiful and ornate crowns now adorn a credenza in our home as a reminder of this commitment.) The Common Cup; drinking of wine from a single goblet serves to impress upon the couple that from that moment on they will share everything in life, joy as well as sorrow, and that they will bear one another’s burdens. Whatever the cup of life has in store for them, they will share equally. A Pillow to symbolize the Armenian Blessing, “May you grow old on one pillow” wished to the couple to reinforce togetherness and physical closeness forever. Our “Sofreh Aghd” was a DIY dream that I had envisioned and it ended up being my favorite touch. Since we were getting married among trees in a beautiful olive grove, I wanted the table to be suspended from a tree branch like a swing, to appear as an extension of the tree, intertwined with greens and florals (as opposed to the traditional spread which is an elevated platform on the ground.) I searched high and low for the right mirror to turn into a swing to make my “Sofreh Aghd” dreams come true, and it turned out to be more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Another DIY touch was our favor boxes which were filled with delicious Italian wedding cookies which we sealed with monogrammed gold wax seals and ribbon.

Our favorite and most meaningful moment of the day was exchanging our vows. In that moment, it truly felt like no one else was there except the two of us. Of course all the other parts of the day are special and important, but this moment was the true purpose of our wedding day; our eternal promise and commitment to each other. We were speaking to each other from the depths of our heart and that moment made it all so real. Our next favorite moment was definitely our grand entrance. We entered hand in hand, dancing into the reception and got the party started right away! Our friends and family rushed the dance floor and we were overwhelmed and in awe from all the love, laughter, and joy surrounding us. Another favorite moment was definitely our first dance. We selected “1000x” by Jarryd James featuring Broods after seeing them together live in concert. When we heard those lyrics, we knew it was our song. Amidst all the chaos and excitement of the day it was one of those moments where everything just slowed down and I was able to lock eyes with my new husband and enjoy this special moment alone, dancing to a song that meant a lot to both of us.

I think it’s really important to include personal touches where you can, whether it’s in your ceremony or in design details. Let your love shine through! Feel free to break the rules or put your own spin on traditions to reflect your love story- everyone’s is different, and that’s what makes each wedding unique. Also, wedding planning and even your wedding day can be stressful at times, and not everything may go 100% according to plan, but don’t forget the big picture and purpose of it all. Everything will come together beautifully and if you stay true to who you are as a couple, everyone will feel the love and is guaranteed to have a fun and fabulous time! As long as you’re having a blast, your guests will, too!