A Colorful Mid-Century Modern Wedding at Claremont Club and Spa Resort
Get ready to swoon over the most fabulous wedding filled with French-inspired detailing. The vibrant explosion of color from breathtaking floral installations inspired by the couple's favorite painting, designed by Amy Burke Designs, will make your jaw drop. Details planned by Simply Elegant by Diana add an extra touch of elegance and sophistication to the whole affair. And the best part? Every magical moment has been expertly captured by talented photographer Blue Note Weddings, ensuring that each frame is a work of art. Get ready to immerse yourself in a world of beauty and joy like no other inside the full gallery.
Abigail and Harrison’s classic mid-century modern wedding graced us with a colorful landscape of a floral fantasy. The wedding took place in the iconic tower at the Claremont Club and Spa Resort in Berkeley California. Impeccably planned to perfection by Diana of Simply Elegant by Diana, this above and beyond beautifully styled wedding was surrounded by sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay and the Berkley Hills. The couple said their I do’s in a glamorous fashion recreating a modern-day love story with an old fashion flare. With combined gathered inspiration from Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" meets "The Marvelous Mrs. Maizel" the wedding was an amalgam of 50's & 60's meets swanky french vibe. The design of their florals was incredibly by Amy Burke, of Amy Burke Designs, was inspired by their favorite painting “The Artist's Garden at Giverny' by Claude Monet.” The tower where the ceremony was held was filled with an abundance of florals and vines that climbed the tower walls and arches, giving off a painterly French elegance. Amy Burke and her incredible team worked tirelessly in creating very intricate designs of cascading flower builds throughout the day. The sculptural designs in the tower filled the intimate space with lots of different shades of maple and vine greenery with added touches of blush and bright pops of red. The cappuccino roses and light tangerine Dalias added the perfect balance of bright and soft tones. Abigail and Harrison met in a History class at UC Berkeley in 2017. Harrison had sat in a few rows ahead of Abigail and she had found herself staring at him all semester! The adorable pair actually reconnected after they matched on Bumble later that summer. They eded up on a first date and became inseparable from the start when their love story began! Harrison proposed to Abigail on her favorite bridge on the UC Berkeley campus over Strawberry Creek. On one knee, he presented to her his grandmother's heirloom family ring encrusted with diamonds that had been in their family for generations. Then! He surprised her with the Tower Suite at the Claremont, where champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries awaited them paired with that breath taking view!
From the florist... "When Abbey and Harrison decided to plan a micro wedding in addition to their postponed larger celebration for October 2021, they chose the Tower room in the Claremont Club and Spa Resort because of their ties to UC Berkeley. In addition to both the bride and groom attending UCB for college, Abbey’s family had hosted several other important moments and intimate parties at the hotel, and specifically in the Tower room/suite itself. So, it felt very fitting that they would choose this as the location for their important, very intimate wedding celebration for themselves and their families. We collectively had been so inspired designing their larger event that we all knew we were going to need to come up with something particularly magical and special for this smaller but no less as important event. Both Abbey and Harrison love to travel, and when designing the look for this event, we decided that we wanted to it to feel like a combination of a European garden and walking on the banks of the Seine through their favorite Parisian street markets. So, we chose a mixture of varying shades of blush, fuchsia, plum and green with pops of bright blue for the Tower ceremony, creating an overgrown garden space that appeared to surround the intimate gathering of friends and family. Garden roses, ranunculus, bougainvillea, delphinium, dahlias, snapdragons, violets and Queen Anne’s lace were arranged into hedges that wrapped around every enclave, climaxing into a loose archway that framed the bride and groom at the front of the ceremony. Parisian-style market chairs and tables filled with cheese and vintage glass cloches covering macaroons added to our overall ceremony décor. When designing the reception space, the couple wanted to have a slightly looser, more family-oriented styling, with both color palette and floral choices that reflected this quieter mood. We chose to fill the dining room’s deck with luxurious velvet linens, cut crystal stemware and a combination of blush and caramel colored blooms and candles that added to the view of the Berkeley city skyline. Knowing that the couple are also lovers of history and language, we surprised Abbey and Harrison with touches of French vintage elements throughout the space, tucked into table décor and on lounge tables that they could discover as the evening progressed. This included glass cloches covering vintage books of French poetry, history and authentic love letters from French travelers. Small dishes of mandarin oranges were also tucked throughout the table décor, as a nod to the groom’s family’s orchards. Loose blooms strung from the underside of stationary umbrellas covering the reception area, stings of market lights, and a vintage-inspired set of velvet lounge furniture completed the dining area décor.”
Abigail wore a sophisticated satin princess ball gown with a full A lined skirt by Maggie Sottero. The gown had the perfect amount of jeweled accents and was paired with a perfect block heel. Harrison looked dapper in his white tux and black bow tie. His retro sterling silver starred cufflinks were the perfect accent to the classic look. Following their ceremony guests enjoyed light horderves and champagne as the couple proceeded for their portraits in the tower then around the gorgeous treelined property. Of course with a view like that we had to be sure to get some stunning drone shots, it was very fairytale like. The Claremont Club and Spa Resort so graciously opened the infamous Hilary Tenzig Room where the couple were invited to the private space for some couples portraits. Named after the first climbers to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, the historical room was filled with mid-century mod decor and incredible paintings that hung on the blue walls. Abigail and Harrison were quite a pair savvy in style and sophistication. They both shared a mutual love for for all things retro, really good champagne and the classic well known author Victor Hugo which made an appearance in his books on the sweetheart's table along with their love letters written to one another in French amidst the table runner of florals and accents of tangerines in the vintage glass bowls. Under small umbrellas that sheltered the tables from the weather, chandelier-like florals hung for the umbrella tops adding more floral extravagance to the private dining experience. After dinner, the couple cut their gold starred glam cake and danced to their favorite songs of the ’50s and '60s.
