Whimsical Wedding in the Woods With Sprawling Ranch Views

Lauren Megerdichian
September 1, 2023
Categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Whimsical

[section title=”The Planning”]

[field title=”Wedding Colors”]Natural but vibrant wildflowers – whimsical and cheery reflecting the personalities of the bride and groom

Peach, blush, plum and beige were the notes of the day with pops of bright pink here and there.

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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]Eliza and Matthew have a true love of the outdoors. They spend a lot of time in nature and felt strongly that the expansive outdoors needed to be part of their wedding day. The large family owned ranch in Northern California with The Haven at Tomales filled their vision to have a natural, earthy setting. The farm also plays a large role in environmental health in the Bay Area with a carbon sequestration plan (carbon farming), certified grassfed livestock, natural farming plan and research projects with local land conservation agencies. The couple wanted a private, secluded venue to gather with their closest friends and family. Nestled in the rolling hills of West Marin County, The Haven offered the intimacy this special wedding deserved. Additionally, the couple was wanting the expansive, bucolic views that the locations like Wyoming or Montana offered. The Haven offered both the views they were looking for, but with proximity to the fun guest experiences and amenities of Sonoma County and Napa Valley Wine Country. [/field]

[field title=”Proposal Story”]Matthew and I met in January of 2019 when I was living in San Francisco and he was living in Los Angeles. He had just moved from Ohio to work for Boeing. We met when I was home visiting family (I’m originally from LA) and we went out for drinks. We immediately hit it off! I told him on that first date that I was planning on moving back home to LA “next summer.” He thought I meant that coming summer (2019) but I actually meant summer 2020 (oops!). We decided to date long distance, and six months later he realized I was actually still a year from moving to LA. But at that point we had already fallen for each other. We dated long distance for a little over a year and then the pandemic hit and I wound up moving home a little earlier than expected in March of 2020. We went straight from long distance to quarantining together with my mom at her house for 3 months! In June of 2020 we moved out into separate apartments in LA and then eventually got a dog and moved in together. Flash forward to July of 2021, we planned a road trip to Northern California to revisit some of our favorite places from when I was living up there and to explore some new areas too. We started the trip in San Francisco and on our first day went to our favorite spot in the city: an overlook at the top of the Presidio park that overlooked the whole city. This spot was really meaningful to us as it had always been a place I’d go over the years to think or reflect and we had had many important conversations over the course of our relationship at this spot too. Over the course of our relationship it went from being “my spot” to “our spot.” He got down on one knee at the overlook and proposed and it was so special and meaningful to have it happen at “our spot.” We then had an amazing rest of our road trip day dreaming about our wedding along the way!

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”First Look”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]

[field title=”Wedding Gown”]The Moniquel Huillier was embroidered perfection with whimsical details of butterflies and wildflowers. The matching veil was something from a woodland fairytale with the embroidered details for guests to admire as Eliza walked down the aisle. Eliza later changed into a modern and edgy white jumpsuit for the afterparty. [/field]

[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]Adriana Pappel Art Deco Beaded Blouson dresses (in mix of different colors and necklines). [/field]

[field title=”Groomsman Attire”][/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]

[field title=”Food & Drink”]Guests were greeted to ceremony with refreshing welcome drinks of lemonade and passion fruit iced tea.

Cocktail hour: tray passed hors d’oeuvres

(Braised Short Rib Purses, Ahi Tuna Cones, Local Radishes, Crispy Serrano Cups,

Waffle Crusted Fried Chicken)

Cheese & Charcuterie Station

Oyster Station (Chef attended station and roaming waiters)

irst Course Served – Heirloom Carrot Salad

Second Course Served – Brentwood Sweet Corn Risotto

Entrée Served (Filet of Beef Tenderloin, Slow Cooked Halibut, Veg Option-

Stuffed Sweet Pepper)

Bread and Butter offered Tableside (With Straus Organic Butter and Olive Oil)

Dessert Buffet ready

(Dessert Station to stay open until 11/11:30pm)

(Tiramisu Bites, Lavender Earl Grey Tea Shortbread, Salted Caramel Pot de

Crème, Ho Hos, Cheesecake Lollipops, Matcha Cheesecake Brownie Bites,

Beignets, Mini Pop tarts, Chocolate Dipped Fortunate Cookies, Mini Root Beer

Floats)

Late Night Food Station Open – Dim Sum

(Steamed Dumplings – chicken w/spinach, mushroom w/napa cabbage,

Szechuan beef)

Late night food Passed – Macaroni and Cheese Fritters, Matchstick Fries, Sliders[/field]

[field title=”Florals & Decor”]Kathleen Deery created a wildflower destination for this Northern California fall wedding. All decor was seamlessly dancing the line of attention grabbing and whimsy, yet tasteful and elegant. The showstopper of florals were the ceremony aisle and historic barn entrance. [/field]

[field title=”Wedding Cake”]Going along with the theme of nature and whimsical, the cake was a three tier immaculately decorated with wildflowers red velvet and guava/passion fruit cake. [/field]

[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]Notes from a live pianist on a baby grand piano playing along with a string quartet greeted guests as they arrived in the center of the forest for ceremony.

Processional: Here Comes the Sun The Beatles (Instrumental)

Processional: Maybe I’m Amazed – Paul McCartney (Instrumental)

Bride’s Procession: God Only Knows – Beach Boys (Instrumental)

Recessional: All You Need Is Love – Beatles (Instrumental)

Grand Entrance: MC to introduce Eliza and Matthew Hall

Play On Song: Dancing Queen

First Dance Song: A Thousand Miles – Vanessa Carlton

Towards end of song, MC to invite all Family and friends to join

Father/Daughter Dance – MC to invite up Eliza and William

Song: Sweet Child of Mine – Guns n Roses (90 Seconds)

2 nd Song: MC to invite up Matthew and Rickie

Song: Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]Matthew surprised his guests by emerging from the heart of the forest with a reverse entrance. The eucalyptus forest has a beautiful and dramatic pathway through the center that exits into where guests are seated at. Matthew is truly a lover of nature and it was so fitting, and peaceful, for him to take a solo stroll through the woods to reset his mind for this incredibly special life event as he entered ceremony. The other special surprise for ceremony was the couple’s beloved dog of honor, Mosa. [/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #2″]The bride’s sister, whose wedding was also planned by Mindy Weiss, rapped a hilarious, and heartfelt, performance as an ode to Eliza and Matthew’s entrance into married life. Laughter and cheer echoed through the barn. [/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #3″]The couple had a custom made dance floor, painted with wildflowers, to match the invitations AND the brides dress and veil, which was sprinkled with flowers and butterflies. Not only did the couple get married in the woods, surrounded by wildflowers, coastal Northern California’s natural beauty and their closest family and friends, they also brought elements of the outdoors indoors. Far from a rustic barn wedding, they had glam and sophistication with floral chandeliers, textured draping and the show stopping dance floor. [/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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