WEDDING BLOG

Seeing Marian and Will’s wedding at Mendocino Woodlands through the lens of Alexandra Cohen Photography made us feel like we not only stepped back in time and but also were transported to a different world! This artistic couple pulled out all the stops for their Parisian-inspired wedding in the woods. The bride not only styled the entire affair, but she also created nearly every detail, including the floral designs, for a vibe that was Great Gatsby glam meets Midsummer Night’s Dream earthy romance. As if that wasn’t enough, she wowed in a custom gown made by her brother and performed at the reception! Needless to say, we’re hopelessly in love with all the vintage goodness, all the cozy forest vibes, and all the incredible style in this one-of-a-kind California wedding!

The Couple:

Marian and Will

The Wedding:

Mendocino Woodlands, Mendocino, California

To personalize our ceremony, my husband and I spent months collecting old wine bottles, spraying them a dusty rose, and melting candlesticks. These lined a long antique Persian runner, which acted as our aisle. It is now in the walkway leading to our bedroom! We also had salt crystals lining the aisle. We bought a simple garden arbor which our dear friend and day of coordinator decorated with eucalyptus, white flowers, and two brass chandeliers. This is now in our garden. I hung crystals from the trees and each one of my bridesmaids had rose quarts hanging from there bouquets and held burning Palo Santo as they walked down the aisle. Lastly, my father-in-law and his sisters sang a song a cappella to start the ceremony and we had a few readings from friends before our personalized vows.

My brother made my dress! He is a wonderful designer – my brief was vintage, bohemian, mystical and woodsy while remaining classic and chic. I was amazed he managed to incorporate all these elements! He found the piece of beaded French lace first and then designed it around the fabric. I also wore a custom simple headpiece made from brass and rose quartz.

I planned the wedding myself. I collected candles throughout the year, made our wine bottle candle holders, made a seating chart out of old frames with alphabetized vintage keys and tags that were all handwritten. My aunt is a calligrapher and wrote all the name tags in white and forest green. I designed the ceremony area, cocktail hour, seating design, after hours s’ mores, and the dance hall. We even had an old suitcase with a variety of masks for guests to pull our late into the evening. We gifted our guests local Mendocino honey pots with our initials. And all the food and wine was local — our friend has a honey farm in Mendocino and gifted us the honey from her farm!

Congratulations to Marian and Will, and a special thanks to Alexandra Cohen Photography for sharing this beautiful wedding at Mendocino Woodlands! Love vintage weddings as much as we do? Then you have to see this moody vintage Thorncrown Chapel wedding in Eureka Springs, Arkansas!