WEDDING BLOG

This Folksy Windy Ridge Washington Wedding Incorporated the Groom’s Finnish Culture in Beautiful Ways

March 16, 2019 | Junebug Weddings

Millie and Zacharias’ outdoor Windy Ridge Washington wedding was as intimate and charming as could be! The couple used rustic and vintage decor, earthy florals, and a neutral color palette to set the mood, and added nods to the groom’s Swedish-speaking Finnish roots in the signage, favors, and during the ceremony. The wide-open feel of the venue, the bride’s timeless Pronovias gown, and the eclectic mix of decor gave this wedding a distinctly folksy vibe that Dawn Photo captured brilliantly. As soon as you set eyes on these gorgeous photos and sneak peek film by Trousseau Films, we’re confident you’ll agree this Washington wedding is the definition of summer wedding goals!

The Couple:

Millie and Zacharias

The Wedding:

Windy Ridge, Washington

Every detail in the planning was very important to me but the most important was that we would find a good photographer to capture all of the best moments of our special day, and we did. We love our photos!

My husband and his family are from a Swedish speaking area in Finland. So during the ceremony, my father-in-law said a prayer and a short personal message in Swedish. It meant a lot to us and to him that he could do that.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Dawn Photo
Venue – Windy Ridge
Catering – Killa Bites
Videography – Trousseau Films
Makeup Artist – GLAMbeauty bar
Hair Styling – TC Hair Studio
Wedding Dress – Pronovias
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – Show Me Your Mumu
Groom and Groomsmen’s Apparel – ASOS
Rentals – Classic Vintage Rentals

Congratulations to Millie and Zacharias, and a special thanks to Dawn Photo for sharing this gorgeous Windy Ridge Washington wedding with Junebug! Want more whimsical wedding inspiration? This folksy Quebec wedding at La Maison Bohème is positively enchanting!

Rustic Antique Arizona Wedding at The Paseo

March 15, 2019 | Junebug Weddings

gold gray ivory light pink sage green

If modern romance and rustic desert vibes are your things, get ready for Chelsea and Kyle’s wedding at The Paseo to take your breath away! As a nod to their time in the Czech Republic, the couple focused on creating a relaxed atmosphere and used simple yet stunning details to show off their personal style. Lace & a Barn helped the couple bring their timeless yet non-traditional wedding dreams to life with gorgeous desert-hued floral designs, and the creative duo added antique details to give a vintage look to their rustic Arizona venue. This special day was brimming with emotional moments and epic views, all of which Alayna G. Clark Photography captured so beautifully!

The Couple:

Chelsea and Kyle

The Wedding:

The Paseo, Apache Junction, Arizona

We wanted our wedding to be authentic to our style and include our closest friends and family. We lived abroad in the Czech Republic together and loved the laid back style of their weddings, including having one witness in their bridal party instead of a large group of bridesmaids and groomsmen. We chose to have our dearest friend by each of our sides to witness and attest to our love.

My MOH surprised me with the most gorgeous and sentimental pendants for my bouquet on the morning of my wedding. They included photos of my grandparents who had passed, my grandparents who are still with us, and my parents. All of the most cherished people in my world got to walk down the aisle with me.

We chose to get married in Arizona to be closest to our friends and family, as my husband and I are both Arizona natives. The Paseo has the most gorgeous backdrop of the Superstition Mountains and the venue space has such a unique mix of industrial metal with rustic vibes that were the perfect setting for our dream wedding.

I loved the romantic, boho, and slightly non-traditional look of Monique Lhuillier gowns from the beginning. I wanted a dress that wasn’t stark white and when I tried on the Severine gown I was enamored. I had envisioned a lower back on my dress and with the help of my consultant Ashley Doll from Norstrom Bridal in Scottsdale, we were able to make my dream come true! My MOH (and my best friend) wore an ivory BHLDN sheath dress that I thought was timeless and gorgeous and looked amazing on her. We both did our own hair and makeup for the wedding and went with a natural vibe. My shoes from Bella Belle Shoes were flats and so comfortable for dancing! I’m not much for heels, so those shoes were a dream.

My best advice is to make a Pinterest board! Screenshot anything and everything you like across social media. Search social media hashtags- that’s actually how I found a lot of our vendors! And remember, this is a huge life event. There will be stressful and challenging times but remember that the end result is getting to marry the love of your life and the day will be absolutely perfect even if it doesn’t go exactly according to plan.

Our wedding colors included ivory, sandalwood, hints of blush, eucalyptus greenery and a deep charcoal grey in the groom’s suit. We had a spring wedding and I wanted a color palette that was neutral, fresh, and timeless.

The most memorable DIY piece from our wedding is the sign that hung over our sweetheart table. I purchased a laser cut piece of our last name from Kolorize. My mother handmade a herringbone style sign, which she framed and painted in white. She attached our last name and our vendors from Lace & a Barn adorned it with the most gorgeous flowers. The sign hangs in our house today, and I smile every time I see it!

Bridal Party Entrance – “Blackbird” by The Beatles
Bride’s Entrance – “In My Life” by The Beatles
Recessional – “Good Day for Marrying You” by David Barnes
First Dance – “Say You Won’t Let Go” by Boyce Avenue

Our photographer was everything we could have dreamed of and more. We met and road tripped with her to Sedona the weekend of our wedding for engagement photos. We went off roading for amazing pictures and she made us feel so comfortable and honestly like supermodels. We’re expecting our first baby in April (what a great anniversary gift!) and we will definitely be working with Alayna again in the future for family photos.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Alayna G. Clark Photography
Event Planning and Floral Design – Lace & a Barn
Venue – The Paseo
Catering – Heidi’s Events and Catering
Cake – Piece of Cake Desserts
DJ – Downtown Browne
Videography – White Locket Films
Stationery – Paper Lane Design
Wedding Dress – Monique Lhuillier
Bridal Accessories – Bella Belle Shoes
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – BHLDN
Groom’s Apparel – Z Zegna
Rings – Jahan Diamonds
Rentals – Tremaine Ranch
Laser Cut Last Name – Kolorize

Congratulations to Chelsea and Kyle, and a big thanks to Alayna G. Clark Photography for sharing this wedding at The Paseo with Junebug! For more rustic wedding inspiration, you won’t want to miss this rustic oceanfront Vancouver Island wedding at Dolphins Resort!

The Love in This Cuffey’s Cove Ranch Wedding on the Mendocino Coast will Take Your Breath Away

March 14, 2019 | Junebug Weddings

coral dark pink gold kelly green light pink

With waterfront views and DIY details galore, Shannon and Emily’s wedding at Cuffey’s Cove Ranch was nothing short of incredible! Lead photographer Anni Graham and second shooter Marilia Lima were on hand to capture every dreamy moment of this special day, from the couple’s emotional first look and private vow reading on the coast to their down-home barn reception that was a total lovefest. The rustic vibes of the venue played perfectly with the DIY decor, which the couple and their loving family poured their hearts into, and the florals created by LR Farm added the loveliest pops of color. But, the true cherries on top of this beautiful day were Shannon and Emily’s stunning bridal looks from Casablanca Bridal and Mon Cheri Bridal, which highlighted each bride’s unique style while complementing each other brilliantly!

The Couple:

Shannon and Emily

The Wedding:

Cuffey’s Cove Ranch, Mendocino County, California

It was very, very important to us that our wedding feel authentic and personal. We wanted every part of our day to be as unique to us and our relationship as possible. Mostly I think we just wanted our wedding to feel very “us”: playful, adventurous, and full of a once-in-a-lifetime, screaming with joy kind of love.

While I think we both felt as though there was a new memorable moment every thirty seconds that day, a couple of moments really stand out. One of those was our first look and our personal vow reading. We met, just the two of us, before our ceremony on a seaside cliff and poured our hearts out to each other. I had recently found a notebook that I was writing in during the first year of our relationship; I had written a love letter to Emily then, years ago, and I used that original letter to her in our personal vows. It was beautiful to stand there with her and remember how we felt years ago, and how far we’d come since then, all the way to our wedding day. Having that special moment and seeing each other in our wedding dresses for the first time was indescribable. We were so glad that we scheduled in that personal moment to connect and remember the real “why” of the day.

We chose our venue because it was rustic, right next to the ocean, and so uniquely beautiful. It was a huge ranch that sat directly across from sea cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I’m from Northern California, Emily is from Southern California, and the ocean is significant to us both, but we didn’t want a wedding right in the sand, so this option was ideal. We visited the venue once and just couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else; there were two large barns on the property for the reception, and a bluff overlooking everything where we held the ceremony.

Our ceremony was written completely by me, Shannon, and featured a totally original unity ritual plus two of our best friends who we invited to speak. Our officiant was a friend of ours from college, and he did a perfect job. It was relatively brief — about 20 minutes or so — focusing on our love and how it’s grown and changed through the years. For a personal unity ritual, I incorporated both red wine and our favorite IPA. We love to wine taste and we also love IPAs. During our unity ritual, we sipped on both a local red wine and Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing to symbolize a love that improves with the years, and is also worth celebrating in the “here and now.”

Honestly, the only real advice I could give is to go with your instincts. If something doesn’t feel quite right, then don’t do it. Book what you can early, but don’t rush it; take your time, and make sure your decisions feel in alignment with your vision for the day. Check in with your spouse often. They’re the one who can add clarity or remind you what it is you’re both truly focused on for the big day.

We didn’t give out any specific wedding favors, but we did make personalized beer and wine cups that a lot of people took home! They had our name and wedding date on them and were super cute. We also brought a couple of extra cases of Pliny the Elder to send home with our beer-loving friends. My grandma (we call her Mammie) provided the late night snack, her famous cinnamon rolls, and we sent a lot of folks home with extra goodies in that form, as well.