Southern Weddings

Cheers to {Tanja Lippert}!  Make sure to check out her other featured weddings on the SW blog, {Lisa + Benjamin}, {Erin + George} and one of our all-time favorite features- the Vintage Cowboy shoot part 1 and part 2 (gorgeous!).  But, this wedding is quite unlike any other.  Don’t believe me?  Take a closer look at Heather + Scott’s photos … second to last row.  See the Dryads, also known as forest nymphs? Details from this wedding include: catering by {Melons}, ceremony and reception at {Nestldown}, and flowers by {Plan Decor}. More to come.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Well… we met online. Scott and I only lived three miles from eachother in the San Francisco Bay Area, but most likely never would have met. We were both in a place in our lives to give the online dating process a try. He sent me the best introduction email I had ever received so I gave him a call. He was well spoken, (he has the most mellifluous voice), and very funny. We decided to meet for lunch at my favorite lunch spot in San Francisco at the Ferry Building. Lunch was wonderful, we have a lot in common both being in the creative arts, and we really hit it off. I immediately called my girlfriends and said, ” I just met someone and I think I could really like him”. We met again that week and have basically been with each other non-stop since that day. We were engaged 6 months later and married 6 months after that, almost one year to the day that we met.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Scott and I knew right away how we wanted our day to feel. Whimsical, magical, ethereal and natural. Scott proposed in the Redwoods of Northern California (a very special location to both of us and our families). When we were looking for a wedding location in the Bay Area and found Nestldown in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, our decision was made. It was the only location we looked at. We knew the natural beauty of the location was to be the focus.
Favorite design element of your big day: Nature was the biggest element. Since we are both directors of arts, Opera for me and Games for Scott, we wanted our creativity to be present in the design of the wedding but without being too theatrical nor take away from the incredible redwood trees that surrounded the ceremony site. We wanted something that would make fun memories for our guests and perhaps be something they had not experienced before at a wedding. We decided to have some of my Opera colleagues hidden behind some of redwood trees dressed at Dryads or forest nymphs. My mother and sister and myself built their costumes completely out of natural materials we collected on our property. I hired a fabulous make-up artist I work with and she did the most extraordinary job of body-painting the four women. We told only our bridal party what was going to happen. The Dryads were in place before any guests arrived. Then during the beginning of the processional, they emerged from behind the trees and took their seats on redwood benches that were scattered in the tree line. They were so beautifully blended to look like the forest and it was magical. At the end of the ceremony they all joined the bridal party and tossed fresh rose petals in front of us as we recessed through an aisle of tree branches. Each seat for our guests had a small tambourine with rose petals so they could toss and then join play along with “Let the Sunshine In”, our recessional song.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: One of my younger sisters joined me for my first dress appointment at a great boutique in San Francisco who was having a sample sale. It was nearly the first dress I tired on. An Ines Di Santo design. I fell in love instantly and it fit so well. My sister jumped up and down so I knew that was the one. It was such a find at such a great price. I felt so beautiful in it on the big day.
Describe your wedding flowers: Karen Baba of {Plan Decor} in the Bay Area was incredible. I told her my thoughts on the color scheme; chocolate, cream and green for the ceremony with added red and orange for the reception. She had the most creative ideas and her expertise was apparent from the first meeting. I knew we were in good hands. I wanted flowers that represented the season and again were heightened by the location not in opposition with it. They were stunning!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Definitely the Dryads and our fairy flower girls :)

More to come from this mystical wedding.