Neat Venues « 100 Layer Cake

9 Dec

Real wedding: Tanessa + Sheldon

categories Details + Decor, Neat Venues, Real Weddings

Two words: Llama farm.

How many weddings include a herd of llamas? Kay, we’re focusing on the wrong thing, but we didn’t want that little detail to go unnoticed. Tanessa and Sheldon were married in a little wooden church in Cloverdale, British Columbia. And then had their reception at The Barn on The Mountain in Abbotsford. It is a stunning barn if we do say so ourselves. On 40 acres with huge wooden doors open to look over the entire valley, anyone who’s planning to get married up that way should most definitely check it out.

This wedding just feels so true and so heartfelt. Of course all the weddings we feature are heartfelt, but something about the tiny wooden-walled church, crammed full of close friends and family makes you sit down and pay attention.

Tanessa made her hairpiece and her mom made her veil. Her grandmother made apple pies for the reception and Sheldon’s sister Jaylene and cousin Jody arranged the flowers they purchased from a local dahlia farm.

And now if this isn’t the most epic DIY project ever, not sure what is… Tanessa (with the help of her friend Monica) designed the programs to look like a classic novel. She spent months collecting old novels and used their covers to bind the programs. Such a beautiful idea!

So in love with this intimate photo of their ceremony. They had a bunch of friends serve as musicians and everyone sang old gospel songs that Tanessa and Sheldon chose. Amazing.

Llamas!!! (Or maybe alpacas? We don’t know the difference).

They decorated their reception tables with old books and antique picture frames filled with black and white photos of their family heritage.

Beautiful venue…

So pretty, you two! The sentiment really comes through. And those programs are unbelievable. Congratulations!!!

Photography: James Moes (you can see lots more photos on his blog)

Ceremony venue: Historic Christ Church

Reception venue: The Barn on The Mountain

Catering: Savoury Chef

Band: The Sumner Brothers

41 comments

19 Nov

Real Wedding: Danielle + Garett

categories Flowers + Greenery, Neat Venues, Real Weddings

We have such a pretty pretty fall wedding for you all this morning. And it’s not in a barn and it’s not really all that rustic. It’s more, say, rustic modern. And citified. San Francisco in the fall. We can’t think of a better place to celebrate the changing of light, the eating of amazing food, and falling in love.

Danielle (of Brown Paper Design!) and hubs Garett searched up and down the state looking for the perfect spot for their intimate marriage celebration. They met in San Francisco, and after an exhaustive search came back to the city where they fell in love, to one of their favorite little restaurants in Hayes Valley. And because it was important to use their resources wisely, they were adamant about choosing a space that they already loved visually. You’ll see that they definitely made wise decisions.

First a few GORGEOUS shots of the the couple, and then onto what we’re all junkies for… the details.

Vintage fur wrap and grey silk shoes? We love.

The huge dogwood wreath/art installation that marked their ceremony at Eagle’s Point was inspired by Andy Goldworthy’s “Before the Mirror” and artfully crafted by Erica of Erica Rose Design. So well crafted in fact, it didn’t move a millimeter during the 45 mph windstorm that swept through their ceremony.

COULD there be a more perfect dress to be wearing in a 45 mph windstorm??? Lacie, please please enter this photo in one of those wedding photojournalism contests. We’d all like a copy of our own!

Danielle’s dress was handmade by her friend Tracy Radeff McConnell. Tracy fit Danielle the week before the wedding and the bride didn’t have her dress in her hands until an hour before the ceremony. However, we agree with Danielle… it’s got to be the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen.

Now for the beautiful decors. The owner of Suppenkuche does amazing installations on the ceilings of the restaurant every year for Oktoberfest. Danielle took inspiration from these little pieces of art and put together tables full of wheat and herbs and gourds and pretty fall flowers.

Gaaaaaaah. Who doesn’t need wheat wreaths and birds decorating their ceilings during fall?!!

Danielle found old walnut logs in her grandfather’s shed and had them cut into risers for the table. They wanted plenty of candlelight so she based her arrangements around beeswax candles in hurricanes.

Nothing like a cold german brewski to celebrate the changing of seasons. And coincidentally, Oktoberfest was traditionally a celebration of marriage. How perfect that their wedding fell during the last week.

One design element that Danielle was certain of from the beginning was a sheet cake with the California flag. So awesome and refreshingly unbridal. Go with what you want people, it will make all the difference in the personal feeling of your wedding.

Their band rocked out, their friends drank bier and had fun and danced. And they ended up married. Yay.

And, Garret designed all the invites himself. He made nifty custom maps of the city that were the perfect size for stuffing in a back pocket. And they collected pretty vintage stamps from their home states for the envelopes. In lieu of a guest book, they asked their friends and family to contribute a favorite recipe they could bring into their new home. What a sweet idea.

Congratulations you two! Totally beautiful and perfectly you. Just the way we like it.

Photography: Lacie Hansen

Ceremony venue: Eagle’s Point at Land’s End, San Francisco

Reception venue: Suppenkuche

Florals/Table design and Decor: Brown Paper Design in collaboration with Erica Rose Design and Sarah Schaafsma of Met Bloem

Flowers/Gourds: Repetto Farms in Half Moon Bay

Dress: Handmade by Danielle’s friend and mentor Tracy Radeff McConnell of Radeff Design Studios. Um, Tracy? Maybe you should go in to fashion design.

Shoes: Pedro Garcia

Fur wrap: Vintage, borrowed from Tracy

Make up: Amy Weissenberg

Cake: Rebecca Klus Catering rebeccakluscatering {at} gmail {dot} com

Band: Dear friend Safa Shokrai and friends

Bus transport between venues: The Mexican Bus

Invites: Designed by Garett, printed by Clear Image Printing

29 comments

13 Nov

Real wedding: Meghan + Nevin

categories Flowers + Greenery, Neat Venues, Pretty Paper, Real Weddings

Let’s finish off the week with a wedding at one of our favorite venues in the Southern California area… Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse. Is it us or does the light fall ever so perfectly on this spot?

Meghan and Nevin chose to have an intimate weekend celebration that was a destination for nearly all 50 guests in attendance. They hosted a wine tasting on Thursday, the wedding was on Friday, and they had a casual BBQ on Saturday. What a nice set up! Love the idea of having a whole day and night after the wedding to spend with everyone who came to celebrate with you.

Meghan’s dad made the wooden signs, and she and Nevin made the invitations and paper goods. They bought the paper at Paper Source, printed them at home, and used a Martha Stewart lace paper cutter to fancy up the table cards. Nicely done guys!

They collected vintage hankies for the ceremony and made little stamped burlap bags filling with loose lavender to toss after the ceremony.

Oooh. Love the rosemary wrapped flower vessels. Neat touch.

Beautiful wedding, you too! Congratulations. And thanks for sending this our way, Kristen.

Photography: Kristen Grinnell

Venue: Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse

Flowers: Florette Designs

25 comments

12 Nov

Plan a wedding in the Tuscan countryside

categories Details + Decor, Neat Venues

Remember a few weeks back, we posted a little teaser of that project Jillian was working on in Italy? We’re ready to share all the photos (shot by the very talented Ms. Mel Barlow and Mr. Allan Zepeda)

The estate is called Podere Ciona, located in the commune of Gaiole, in the heart of the Chianti Classico wine region (about an hour from Florence). It’s a beeeeeeautiful little spot and for anyone considering planning their wedding in Italy (can we come?), you should definitely check it out.

The concept was a fall Tuscan dinner at sunset… a seasonal affair with inspiration from the natural beauty of the rolling hills and perfect autumn light. Plus the family that runs the estate is serious about artisanal products. They make their own wine and olive oil, and teach cooking classes in their farmhouse kitchen. You don’t need a whole lot in the way of decors with such a lovely setting.

The family of course has plenty of supplies for setting up gorgeous tablescapes, since they’re pretty serious about the food and wine thing. As stylist, Jillian worked with mix and match white plates and crocheted linens. The local market was bursting with perfect little artichokes so they decided to use them for name holders. In lieu of blooms, they used cabbage and kale from the local market as well as lavender that grows all over the estate.

Oh, hello there kitty. Nice kitty. You are such a cute prop. See? The estate comes with everything.

Because it can get chilly at night in the fall, they put together a basket of cozy wraps.

And Jillian filled little bottles of estate olive oil for favors, displayed in a spice rack backed with vintage wallpaper. Such a sweet (and delicious) little reminder of the guests’ time in Italia.

Sold? We’re trying to plot a reason for the entire 100LC crew (you know, all three of us) to go to Italy next fall!

Awesome photos Mel and Alan. And absolutely beautiful styling Jillian!

43 comments

12 Oct

Real wedding: Megan + Chris

categories Neat Venues, Real Weddings

Very important wedding planning lesson this morning, pretties… Gorgeous venue = beautiful wedding without a ton of effort. Beltane Ranch, nestled in Sonoma Valley is one of those places. And of course Megan and Chris did an awesome job with the little details, making the whole feeling of their wedding come together nicely. They collected mason jars, clothespins, a vintage bike, vintage luggage, iron address numbers for the table numbers, and all sorts of other good rustic decors. Plus Megan really focused on using Etsy vendors whenever possible. Excellent way to avoid doing everything yourself while still getting into the handmade spirit.