It’s so fun to see how a couple marries their individual styles when designing their wedding day, isn’t it? Willa + Lucas didn’t so much land on a theme as anchor both of their tastes to their shared love of nature—they knew that no matter what, they’d be saying I Do surrounded by an amazing landscape that reflected just how much they’ve always loved exploring the great outdoors, both individually and as a couple. Spoiler alert, all the shots by Megan Moura prove just how successful they were at it!
Willa tells it, Luke grew up in Merced, a town known as the gateway to Yosemite and I was raised in San Francisco, a city with easy access to some of the most beautiful parts of the US. We are college sweethearts who moved to New York four years after dating and discovered the city becomes a much more manageable place when you can escape it every once in a while. We spend as many weekends of the year camping, hiking and hunkering down in log cabins with our friends as we can. It wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone that a road trip through Yellowstone resulted in our engagement and we immediately told the crew we were looking for a weekend wedding in the forest. Cue Yosemite. There is nothing more meaningful than sharing something you love so wholeheartedly with the people you love most in the world.
Betcha want to know the story behind Willa’s gorgy wedding dress, by now. She actually designed it herself! She also spent a year scouring the internet for vintage decor, and she + her bridal party created all the bouquets and arrangements below with flowers from the San Francisco Flower Mart.
They wanted a venue that felt remote but that all the guests could stay at and explore, that had a full bar and ended after midnight. Luckily Evergreen Lodge had all that and more, and even had multiple ceremony sites to choose from too.
I spent over 365 days scouring the pages of eBay for antlers, rugs, gold candlesticks, tapestries, and goblets. We had two floral and table top trial runs with florals from the SF Flower Mart with the help of my insanely talented stepfather, Ron who was once an art director for commercial set design projects. What we couldn’t find on Craigslist, eBay or Etsy we rented. After seeing the look really start to come together, I knew that Free People would be the perfect complement to the soft yet colorful tablescapes we’d been crafting. My girlfriends and I gathered together and each bridesmaid chose a dress in green, mustard, or pink (sequins were encouraged!). The best part of this gorgeous crew of women? The bouquets we carried were created as a team effort by my bridal party and good friends the morning of.
So cute!
A few words on planning, from our bride…
We started planning almost as soon as we got engaged back in July 2015. This gave us about 13 months to plan. Honestly I wish we had half the time! Wondering if you made the right decision is brutal! You’re not just choosing chairs, you’re choosing the chairs that will be immortalized in photos on your mantel for the rest of your life. Truth be told in the end, every decision you make is the right one. Looking back on the whole thing we’re not sure what worked out well because of planning and what was Mother Nature and the greater vibes of the universe smiling down on us. Luck has a lot to do with things and what works for one person may not work for another. If I had to give advice? False eyelashes make you feel like the princess you deserve to be so if you’re debating let this be the tie breaker, have a go-getter friend (or two) right by your side the morning of to help organize your scatter-brained mind, and expect everything to go wrong. We went into our wedding weekend assuming a freak thunderstorm would rain us out and the cookies my best friend spent weeks on would melt in transit. After all three days went off without a hitch, save for a minor floral hiccup, we literally felt like we were in a Twilight Zone of wedded perfection.
So amazing! See their Pinterest here for more inspiration.
Photographer: Megan Moura / Venue & Catering: Evergreen Lodge in Groveland, CA / Venue Day of Coordinator: Julia Convissor / Floral Design: Bride & Bridal Party with flowers from San Francisco Flower Mart / Hair & Makeup: The Hair & Makeup Company / Hair for Mother of Bride, Bridesmaids: Melissa Marie Hair / Invitations: Honest Paper Shop / Place Setting Cards: Minted / Cake & Cookies: Sogi’s Honey Bakeshop / Cupcakes: Mission Minis / Tables & Chairs: Classic Party Rentals / Table & Chair Garlands: Soma Flowers / Macrame Hanging: The House Phoenix / Living Room Space, Crates, Geodes, Prisms: Botanica Events / Welcome Sign: Chalk in Hand / Hashtag Sign: Made Craft Co / Drink Stirrers: Pink Poodles Deux / Custom Matchboxes: Picture Perfect Papier / DJ: Jayson of All Ears DJ / Bride’s Dress: Designed by Bride, produced with bride’s sister + friend, made by Marco Lee (Brooklyn tailor) / Earrings: Plutonia Blue / Necklace (worn on back): Anthropologie / Shoes: Steve Madden / Rings: Anna Sheffield / Tulle Skirt: Reathua / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Free People / Groom’s Suit: Hugo Boss / Shoes: Cole Haan / Rings: 2nd Street Ring Craft
