Winter bride and groom in a forest
,

Snow-laced Sierra Mountain Wedding with DIY & Vintage Details | Part 1

Shion + Paul
February 08, 2013
Foresthill, California

Well, when destination wedding photographer Gavin Farrington submits a wedding, you know it’s going to be a two-parter. His keen attention to detail makes it so hard to narrow images down into a single post. So I just didn’t bother :-)

And then there’s the bride Shion’s attention to detail. I’m not one to use the overly used swoon, but this wedding is very much swoon-worthy. Everything from the Free People bridesmaids attire to the gorgeous flower crown to the sweet handmade details make every single inch and moment of this wedding the sweetest eye candy you’ll find. The best part, there’s many more details coming tomorrow, so check back!

wedding gown with beaded belt via Gavin Farrington Photography black and white image of gorgeous wedding gown via Gavin Farrington Photography bride putting on her wedding sorrels getting ready via Gavin Farrington Photography getting ready via Gavin Farrington Photography high sierra vintage bride via Gavin Farrington Photography high sierra wedding ceremony via Gavin Farrington Photography free people bridesmaids outfits via Gavin Farrington Photography father walks bride down aisle via Gavin Farrington Photography wedding sorrels via Gavin Farrington Photography sierra mountain ceremony via Gavin Farrington Photography First kiss Winter bride and groom in a forest

From the Bride

Paul and I love the outdoors, and Tahoe is especially dear to us since it was the trip we took when our parents first met each other. With the help of our amazing wedding photographer Gavin Farrington, we started toying with the idea of a “snow laced” wedding. From there, it was a simple decision to go with the Forest Hill Lodge in Foresthill, California. Forest Hill Lodge features an amazing mountain rustic feel, so we decided to incorporate whimsical and bohemian elements with lots of lace and color.

We prayed for an outdoor wedding with drifts of snow, but we knew that when dealing with the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, all you can do is leave it up to God. We were absolutely blessed to have PERFECT weather on the day of the ceremony. It snowed the day before, leaving a beautiful dusting of snow-cover on the ceremony site with the High Sierra Mountain Range as our back-drop. Had it snowed just a little more, we would have been forced to hold the ceremony inside. Since family is so important to us, we asked our brother-in-law to officiate. We said “I do” with our siblings and dearest friends by our side, and our cutest ‘lil God daughter as the flower girl.

Paul and I tried our best to make the wedding unique. My mom, a few close friends, and I arranged all of the flowers ourselves. I made my flower crown and collected the table décor from vintage shops, online, and garage sales over the course of our engagement. A few items from Anthropologie were carefully selected to be re-usable in our home after the wedding. The “guest book” was actually a picture frame painted by my mother, and guests signed it so that we can hang the memory on the wall. Our three “wild children” (dogs) walked down the aisle, one with each groomsman, all wearing handmade Frenchie Love collars which were gifts from my bridesmaids.

I really wanted my bridesmaids to have something they could re-use after the wedding, so we dressed them from head-to-toe in Free People. The guys wore corduroy pants and shirts from Penguine. Each suite jacket varied in design, but stuck to the vintage theme. Everyone wore snow boots for the wedding ceremony. My dress was made by Lazaro, and I found a vintage dress to dance in at the reception. The flower girl also had a reception dress to match made by Oliva+Alicia, topped off with matching TOMS shoes for all the girls (because who wants to dance in snow boots??) Everyone who helped me plan told me over and over how fast the wedding day goes, so throughout the entire process I was mindful of being able to re-use or reminisce about our wedding through each element.

Forest Hill Wedding Vendors

Submitted via Two Bright Lights