Old World European Elopement with Natural Beauty and Neutral Hues

strapless beaded wedding dress with organic cream bridal bouquet

Our affinity for France runs deep, so when we saw HauteFetes’ Old World European elopement that tells the tale of forbidden love, we were immediately drawn in. And ivy-climbing castle resembling a 15th c French chateau sets the stage for fine art wedding details that are somehow soft and crisp at the same time. A rosy + gold flecked cake seems to mimic the peeling paint you’d find in historic estates today and the balcony reception brings some serious romance to the table – see what we did there?

From the stylist, HauteFetes: Hidden Castle is Rancho Santa Fe’s newest private wedding estate, a French castle that conjures the magic and European romanticism of 18th-Century Paris. Between the natural light and beautiful architecture, this was a dream editorial to create and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to design it with Whiskers and Willow, the perfect photographer, to capture it all.

Our editorial tells the story of a beautiful affair between young lovers; a bride getting ready on her wedding day; a groom with boyishly good looks; an intimate ceremony followed by a sunset reception on a terrace high above the clouds. It is at once elegant and understated with lush, textured florals and finely crafted details.

From a design perspective, our primary goal was to ensure a cohesive feel between venue and décor. Instead of the usual blues associated with French settings, for our color story, we opted for neutrals: Milky whites, tea-stained ivories, and tawny taupes that mirrored the creaminess of the stucco, stone floors and walls, leaving the slate blue roof and lush ivy as counterpoints to our color palette. We love how combining these understated hues can set just about any scene, from romantic and rustic to minimalist and sleek.

The amazingly talented Plenty of Petals brought the floral vision to life, eliminating greenery entirely, with layers of natural texture and clusters of garden roses, peonies, astilbe, snowberry and dried oak leaf branches. Hey There, Cupcake mimicked this same floral abandon beautifully, with the palest sugar flowers speckled with an edible gold leaf on an elegant three-tiered, ivory wedding cake.

We were deliberately subtle in our use of gold, reserving it for accents, such as the exquisite Acute Designs hair combs we used in our bride’s chignon. For our tabletop, the ever-sophisticated pairing of La Tavola linens and Casa De Perrin tableware provided an overall antique sensibility. And nowhere was this Old World quality more evident than in the invitation suite: Shasta Bell‘s romantic script telling a timeless love story with each flourish of ink, finished with a gold wax seal.

A European-inspired, vintage-looking lace Sachin and Babi gown, jewelry from The Diamond Boutique and a fresh dewy look for our bride from Beauty by Stacey, along with a contemporary take on the classic tuxedo with a navy blue and black-collared Canali, completed our models’ looks.