California Lovebirds Dance the Night Away Under a Lush Floral Installation
“I hope you dance” just took on a whole new meaning thanks to these lovebirds who met on the dance floor! Courtney & Mark planned a flower-filled wedding with Riley Loves Lulu that has us oohing and ahhing over all the lush floral details. From the blush pink floral installation around the tree at the ceremony to the hanging installation over the dance floor by Vo Floral Design, today’s wedding in California is one for the books. So hold on to your hat’s folks because these photos by Adriana Klas are going to blow you away!
From the bride: Mark and I met in Las Vegas in August of 2016. People are surprised when I tell them I met the love of my life on a dance floor, but given our mutual love of dancing, it was the perfect start to our story! Once we started chatting that night, we discovered that we lived just a mile apart in San Francisco. If that isn’t fate, I don’t know what is!
Mark proposed on a gorgeous, clear February morning in 2018 while on a hike near the Golden Gate bridge. Our dearest friends were with us and captured the moment using a camera hidden inside my friend’s backpack. This friend was with me the night I met Mark, and officiated our wedding!
Mark told me he chose this proposal location because he loved the idea of being able to take our children to the place where he asked me to marry him. When we started thinking about a wedding venue, we quickly decided we wanted to get married somewhere near and dear to our hearts. We are at Menlo Circus Club for most holidays with Mark’s entire family, and it is where I was able to get to know his parents so well. This made it a very easy decision for us!
Hello, gorgeous! This winged floral installation in today’s California wedding by Vo Floral Design is our new favorite thing. Who needs wings painted on walls when you have can have this?
When we started planning, we knew we wanted the amount of love we have for one another to shine through more than anything else about the wedding. We wanted our guests to feel like they knew our love story even better through our ceremony, vows, and details throughout the day. We chose a palette of slate blue, light gray, ivory and pinks. I wanted the wedding to have a very timeless and romantic feel but to also complement the stateliness of the club. We aimed to be formal but not stuffy with everything from our invitation suite to our place settings. I chose a Bliss by Monique Lhuillier gown that made me feel like a modern princess; it was dreamy and feminine but also had a classic cut and lines– Kate’s dress meets Meghan’s dress! Our florist and I chose flowers that were classic yet organic and paired beautifully with both our bridesmaid’s and groomswomen’s dresses.
Our ceremony was under the same oak tree that Mark’s sister was married under 8 years ago. We wrapped the tree in flowers and it made our ceremony all the more romantic under the setting June sun. My grandmother read a blessing that had us in joyful tears. My husband’s vows blew me away, and I have never felt more loved than I did during the moments he read them to me. I get butterflies thinking about walking down the aisle with him hand in hand as husband and wife, looking at the smiling faces of our loved ones.
For cocktail hour, we combined our favorite drinks into “Markaritas”, frozen margaritas with a sangria float. Our cocktail napkins featured a sketch of our dog, Oakley, and he was also featured on our cake topper! When we walked into our reception we were greeted by the incredible scent of our floral chandelier, and I was stunned by the transformation of the reception space. Our planner Lisa from Riley Loves Lulu truly brought my vision of classic romance to life. Mark and I sat at a sweetheart table during dinner, and I was so thankful to have a few moments to ourselves to soak it all in. Later, our band brought the house down and it was truly the best dance party I have ever been a part of. I am so thankful we started our marriage with a celebration so full of love, happiness and fun.
I have two pieces of advice for brides-to-be: The first is to always go with your gut. I made some very tough decisions during the wedding planning process that ended up being worth the extra work. One was to move our wedding date from May 18th to June 22nd because May of last year was unseasonably rainy in Atherton. And guess what– it poured on May 18th this year! My second piece of advice is to accept that things will go wrong, no matter how much you plan ahead. I thought I had every single detail of the day planned out, but I couldn’t have expected my veil to get caught in the grass and fall out before I made it to the ceremony aisle. I looked to our guests for a friend that I knew could handle it, she put it back in, and onward I went!
I mean we seriously can’t get enough of all the gorgeous floral installations from this jaw-dropping wedding in California. So we think you’re in for a real treat with this pampas grass-filled wedding.
Wedding Vendors:
Wedding Planner: Riley Loves Lulu
Photographer: Adriana Klas
Videographer: Reel Eyes Media
Florals: Vo Floral Design
Hair + Makeup: Status Salon Agency
Lighting + Draping: Enhanced Lighting & Audio Visual, Inc
Chair Rental: Chair Divas
Table Top Rentals: Standard Party Rentals
Vintage Furniture Rentals: One True Love Vintage
Dessert: Susie Cakes
Band: Pop Rocks via Jay Siegan Presents
Ceremony Music: Musical Heart Strings
Photo Booth: Vanity Portrait Studio
Linens: La Tavola Linen
Rings: Katie Anderson Diamonds
Stationery: Minted Weddings
Ring Box: The Mrs Box
Signage: Jk Design Cal