A Snowy Southern Wedding… in California?

I think about Jennifer and Mike’s wedding, and my heart just swells with joy.  First of all,  the bride couldn’t have been sweeter, calmer, or more happy to be getting hitched!  Jennifer knew her style, expressed it to me well, and then gave me the freedom to bring it to life.

I also got to work alongside my two dear friends, Trista and Angel.  I’ve done plenty of weddings with each of them separately, but never at the same time (unless you count MY wedding when Angel was a bridesmaid and Trista photographed!)

I was also super stoked on the theme of this wedding.  It was three-fold:

–Southern charm: Because the groom hails from the South, magnolia branches, mint julep cups, and mason jars were in abundance.  How perfect that Southern Weddings Magazine featured Jennifer and Mike’s wedding here!  Thanks so much for the feature, gals!!!

-Cozy Winter:  We Californians have fantasies about frolicking in the snow, even though much of the country is sick of shoveling it!  Branches, cinnamon sticks, fresh mint and rosemary, icicle crystals, crisp white florals, and snow.  Yep, snow at the beach!

-A Hint of Nautical: the wedding took place at Ritz Carlton in Monarch Bay, right smack on the Pacific ocean.  The navy blue and white palette was so perfect and crisp.

My  task was to create florals that would bring all three themes together effortlessly.  Mission accomplished!

Jennifer is graceful, and so elegant.

Each bridesmaid carried a special bouquet of their own. From top to bottom,  anenomes, hyacinth and hellebora.  When choosing florals for each bridesmaid, choose sturdy flowers that will hold up on their own, and remember to make each bouquet roughly the same size, even if it takes only one bunch of hydrangeas but 4 bunches of anenomes.

Mariner’s Chapel in Irvine is so gorgeous it needs very little adornment.  Some chair clusters and two branchy arrangements in the front did the trick.

We reserved red for the Jennifer’s wild, lavish bouquet.  The bride should always stand out!

My assistants literally had to stop me from adding anymore flowers.  There were just so many gorgeous red blooms I couldn’t resist!  But alas, the bouquet must be portable…

Genuine, uncontainable joy!

Angel’s hubby created this amazing birch display for the escort table, and draped icicles from it that glimmered in the sun.  Angel used instant snow, which looks and feels like the real thing, but doesn’t melt.  This stuff is amazing!  I had to get in there and play with it for a little while.

I just love the contrast of the bundled up love birds against the California coast.

The mint julep cups actually had mint sprigs tucked into them. This made me happy 😉

A single sprig of rosemary graced each napkin.  The whole reception smelled like it!

Herbs and greenery in loose bunches adorned the bride and groom chairs.

The Tall Centerpieces:  The cottony pussy willow buds mimic the look of snow on branches. These ginormous arrangements took four of us gals to place onto the table!  Floristry is NOT for wussies.

A huge burst of fluffy, romantic flowers- china mums, hydrangea, stock, roses, queen anne’s lace, lisianthus, and anenomes.

Something special for the sweethearts.  Love the snow on the table!

On half the tables, a trio of wooden boxes overflowed with a unique combination of white florals, with cinnamon sticks and pinecones for good measure.  I love how the cinnamon sticks match the rusty brown undersides of the magnolia leaves.

Arabicum and mint…

waxflower…

lysimachia…

A simple way to dress up a mason jar- cinnamon and ribbon (twine would also work beautifully!)

A simple cake by the Ritz Carlton pastry chef, made spectacular with sugar magnolias.

Congratulations to the parents for raising such wonderful children!  Jenn and her mom look like twins!

That’s the way every couple should look at each other! ( Runs off to gaze lovingly at Joe…)

Thank you again to Southern Weddings for featuring this Southern-inspired wedding!

Thank you to Angel Swanson and her amazing a-sis-tant Anna for all the help on the big day.  Your passion for the details always inspires me.

Thank you Trista for sending over these STUNNING images!  Jennifer couldn’t have chosen a more perfect photographer to capture their day in a modern, crisp and colorful way.

And of course, thank you to Jennifer and Mike for the honor of beautifying your already beautiful love-fest of a wedding.  May the Lord bless and guide you in your marriage!!!

The amazing vendor team:

Florals:  The Treasured Petal

Wedding Planner and Designer: Events of Love and Splendor

Photography: Trista Lerit

Ceremony Site: Mariners Church, Irvine, CA

Reception Venue: Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel

DJ: Ian of Red Shoe LA

Hair and Makeup:  Joyce Luck

Photobooth: Cheesy Photobooth

Lighting: De-Lighted!

Linens: Elegant Designs Specialty Linens

Tags: anenomes, anne wood, bird, bird themed wedding, cinnamon, love and splendor, mint julep, nautical, navy blue, pine cones, ritz carlton, rustic, snow, southern weddings, swsmag, trista lerit, tulips, vera wang, winter wedding