A Special Day Designs DIY Sacramento Lake Tahoe Wedding Flowers: Woodland Wedding At Nestldown Los Gatos / Placerville Lake Tahoe Wedding Flowers Florist


Woodland bouquet details - cymbidium orchid, raspberries, dahlia, spray roses, hypericum berry, and maidenhair fern

We are well into autumn now, and my season has wrapped up, which means I now have time to post lovely weddings on the blog. Ashley and Brandon were married in September, and she definitely had a woodland / bird style going on. What I loved about their wedding style was the great details, yet things were understated, elegant, and very authentic.


Blue thistle, dahlias, spray roses, raspberries, and callas were details in her woodland wedding bouquet for her ceremony at Nestldown in Los Gatos

I worked with Ashley for a year on her bouquet....it started out as peach roses and safari sunset with hypericum berries, to emerge into a wonderful woodland bouquet. Ashley gave me the freedom to create something beautiful....sometimes I can't be sure of what is at market, and I don't know until I actually order and then pick up the flowers. She even decided to have me add some peach tulle, which you can see under the dahlia above, as a nod to her many years of ballet lessons.


Woodland wedding bouquet for Nestldown ceremony.

My bouquets are very authentic....I do not try to create a perfect roundy-moundy Martha-style bouquet that has been quite in fashion for the past decade. My bouquets are like the topography of the foothills I live in....there is always something interesting around every corner. Here is Ashley's bouquet.


Woodland bridesmaid bouquet with pompon mums, naked petals, safari sunset, hypericum berries, and peach spray roses

Ashley had a small intimate wedding. She and Brandon both had just one attendant, who wore clothing of their choice to match the blue and green color theme. Above is the Best Lady's bouquet - I just love that Ashley chose to call her a more modern name....

Brandon had a cymbidium orchid and blue thistle bout.

I caught up with Ashley and Brandon at the top of the gravel road before they made their entrance. Both look quite serious in these photos...they are listening to directions from someone...they're about to get married! Brandon looks quite handsome, and the orchid perfectly matched his handsome blue shirt and patterned tie.

Ashley rocking her vintage woodland look! Quite a gorgeous bride!

As a florist, I don't always get the best photos of my wedding couples....Ashley was just so gorgeous, this photo doesn't do her justice! So we continued down the path to set up the ceremony decor, which were two of Ashley's metal candleholders of two different heights. I loved that they weren't matchy-matchy. She had me set them up at the back of the aisle. Here's a tip...if you don't need ceremony markers (I call them markers, because really, there's no "altar") at the front - and she didn't because the arbor is so fantastic - consider putting flowers behind the last row of chairs, at the aisle. All your guests will see them when they come in...


Woodland ceremony marker flowers

I love this sweet photo of Ashley's dad helping put her train out...and I don't understand how Ashley walked down those many, steep stairs in heels!

Lovely bride at lovely Nestldown!

Here's the lovely arbor and our lovely wedding couple...there's a pond with a fountain behind them, in full sunlight. Guests sat in a lovely shaded woodland clearing.


Exchanging vows at Nestldown.

On to the reception! Ashley developed her ideas for the reception with me over the year....she pretty much knew what she wanted, and I made suggestions on flowers and based on her thoughts and inspiration photos, I was able to recommend and carry out what she wanted for her tables and cake pedestal.


Rosemary and menu in napkin at each place.


Submerged wedding centerpieces of blue delphinium with floating candle; callas, and a ball candle with table number, all on a stained stump. Not only were rose petals strewn about, but also hypericum berries, to add to the woodland feel.


I just love this ball candle in a short cylinder, with a wood table number...perfect!


There were lovely vegetarian appetizers at each table, for after the cocktail hour.


Wedding cake on unique cake pedestal of glass square vases with rose petals

The wedding reception was held at the lovely Hotel Los Gatos. The hotel service and food was superb; my only complaint was that they booked the room right before her wedding, a couple of weeks before her wedding. It was quite a challenge to set everything up. When you book your wedding reception, make sure there is enough time for your florist, dj, and baker to set up (you really don't want your venue staff moving your cake...trust me!). One hour is usually NOT enough time between events. Don't forget that the venue has to clear the last event, set up for yours, and put fresh linens on before your florist and baker can set up.