Aleks and Ryan’s Southern California Mountain Wedding

Sep 13

Growing up in Arizona, when someone mentioned California my mind went immediately to the beach… or Disneyland. Oh how I have been missing out with that perspective! This Southern California mountain wedding was whimsical and romantic, located right outside the little town of Julian. Amid floating clouds and rolling greenery, the couple tied the knot and started their happily ever after.

Sacred Mountain Julian

Julian is a quaint California town known for great pie and hiking. Just as the main street begins its winding trail out of town, a turnoff onto a road up a sweeping hill is the entrance to Sacred Mountain Julian. Rustic cabins with large paned windows, greenery covering the walls, and warm red bricks meet guests. The day was chillier than expected and drizzly. But I think it made for some phenomenal photos of these two.

It was so fun planning an out-of-state wedding with Aleks. She and Ryan were after a romantic, mountainside experience. Aleks was all about the details, and it was fun to talk through them with her to see how I could help bring them to life! They were both so excited to bring their families together for this quaint destination wedding at Sacred Mountain Julian. It was all about the people, and treating them to a beautiful celebration. A favorite moment of mine was when we first pulled up to the mountain, we were met by the mother of the bride and mother of the groom walking arm in arm. It was the sweetest moment and I couldn’t help but think it was the family focused celebration they had planned for already coming to life!

The Flowers

The bride’s flowing bouquet included delicate white, blush, and pink floral. Cascading down was greenery of hanging peppercorn. Rich white ranunculus and scabiosa joined garden roses making that stunning statement they do so well. Scabiosa pods, thistle and hypericum berries were features as well. A fun new find of viburnum I featured on the ceremony cross arrangement with textured greenery of sword fern too. The viburnum reminded me of mini hydrangeas, so lovely!

Aleks and Ryan’s reception design included lots of lush garlands. They were filled with greenery of spiral eucalyptus, silver dollar eucalyptus and italian ruscus along with pops of floral. Their stretching farm tables matched the romantic, mountainside mood with clean white plates and classically paired gold utensils. The tables were snugly placed under cover to adapt for the rain. But the party was far from dimmed with the dance floor featured in the middle of the surrounding joy of celebration.

Dream Team

A huge shout out to The Shepherds Photo who turned the overcast day into a dream photo experience. They never fail to impress. The romantic shots they captured get me day dreaming with a silly smile on my face every time. The mother-daughter coordinator team, Family Affair Weddings, were so kind and I loved getting the opportunity to meet them. They worked hard to bring everything together wonderfully under rainy skies. It was an all around beautiful day of celebrating that I was so honored to have had the chance to be a part of! Can’t wait for the next chance I get to visit the mountains of Southern California, and indulge in more pie!