As soon as I caught sight of Amy & Nick’s truly gorgeous day I just knew I had to share it with you! Full of glamour, boho charm and vintage elegance, as well as brimming with inspiring DIY details, the couple’s relaxed style and sense of fun shines through in every way…..

After getting engaged on a weekend trip to Yosemite National Park, Amy & Nick knew they wanted the great outdoors to play a part in their wedding, but finding the perfect venue for their intimate, genuine, glamping celebration was key. Let me hand you over to the beautiful bride, Amy, to tell you all about it!

“Our wedding planning journey was pretty easy. I feel quite strongly that you don’t have to have a super expensive wedding for it to be the best day of your life, so many of our wedding details were DIY – the flowers, the favors, even the decorations had to be put up by friends. The music was done by a friend. The ceremony was run by our friends. And don’t be afraid to ask for help because people want to help, and it will make the day all the more magical and intimate. I now know how much work goes into a wedding and I’ll be offering up all the help I can in the future when more friends and family get hitched.

We envisioned a weekend away where guests could all stay in cabins. Glamping, if you will. When we found Gold Mountain Manor we knew it was perfect. It’s a historic log cabin built in the 1930s. Clark Gable honeymooned there! It has 7 bedrooms and reserving it meant we had the entire property for 2 nights. So close family and friends stayed at the manor and Cathy, Betsy and their amazing team cooked us breakfast each morning. We used the lodge to hang out, drink, watch movies and sit by the fireplace the night before the wedding. It felt like a big family vacation! This is exactly the type of vibe we wanted- a big, homey place where people could gather and feel like family.”

“Because the wedding was a little non-traditional, I did not want to wear a veil. I always loved the idea of flower crowns, especially since seeing Jenny’s bridal look in the movie Forrest Gump (haha). I ended up making the flower crown the morning of the wedding- crazy, I know!

My dress was made by Dreamers & Lovers. I was doing some internet research and wanted a dress that was a little  unconventional but still romantic. I definitely wanted to be fully covered, because I think that’s sexy – showing curves without showing skin. I found Dreamers & Lovers, and fell in love with the designer Yanique. I ended up falling in love with her Alice dress, but because I said I wanted sleeves, Yanique added them for me!”

“We decided to do a first look/first reveal before the wedding to take photos and ease our nerves. However, our first look turned into pretty much our entire guest list seeing us before the wedding. As everyone arrived, people started congregating in the lodge and on the front porch of the bed and breakfast where the wedding was held. Guests were supposed to take their seats in the yard but naturally everyone gathered on the porch. So I got to have a drink with most of my friends and family on the porch of the Inn, completely all done up in my wedding dress and makeup, before the ceremony. To a lot of people this might be a wedding faux pas, but to me it was one of the best parts of the day. I loved getting to spend time not only with my future husband but with the entire guest list. I think at a wedding it can be tough to find time to talk to and see everyone, and this gave us even more time with our loved ones.”

“My mom and dad gave me away. All I could feel walking down the aisle was pure happiness and gratitude. So many people came from so far away to witness our marriage!”

“During the ceremony my childhood friend Lindsey read an excerpt from the novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres:

“Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being “in love” which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.””

“I had 4 bridesmaids. I knew I wanted the dresses to be long. Our wedding was outside in a forest setting, so I was thinking long gowns would be so romantic. I liked the idea of pale pink, going with our happy summertime colors feeling. I’m not really the type of girl that wears pink, so it was nice to use pink and really love it, but not having to wear it myself! I went shopping with each girl individually and the first one we found set the tone for the rest. It was Adriana Pappell. I realized that she makes all different styles of light pink gowns, so it was just a matter of finding the right gown for the right girl. I’m in love with how they turned out!

Of course I wanted all my maids to have flower crowns too. And we made them as well the morning of the wedding. The rule was the bride gets to wear all the colored blooms but the maids wear only white and green on their crowns.”

“Nick’s suit was a grey searsucker from Brooks Brothers. And Nick found this amazing bowtie from the site Castawayclothing.com. It was just what we wanted- happy, summertime colors. So the groomsmen all had these matching bowties, and we told them they could wear whatever suit they wanted as long as it was grey. It worked out perfect since they were slightly mismatched. But so were the bridesmaids.”

“The reception felt very happy, sweet and genuine. It felt like a dream. My friends and I did some decorations, but a lot of the scenery was the result of picking a beautiful venue. The ceremony and reception were held at the same venue, on Gold Mountain Manor’s lawn. There was a dancefloor underneath twinkle lights, which was the best part. Everyone enjoyed dancing outside among the trees while the sun set and the twinkle lights started glowing. It was absolutely gorgeous.”

“For favours we had two things that guests could take. First, little bags of Chicago-style popcorn, which were a nod to Amy’s hometown. And also white camp mugs with our wedding logo that held succulents and candles.”

Pearls of wedding wisdom from the bride…

“Refuse to get mad. Laugh at the things that go wrong. Enjoy every bit of downtime.”

“Because our theme was “glamping,” we decided to have cupcakes and s’mores for dessert. The cupcakes were red velvet, chocolate with caramel filling and strawberry with filling. There was a s’mores table where guest could roast marshmallows over a small fire.”

 Tell us a little bit about your photographer…

“Michelle of The Darlene is an angel! We had a snafu with a photographer that the venue recommended and, long story short, she agreed to shoot our wedding on FOUR DAYS NOTICE!

My husband and I knew her husband from living in the same neighbourhood in LA. We always knew she was talented….I just wish we could have given her a little more notice!”

A huge congratulations to the lovely Amy & Nick! And a massive heartfelt thankyou to them, and their photographer Michelle, for allowing me to share their epic day here on Chic Vintage Brides. If you love these photographs and would like to see more of The Darlene do head over to Michelle’s website www.thedarlene.com and be sure to follow her on Instagram.

If you love Amy & Nick’s relaxed boho style and are thinking of something similar for your own big day, then you might want to take a peek at this sweet outdoor celebration with a vintage travel themed reception and this gorgeous French bohemian styled shoot is one not to be missed – it is simply stunning! Ooh or if you’re a boho bride looking for the perfect dress, then you will definitely want to see the new collection from Anna Campbell!

Amy

x

Contributors & Credits

Photography ~ The Darlene // Wedding Dress ~ Alice from Dreamers & Lovers // Wedding Planner ~ Cathy Weil at Gold Mountain Manor // Hair ~ Emily Barton of Designed Elegance // Floral Design ~ DIY // Rentals ~ Party Pieces by Perry // Groom’s Attire ~ Brooks Brothers // Bow Tie ~ Castaway Clothing // Bridesmaid Dresses ~ Adriana Pappell // Venue ~ Gold Mountain Manor in Big Bear CA // DJ ~ DJ Dense