Well, what can we say? We’ve got a weakness for a great color combo and Fiona and Lane’s color palette filled our eyes with hearts. We’re loving the bridal party in floor-length emerald gowns and we’re totally smitten with the hint of ochre in the bouquet ribbons and sprinkled throughout the rest of the event details captured by Tess Pace Photography . The florals by Lalé Florals are spectacular, Fiona was radiant in her classic Lela Rose gown and Calluna Events nailed it on all the design details of this elegant Colorado wedding. Read on for more from the bride on how she and Lane infused their heritage and traditions into a celebration of family.
From the bride:They say when you get married, you marry not only the bride or groom, but the entire family. For Lane and I, we wanted our wedding to celebrate just that; the joining of two families. This union, beyond Lane and me, really inspired almost every decision we made along the way.
I am British. When I moved to the States, specifically Texas, I was thirteen (yes, the worst age to move!). While I loved my time in Texas and have made the best friends, my British heritage has always been so important; from a daily tea time to still making sure certain words are pronounced the “right” way (even though my British-Texan accent can be somewhat confusing!). Lane and I knew we were getting married state side so incorporating some British traditions was important to me.
Lane is half Japanese, by way of Hawaii and more recently, Chicago and Colorado. Similar to me, Lane’s heritage has always been present throughout his life and we wanted to be sure to recognize certain Japanese and Hawaiian traditions throughout the day, as well.
Backgrounds aside, our families are so important to the both of us. We knew our wedding location would make it hard for family members far away to travel to Boulder, so we honored those special people who couldn’t be with us throughout the day. Ultimately, we wanted the most elegant, “mixed bag” wedding and fortunately all of our vendors allowed us to achieve just that.
From day one we knew the best way to share our wedding inspiration with guests was in the details. I knew it was right when I met Heather from Calluna Events as her family is Scottish and understood the specific British traditions I wanted to feature.
I remember our first meeting with Stephanie Clark at Lale Florals – we spent hours in her studio discussing ideas! We had settled on the outdoor gazebo at the St. Julien so we needed the floral to be really magical, and Stephanie definitely did not disappoint. With a nod to the Japanese tradition, we incorporated 1,001 gold cranes (a Japanese custom mean to instill good fortune onto the couple) floral-fabric masterpiece! The ceremony décor was equally beautiful and unique to our backgound – individual vignettes were dressed with teacups, saucers and British knick knacks. It was beautiful
Paper items were of equal priority. I’m lucky enough to be long time friends and sorority sisters with Natalie Coulter of Mint & Maple Designs – a custom wedding invitations and a calligraphy business. I immediately reached out to her as I knew she’d be able to create just what I was looking for! The paper goods were clean, simple and romantic – especially the watercolor motifs.
Other details we incorporated to give a nod to both our heritages or families included my mother’s amazing seamstress skills; my grandmother’s silver spoon set; desserts; and cookies inspired by our loving puppy Bart!
I was so lucky to have six of my absolute best friends stand by my side as I married Lane and I wanted each of them to feel special and beautiful (even more than they already are)! Instead of finding one dress for everyone, we opted for a pattern and fabric that complimented everyone in the bridal party. As a gift to them, my talented mother then handcrafted each of their bridesmaids gowns! The girls all looked amazing (sure, I’m biased), but the dresses let each of their personalities shine through – I loved the special touch!
Another gift for my maids and Lane’s groomsmen was either bouquet “bracelets” or tie bars – all created from my grandmother’s silver spoon set. We have a very talented friends back in Houston, Sophie Hartle, who was able to take the spoons and shape them into either the round bracelets that the girls (I had one, too) tied to the ribbons around their bouquets, or flat into tie bars for the guys to wear. As my grandmother wasn’t able to be there, it was so special to have a little piece of her tied around our flowers.
Even though I have a sweet tooth, neither Lane or I was particularly fussed about a wedding cake – in fact, we opted to just have a 6” cutting cake and a variety of desserts! Jen Bush from Lucky’s Bakehouse really let her creativity run wild and incorporated so many of the flavors from both traditional British and Hawaiian desserts. We had macadamia nut shortbread, pineapple sticky toffee pudding, mini pavlovas, banoffee pie, tea cakes, to name a few – YUM!
Another oh so important family member to Lane and I is our incredibly spoiled yellow Labrador, Bart! Of course we couldn’t get married and not include him – as my mom nixed him being a groomsman – we had Bart “cookies” made as a favor for all of our guests – so sweet!
Overall, our wedding was simply perfect, incredibly elegant and ultimately, exactly what Lane and I wanted. We were able to celebrate two families with such rich, diverse backgrounds coming together and ultimately, living happily ever after!”
Planning: Calluna Events // Photography: Tess Pace Photography // Floral Design: Lalé Florals // Lighting: LMD Productions // Invitations: Mint & Maple // Wedding Dress: Lela Rose // Band: Soul School // Cake + Desserts: Lucky’s Bakehouse // Cake Stand Rentals: Long Ago Love // Venue: St Julien Hotel & Spa