Lake Tahoe Estate Wedding | Buttercups and Lovebirds

I love looking back at weddings from the recent summer. Kathryn and Christopher are the sweetest couple that just make you fall head over heels in love with love! They were married at the Fitzhaven Estate in August on a somewhat precarious day. The forecast predicted blue skies and high temperatures...we received dark looming clouds, wind, and a few rain drops. You just never know what to expect here in Tahoe, but nothing could damper these lovebird's special day!

The theme was a garden party with pops of bright yellows and navy blues. Blue and white checked linens covered the dinner tables, flower pots that are now planted in their garden were used for centerpieces, yellow and blue pashminas kept the ladies wamr, and yellow parasols were provided to protect the guests from sun... but actually protected them from a few rain drops!

Kathryn and Christopher didn't want a traditional wedding, so we played with the food, entertainment, and setup to provide various levels of excitement. Kathryn's brother offiiciated a profound, beautiful, and emotional service. After the service, guest's quickly wiped their eyes to start enjoying the festivities. Bocce ball, horse shoes, and a photo booth accompanied by various oversized props provided endless entertainment! Dinner was a huge priority for the bride and groom, so to remove the old theory that all wedding food is the same boring steak and fish, we worked with the catering company to serve something totally unique to weddings - A Groumet Burger Bar! A large chalkboard detailed the various options for this yummy meal. Guest's were ecstatic and commented on how perfectly the meal complimented the wedding and the couple's personalities.

After the bride and groom impressed us all with their perfectly choreogrpahed first dance, Chapin from We Ain't Saints kept everyone boogying on the dance floor all night long!

Vendors

Photography | Focus Photo Tahoe

Venue | Fitzhaven Estate

Music | We Ain't Saints

Photo Booth | Reno Photo Booth

Bouquet | Green with Envy | 530.587.7488

Rentals | EventMasters

One Fine Day & Tahoe Unveiled Featured on Utterly Engaged

As many of you know, I recently produced and coordinated Tahoe Unveiled, a resource and boutique bridal event to reveal the luxury wedding services in Lake Tahoe. It was a huge hit! Today, Tahoe Unveiled and One Fine Day is featured on one of our absolute favorite sites, Utterly Engaged! You can view part of the feature below, or click here to see more!

About a month ago, we highlighted Tahoe Unveiled’s A Day in the Mountains – an event to reveal the luxury of Tahoe’s wedding services. It turned out to be a huge success! They provided brides with inspiration, education, and an incredible group of vendors. Each exhibitor constructed gorgeous displays out of La Tavola linens, Crux rental furniture, and various props from their own collection.

Guests were treated to sumptuous appetizers from PlumpJack, Moody’s, and North Tahoe Catering, while PlumpJack served wine, champagne, and martinis! As guests arrived, they were each given an Uncorked Wine Shop burlap gift bag, complete with treats from our vendors, a Grace Ormonde magazine, and a San Francisco Brides magazine.

One Fine Day created five design rooms (also known as vignettes) and each displayed a very different theme and color palette to give brides an idea of how you can play around with accessories, décor, and style. Each display was a mini wedding scene providing a small dinner table and accent pieces.

Classic :: A soft and subtle color palette giving an overall feeling of pretty, complete, and slightly traditional.This vignette features La Tavola Linens, Diana's Floral Design flower arrangements, Twig & Fig stationary, Crux Events chivari chairs and lounge furniture, & Crate and Barrel dinnerware.

Contemporary :: A bold color combination of black, white, and bright pink. This vignette features La Tavola linens and chair covers, Martha Bernyk Floral Design flower arrangements, Twig & Fig stationary, & Crate and Barrel dinnerware.

Rustic Elegance :: A blend of the natural, rustic outdoor elements with an elegant setting and décor. This vignette features La Tavola linens, Diana's Floral Design flower arrangements, Twig & Fig stationary, Crux Events furniture, & Crate and Barrel dinnerware.

Vintage Shabby Chic :: A take on the ever-so-stylish trend at the moment – repurposing old items in an elegant setting. This vignette features La Tavola linens, Diana's Floral Design flower arrangements, Twig & Fig stationary, Crux Events chairs, & Crate and Barrel dinnerware.

City Chic :: A super modern display pushing 2011’s hot color – purple! This vignette features La Tavola linens, Diana's Floral Design flower arrangements, Twig & Fig stationary, Crux Events chivari chairs and steel tables, & Crate and Barrel dinnerware.

Bellissima Floral Creations designed and constructed a stunning chandelier to flank her exhibit space. The chandelier was made out of birch, metal, candles, and lots of flowers. Bellssima Floral Creations also designed an amazing bar structure that became the main focal piece when you entered the room. Flowers hung from the ceiling and sprouted from each surrounding accent piece and table with candles glowing in the middle.

To see the complete Utterly Engaged post, click here!

Venue Review | Testarossa Winery, Los Gatos, CA

Testarossa Winery is nestled above the hustle and bustle of downtown Los Gatos in a serene and peaceful setting in the historic Novitiate. Testarossa combines a romantic and incredibly unique venue with unbelievable service. Their staff proudly performs as the icing on the cake. Nothing is too much to ask and everyone is very personable.

As you enter the winery, you walk through a grand double doorway into the long stone cave. The brick imprints, arching ceiling, and esoteric design bestows an unparalleled romantic atmosphere. During a wedding, this space is used for the ceremony or the cocktail/reception. Regardless of the event, the cave provides a dramatic, romantic, and unparalleled space.

Ceremony's can also take place outdoors on the patio, which is decorated with wooden wine barrels, clear globe lights, and sandy gravel. It has a modern farm-like feel combining nature with simple elegance.

The Castello Room is used for dinner and can accommodate up to 150ppl. Instead of a standard square or rectangle room, the Castello room has wide pillars (perfect for pin spot lighting), sconces, and an elegant ceiling canopy. Due to the shape and pillars, 60" round tables (seat 7 - 9 people) are best suited for this room. However, there is ample space for a long double-sided head table or family table.

The tasting room, also known as the Palazzio Room, is warm and inviting with a long wooden bar, a glowing wine barrel wall, and tall wooden pillars. The dance floor is long and narrow, but is sufficient for a party of 120 or less. A large wooden antique table, sitting next to the wooden door, is perfect for a guest book or dessert station. But, this table comes with Testarossa accesories and a charge is incurred to remove the items.

Ratings:

Price per person  · $100 - $150

Rental Fees  · $4000 - $6500

Items Included  · 60" rounds, fruitwood chivari chairs, cream floor length linens, 6' and 8' banquet tables, tall and short cocktail tables, white wooden ceremony chairs, votives in square and round vases, hurricane vases, sound system in the Castello room (not equipped with microphone), dinnerware, glassware, dressing room for the band, and room for the catering company.

Food  · Catering company required, which is limited to companies noted on Testarossa's vendor list.

Bar  · Per person packaged pricing for bottled beer and wine.

Timing  · Dinner setup can begin as early as 3pm; ceremony and reception setup begins at 5pm, allowing the event to start as early as 6pm. Events are contracted for 5 hours.

Staff  · Impeccable! Fabulous, friendly, and very easy to work with.

Setup  ·  Easy load in and load out areas with ramp access.

Power  ·  Ample power for bands, dj's, and lighting.

Lighting  · Provided lighting is subtle with dimming options in the dining room and reception room. Hiring a lighting company to up-light the pillars provides a glowing ambiance.

Liability Insurance  · $1,000,000 special event liability coverage is required.

Overall Cost  ·  Pricing is very reasonable. The rental fees include most, if not all of the furniture you will need. There are no hidden fees - all prices are noted in the contract.