Real Weddings

A Whimsical Fall Wedding in Sonora, CA

By
Heather Lee
Published on August 6, 2012
A San Francisco couple hosted a down-home celebration full of whimsy and handmade details in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Photographer

One Love Photo

Venue

Union Hill Inn

Event Planning

Sugar Rush Events

Bride's Dress

Priscilla of Boston (closed)

Bride's Shoes

Minna Parikka

Bridesmaids' Dresses

Amsale

Groom's Suit

J. Lindeberg

Groom's Shoes

Rachel Comey

Caterer

Straw Carnival Fare

Flowers

Natalie Galasso Designs

Ceremony Music

Brian Anderson & the New Generation, 916-844-6041

Hair & Makeup

Julianne Beauté

Rentals

Classic Party Rentals

Photo Booth

LA Photo Booth

One Love Photo

I never believed in love at first sight," says Sharon, 31, a graphic designer. "But now I swear by it." One crisp March San Francisco evening, Sharon was at a party when some friends started talking about going to a bar in her neighborhood. "I offered to walk them there on my way home. But when we arrived, I saw Daniel waiting for them on the sidewalk. I couldn't move. I certainly couldn't leave," she says. The pair's connection was obvious—so obvious that their friends started texting Daniel, 32, a product designer, everything they knew about her. "I didn't need it," he says. "We had so much in common. The conversation was easy."

One Love Photo

Within four months, Sharon and Daniel were living together. Two years after that, he proposed. ("We were in bed during a trip to Norway. I was so tired, I didn't get what was going on until I saw the ring. I made him start over again!" says Sharon.)

One Love Photo

And that's when all those common interests really started paying off. "We had no idea what kind of wedding we wanted," she says. "We just knew we wanted it to feel like 'us.'" The two designers went into brainstorming mode and came up with a plan that was part rustic and part vintage, with lots of gold DIY details. "We called it a 'rustic picnic social hootenanny!'" says Sharon.

One Love Photo

The couple asked that Pico, the groom's nephew, serve as "flag bearer". "He was too young to carry the rings," the bride explains, "but he made a very enthusiastic announcement of my impending entrance." The flag was created by a friend. "It was a work of art," says Sharon.

One Love Photo

The 5 o'clock ceremony took place in a barn-turned-wedding-chapel at Sonora's Union Hill Inn, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from San Francisco in the foothills of California's historic gold region.

"The barn and its chandeliers were so beautiful, the only decorations we added were flower arrangements on the pew, mantel, and chapel doors," says Sharon.

One Love Photo

"Daniel and I printed out our vows and taped them inside vintage books," Sharon says. "I'd say a line, and then he'd say a line—we wanted the moment to feel as playful as our relationship."

One Love Photo

Banjo music, sweet-potato Tater Tots, and maple-bourbon-blackberry drinks greeted guests at the outdoor cocktail hour. ("Maple because Daniel's Canadian, and bourbon because I'm from the South," says Sharon.)

Friends and family also snacked on popcorn with truffle oil and pulled-pork sliders.

One Love Photo

Reception tables were topped with help-yourself bowls of salads and mac-and-cheese, as well as a woven straw basket heaped with napkins, cutlery, and vintage plates that the bride had spent months collecting.

"I wanted the tables to feel abundant and overflowing," explains the bride, who piled the surfaces high with old books and Mason-jar arrangements, as well as DIY touches like linen napkins dyed with coffee.

Browse more wedding centerpieces.

One Love Photo

Each table had a picnic basket in the center where guests grabbed their plates and cutlery. "It was a devious plot to get them talking—and it worked!" she says.

One Love Photo

"Daniel's sister made the dessert table look like an old-fashioned bake-off, with 'best in show' ribbons, vintage crates, and old baking sheets," says Sharon. "It was my favorite part of the reception!"

The elaborate dessert table was covered with nearly 20 different types of sweets—everything from a chocolate-root beer bundt cake to a carrot wedding cake topped with flags—all made from scratch by the groom's sister, a pastry chef. "It was an incredible gift," says Sharon.

Browse more rustic wedding cakes.

One Love Photo

The newlyweds headed to the bridal cottage long before the party wound down, but an iPod playlist kept the crowd dancing late into the night. "The best compliment we got was from guests who said, 'The night just felt like you guys,' " says Sharon. "That meant the world to us."

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TOPICS:

Real WeddingsReal Groomscalifornia weddingsSonorarustic weddingsvintage weddingsReal BridesCaliforniaOne Love PhotoRusticfallFall WeddingsBohemianbohemian weddings
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