Natalie and Brad's California Wedding

“IT WAS A LONG DISTANCE LOVE STORY THAT TURNED INTO A BEAUTIFUL, INTIMATE, FAIRYTALE WEDDING”

Congratulations on your wedding! What made you decide on having your wedding with us at Fairmont?

The charm and character of the Claremont, a Fairmont Hotel was exactly what we were looking for. At the time before renovation, it had a very vintage 50’s feel to it which suited our personalities perfectly and the theme of the wedding. It’s a stunning hotel, with elegance and luxury. The staff were so helpful, especially Alexis, who helped plan everything. Being from England and only moving to the USA a month before the wedding, she took the stress away and kept us as calm as possible. 

Where did you have your ceremony?

We had the ceremony on the balcony of the Claremont Hotel, which was stunning as it had a view of the bay area. I wanted part of the wedding to be outside so I got my wish, and knew it would make for great photos. 

Tell us about the flowers you chose. Did you go traditional or contemporary?

The flowers were quite contemporary and unusual, as they featured succulents. I wanted busts of colors and textures, and again to go with the vintage woodsy feel.  

Tell us about the meal you served your guests. What type and flavor cake did you have at your reception?

The meal was served at the Claremont Hotel in one of their private rooms. We had lamb and salmon. The lamb was the best I’ve ever tasted.  Our cake was incredible! We wanted to carry on the theme of the succulents and in the woodsy style, and our cake lady created this perfected – the edible roses event smelled of roses. The cake was vanilla and champagne flavor. 

Where did you go on your honeymoon? Tell us about it.

We went to maui, which was beautiful. We had an amazing time and quite the adventure. We swam, hiked, and hiked and snorkeled, and ate lots of fish!  

What element(s) did you add to make the wedding uniquely 'yours'?

For the favors we had smore kits for everyone, which was a memory of our first ever conversation together. Brad tried to take to me about smores and I had no idea what they were. He was very persistent, and the rest is history! But it all began with smores. We also featured our favorite flowers, succulents, and our favorite colors. 

Another integral part of the day is the wedding dress! Tell us about what you chose to wear. Did you follow the old English saying "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue"?

I wore a gorgeous fishtail dress, by a designer in England, UK. It featured a lace jacket and my veil was given as a gift from the dress shop which had Swarovski crystals on it. Although I’m English, everything I wore was brand new. I stuck to flat shoes, so I’d be comfortable and embellished them with lilac pearls.  

What was the first song you danced to as newlyweds?

Father John Misty – Oh, How I Long to Hold You in my Arms  

Now that you are married and have had time to reflect on your wedding day, what was your favorite moment?

I think the ceremony itself was beautiful, with a stunning view of the bay area, a slight breeze and palm trees in the background. It was so small, it made it more intimate and memorable. Also, having our photos taken in such a lovely venue was a fun part of the day. 

Vendors & Service Providers:

The cake was by theweddingcakegallery.com, by a lovely lady named Wendy. Check her out! Flowers were by a friend who has had much experience, and our amazing photos were by thegoodness.com, by photographers Francisco and Geoff. They were so much fun and helped our day go smoothly.