Frenchie and Dan’s wedding encapsulated everything about the beautiful outdoors of the Pacific Northwest. They married near Gold Bar, Washington at a cute little inn, pretty far out in the secluded woods. And what would a PNW wedding be without rain? Lots and lots of rain. If you’re worried about that happening to you, read my recent article about how to plan for rain on your big day.
More about the weather later. For the flowers, we used lots of warm, autumn colors. We live in the Evergreen State, which means the forest is still very green, even in fall. We pulled in vibrant oranges and burgundies to ramp up that autumnal vibe.
Frenchie’s bouquet played with that palate. We went big with texture, adding blue thistle, succulents, seeded eucalyptus, and scabiosa pods. For her boho flower crown, we featured the same orange, burgundy, and blue. The bright blooms really popped against her white dress.
The bridesmaids inversed this look. They wore dark, jeweled toned dresses and held white and green bouquets. Again, very textural and one of my favorite things I designed for that day.
Dan embraced his Scottish heritage and wore plaid and black along with his groomsman and groomsladies. The white and green bouquets, as well as the similarly colored boutonnieres, popped beautifully against this ensemble, and again, really let Frenchie’s autumn blooms stand out.
Last but not least in the wedding party, Frenchie wanted her dog to wear a flower wreath that matched her crown. It was so adorable seeing her pup decked out to walk the aisle.
For the ceremony, we set-up outdoors with Lauren from Flying Anchor Event Design. Hoping that the weather would brighten, we pushed through the pouring rain to run garlands down the sides of the aisles, as well as adding little pieces of greenery on the backs of chairs alongside the aisle.
Guests waited patiently under umbrellas, which the wedding party had provided. (One of my suggestions in the article linked above!) Luckily, the rain let-up, guests hurried to their chairs, and the sun shined as Frenchie walked down the aisle. Of course, being the PNW, thunder rumbled just as the ceremony finished, and everyone retreated to the covered patio for the reception. Having a covered area, especially in autumn when it rains frequently around here, is another one of my recommendations.
On the reception tables, we ran garlands down the centers and candles on the sides. Keeping things simple helped retain that woodland feeling. For the cake from Seatown Sweets, we saved some extra greens for the base. Again, not overly complicated and just right for the boho vibe.
Frenchie and Dan’s big day had a perfect theme for a woodland wedding and just perfect timing for a quintessential, rainy Northwest day.
