Elegance meets Camp: Megan & Holden's Stanford Sierra Camp Wedding at Fallen Leaf
Photo Credit: Sierra Flower Farm
The Couple’s Wedding Day Vision: Tahoe Camp Experience in fall
Megan and Holden are one of the most adorable outdoorsy couples we’ve met. They love all things adventure and Tahoe. For their wedding, they wanted their love for the area to be heavily incorporated, not only aesthetically for their special day but also to give their guests an immersive experience of camping in Lake Tahoe in the fall for the weekend.
Megan had worked at the venue during her summers in college and was excited to share this magical space and experience with her loved ones, serving as a bridge to her new life with Holden. “Camp” holds a special place in her heart and now in the couple’s history together.
The Venue: Stanford Sierra Convention Center at Fallen Leaf Lake
Fallen Leaf Lake is often overshadowed by Lake Tahoe, but it is its own unique gem. With misty mountains, crystal blue waters, and a much quieter atmosphere, it offers an uncrowded retreat. Just a short distance from the stunning Glen Alpine waterfalls a cozy camp nestled in its own private area of the lake is Stanford Sierra Conference Center.
Normally bustling during the summer with Stanford alumni families paddleboarding, canoeing, and roasting marshmallows over open fires, this place transforms for a brief few weeks in the spring and fall. During these times, it hosts various company conventions and offers a select few the chance to get married in this serene setting.
With beautiful cabins and rooms, the accommodations provide wedding guests with a relaxing and fun getaway. However, they may need to switch from shorts to parkas, as the Sierra Mountains' weather can be unpredictable during those times of the year, which we were all reminded of while preparing for Megan and Holden’s early November wedding.
The designs and transforming the Camp Experience
Holden and Megan love the outdoors and camping, but they also wanted to create an atmosphere that reflected Holden’s sophisticated wine palette. In designing their wedding, we prepared for two separate events: the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. This included the challenge of transforming the key area where guests would spend a significant amount of time—the lodge.
Megan and Holden’s wedding weekend had a lot of moving parts with multi-day installations. Bringing their vision to life took a team effort! While I stayed home designing the flowers, Graham and his team went up throughout the week to install the drapery and deliver the first round of floral designs on my behalf.
Softening the Tahoe Lodge Aesthetic
Tahoe is known for its rich wooden lodge aesthetic. It is warm and welcoming, especially cozy to settle by a roaring fire during blustery days. Camp’s lodge is that with the amber wooden ceilings and mahogany tables. For the wedding weekend, however, the couple wanted the space to feel brighter and less “camp.”
They asked for soft drapery to be hung with some soft lights. We had our marching orders from calculating the drape to custom sewing it, then sneaking up to the venue to begin installation days before the wedding to have it ready for the guests’ arrival. It sure made the space look soft, elegant, and romantic!
Action shot photos of the rehearsal flowers courtesy of the Mother of the Groom!
The Rehearsal Dinner Designs
This wedding was all about transformation and creating an experience. For the rehearsal floral designs, a more laid-back embodiment of the bold colors of fall is the direction we took. The table designs use our field's last eucalyptus, mums, and scented geraniums. We also hand-tied herb bundles of fragrant sage and lime-scented geraniums to place upon each guest’s napkin.
As I was back down in Gardnerville working on the wedding day designs, I loved getting the snapshots from Holden’s mom to see how everything turned out for the rehearsal dinner. I can’t get over that sunset photo!
Photo Credit: Sierra Flower Farm
The Wedding Day Palette and Designs
Megan is outdoorsy and doesn’t often glam up, but she wanted to feel more feminine for her wedding day and have the flowers reflect that while still maintaining a mountainous spirit. After some collaboration, we settled on neutral colors with pops of soft pinks and blues, incorporating some dried flowers to honor the fall season.
Photo Credit: Sierra Flower Farm
The Ceremony Designs
By the time Megan and Holden’s big day arrived, we had been getting drizzles of rain and even a dusting of snow. The wind was picking up, and the skies were threatening tumultuous weather. As we drove up with our large trailer filled with blooms and designs, we were warned that the walk time might be moved up by an hour. Once we arrived at the venue, further debate ensued about whether to move the ceremony indoors. After talking to the couple, it was decided that guests could bundle up, and the ceremony would take place on the bluff.
The bluff is a beautiful site with the lake present in the background. To not obscure the view, we designed a ground arbor to give a feel of a Tahoe meadow with smaller versions of the ceremony arbor running down the aisle amongst logs. At the ceremony entrance, we had designs atop wine barrels to play into the Groom’s career in the Napa wine industry.
Our team worked feverishly to create the designs while one of the venue managers finished building guest benches and shoveling wood chips onto the slick mud. We put the final touches in place just as guests began to make their way to their seats.
The Reception Designs
One of the most fun, specially crafted designs we did for Megan and Holden’s wedding was actually in the cocktail designs. We custom wood-turned and created beautiful globes to put flowers into. Days later, the flowers stayed fresh in our dining room, it was like their own little microclimate! In the hustle and bustle of the day we didn’t get a chance to photograph them. The cocktail hour was to take place downstairs before guests made their way to their seating for dinner.
Between the drapery, taper candles and elegant flowers spilling the lodge surely transformed into a place! Though we had multiple frosts on our farm, I was thrilled that the little blue peas made it through for us to use for the reception table designs.
Congratulations Megan & Holden!
Megan and Holden were an incredibly fun and laid-back couple, and I truly enjoyed working with them. Their wonderful family also collaborated with us on the many designs and moving parts. Through Megan and Holden, we felt like honorary members of the Stanford Sierra Conference Center family—a group that is kind, helpful, and incredibly accommodating!
Stay tuned, as we have had the pleasure of designing a few more weddings at this venue since Megan and Holden’s, and we can’t wait to share those designs with you soon!
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