Bringing east coast camp vibes to Tahoe.
Christine Hwang and Abigail Clark met on a dating website, but were friends for months before a romance began to blossom. When it did, Hwang proposed to Clark with the help of a guitarist outside of Zuni Cafe, where they had gone on their first date. This was actually a backup plan as Hwang initially wanted to propose by song at Martuni's (a piano bar across the street), but "chickened out."
Hailing from the east coast, they wanted to recreate Clark's experience of growing up going to Alford Lake Camp in Maine—the pine grove where campers came together to tell stories and sing songs. The two also went to Dartmouth College in a beautiful, natural setting in New Hampshire, which they wanted to hint at as well as it's particularly lovely in the fall.
"We were looking for a venue that felt like Alford Lake and Dartmouth on the West Coast. The theme for the reception was bringing the outdoor and community feeling indoors."
Despite the camping theme, Hwang and Clark put together elegant rustic details that they wanted to be more down to earth than glitzy. They incorporated a few DIY elements such as having guests sign Adirondack chairs that they assembled in their hotel room, and a natural tree logo reminiscent to the Dartmouth lone pine symbol; which they put on the welcome bags they assembled.
"We also wanted support and guidance from those who went before us in marriage and created labeled wine bottles for people to leave messages for us to read on our 1st, 5th, 10th, and 25th anniversaries."
Naturally the flowers were fall themed. They used autumn-colored gerbera daisies, mini white daisies and red/orange roses for their rehearsal dinner. The wedding and reception colors were seafoam, light pink and ivory, so bouquets included roses, eucalyptus, and some succulents. To create a romantic, outdoor ambiance, the ceremony backdrop was a natural birch arch with matching florals. Draping, hedges, a live wall with greenery, and additional lighting were added to set the mood.
Their style maintained the same chic flair. Clark had an a-line dress with just a bit of lace (from Vera Wang); while Hwang, drawn to a sleek and simple aesthetic with feminine lines, split her evening between a dress and a pants suit.
Personal touches included writing their own vows and "flipbooks" which captured guests's short animated videos to break into old-school flip/ animation booklets. However, Hwang's highlight was when Clark stood on the stage and spontaneously sang Your Song by Elton John to her with the band at the end of the night.
Venue:Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe
Dress: Vera Wang
Hair + makeup:La di Da Beauty
Floral Designer: Thrans Flowers and Hunter & Company
Design and Decor:Celadon Events
Dress: Vera Wang
Photographer:Annie X Photographie
