Rachel & Mike – Married at the Chalet View Lodge

Rachel and Mike’s wedding fell September 17th which was my 5th wedding anniversary! I was so exited to travel up to Graeagle since I had not been there before. I can not say enough good things about this wedding venue! Simply gorgeous and a perfect location for a mountain destination wedding. They have a spa, hair salon and massages on site with a restaurant and Starbucks as well. I stayed for 2 nights which was a nice little vacation for me as well!  I’d like to thank Jessica Barrie of Jessica B Photography for being my second shooter for the day.  I could not have made it though the day with out her!  The reception was absolutely insane and we were moving for 4 hours.  Such a huge help!  Thank you so much!!!  I will be making comments though out the post for the rest of my thoughts on this wedding. Below is some words from Rachel and their thoughts on planning this gorgeous wedding!

“We wanted a venue that allowed our guests to spend the night on site so that we could spend as much time with them as possible. We hoped our wedding would feel like a mini-vacation with all of our favorite people. The Chalet View was the perfect venue for us. We tried to make our wedding as intimate and as personal as possible. I chose books as a central theme because I have always loved books. Many of my favorite books remind me of specific times in my life and the people I shared those times with. Their placement on each table was (as much as possible anyway) matched to the guests seated at each table. Atlas Shrugged, for example, was on the table of my college roommate who, in my eyes, has always been Dagny Taggart. James Herriot books were stacked on my mother’s table because All Creatures Great and Small will always remind me of her and of my childhood. We gave bookmarks as favors which, in addition to being an ode to books, served to let our guests know that a donation was made in their honor to Bearskin Meadows Diabetic Kids Camp. Bearskin Meadows. The butterfly’s hanging in the loft where we got ready were made by my sister and made out of pages from books. Hannah and I grew up in Butterfly Valley and butterflies have always held a special meaning for us.

In my opinion, the best detail of our wedding was what a team effort it was. It was incredible to see how much our family and friends came together to make our wedding happen. Nearly every detail of the wedding, from the planter boxes and burlap runners to the flowers, was made by family and friends. Their participation and presence in our day was by far our favorite part of the wedding.”

Hannah, the brides sister with some help from others (see below) designed the rest of the wedding. I told her she needs to do this for a living…. I am still very serious about that Hannah!!!!!

Vendor information is at the end of the post.

Enjoy one of my favorite weddings of 2011!

Brides dress: Vineyard Bridal Collection, Drew – purchased at Priscilla of Boston in SF
Bridesmaids dresses: Anthropologie
Groom’s suit: Mens Warehouse
Groomsmens suits: Mens Warehouse
Rings: Shane Company
Venue: Chalet View Lodge
Caterer: Lizzie Parker – Chalet View Lodge
Cake: Batch Cupcake in Reno
Flowers: My matron of honors mother – Michele Nowakowski (assembled with the help of her daughters and my bridesmaids)
Centerpieces: candles, mason jars, lighting, picture frame – Christina Perry – Quality Event Designs in Reno
Burlap runners: My mom (Charlotte)
Picture frame props: Hannah
Butterflies: Hannah
Planterboxes: A team effort between Bride’s dad, hannah, my cousin’s husband Jake
Book centerpieces: Bride
Dj:Brian Wilson – DJ mobile entertainment – Reno
Officiant: Dustin Rath (Hannahs boyfriend)
Planning/ day of coordination and Set up:Christina Perry – Quality Event Designs in Reno
Rentals (tent, tables, chairs etc): Camelot Rentals in Reno
Videographer: Hal Ballenger (Bride’s Uncle)
Bridesmaid/Bride hair pieces: Hannah (Bride’s sister)