Tierra Retreat Center Wedding
I have been sitting on this Tierra Retreat Center wedding for ages because it was so difficult to narrow down photos! Seriously, every frame from this picturesque mountain wedding gives me goosebumps. Nicole and Adam were such a wonderful couple to work with, and Tierra Retreat Center is such a beautiful natural setting for a wedding. We loved working with Nicole's floral inspiration, which came directly from the lavender fields that bloom in July. And we loved pulling in other inspiration from seasonal florals, our shared love of the outdoors, and the romantic palette we were working with. Overall, we absolutely delighted in being a part of this stunning, seasonally-inspired destination wedding. We were so honored to help Nicole and Adam bring their biggest wedding visions to life through floral design!
Tierra Retreat Center
Tierra Retreat Center sits in the Cascade Mountains, close to Leavenworth - and lots of great outdoor activities! We love crossing the mountain passes to do destination weddings for our couples in such beautiful locations. Tierra Retreat Center is tucked away in a small valley, next to picturesque farm fields and completely surrounded by verdant woods. On its grounds, you'll find many forest paths, as well as a main area with a beautiful lawn and building. The ceremony site lies a short "hike" from the main lodge, surrounded on all sides by stunning forest views and tall evergreen trees. We love the quiet and natural surroundings, the vibrant lawn, and of course, the onsite lavender fields! In the end, they made for such gorgeous backdrops for Nicole and Adam's wedding day.
Seasonally Inspired Wedding Flowers
At the start of our work together, Nicole knew she wanted something different for her wedding at Tierra Retreat Center. The florals were a big part of accentuating the natural beauty of the venue itself, so it was really important to get it right. Nicole envisioned a varied but subtle palette of pink and purple flowers, especially lavender. But she worried that those colors, if done poorly, could look tacky.
Together, we developed a palette that incorporated bright lavender, as well as more subtle tones. As a result, the final look was a beautiful, elegant, and relaxed mix of flowers and foliage. We used a wide variety of botanicals inspired by what was blooming in July, including hot-weather loving dahlias, strawflowers, roses, and of course, lavender. We also sourced white peonies - Nicole's favorite - from our friends in Alaska at Scenic Place Peonies. Lastly, I particularly loved using purple-tinged snowberry foliage (a native forest species) to bring all the colors together.
Here is what Nicole and Adam had to say about working together:
"I knew this would happen, but the florals were the main decor to enhance the venue, and made the wedding feel very 'us.'..[Working together] was so easy, fun, and exciting! You were fantastic. The results were INCREDIBLE, STUNNING, PERFECTION. Exactly what I wanted and more! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You made all of my wedding flower dreams come true...I loved how the colors felt unique and reflected colors that people know I love, but at the same time, they were tasteful, stunning, and really complimented the space. I will gush over them forever!!! THANK YOU!"
A Forest Ceremony to Remember
Obviously, one of the most spectacular parts of any Tierra Retreat Center wedding is the ceremony space. A quick hike through the forest reveals a stunning amphitheatre built from warm wood. Nicole and Adam chose to utilize the existing structure for their ceremony flowers. Initially, we sketched several ideas, and landed on this one: an asymmetrical, but beautiful frame for their ceremony. They also added a gorgeous vintage rug to accentuate the flooring. And of course, the forest views provided a magical backdrop to this ceremony. As a result, we loved seeing them celebrate with all of their family and friends!
Tierra Retreat Center Wedding Reception
After the ceremony, Nicole and Adam held a vibrant reception back at the main lodge, primarily on the lawn. We love the hanging lights, big space, and forest views! As you can see, the main building has a lovely deck that overlooks the lawn, which Adam and Nicole used for their first dances. On the reception tables, we used a mix of bud vases and long floral runners to decorate the tables. At the front, we also loved repurposing some of their ceremony florals for their sweetheart table.
Of course, since this wedding was a hot one - 106F! - everyone took advantage of the hand fans to stay cool. We are very proud of how well our flowers stayed hydrated and looking good without using floral foam! As Nicole said, "Your work is unique and absolutely beautiful, and knowing your sustainability practices really makes it all worth it." We love that our couples care about sustainability, too!
Tierra Retreat Center Wedding Details
To break tradition, Nicole and Adam chose to not have a wedding party at all. Instead, we created wearable floral pieces for them, as well as their family and friends. We loved crafting Nicole's wedding hair flowers and Adam's boutonniere. Her florals look so incredible with her veil! Furthermore, we also loved seeing details like their wedding rings, their first look, and how beautifully the florals looked in such a scenic setting.
We loved crafting this floral palette in a romantic mix of luxurious flowers, stunning foliage, and meadow-inspired textures. We used the best of the flowers seasonally available in July, including dahlias, zinnias, strawflowers, roses, lavender, and Alaskan peonies. In addition, we used lots of foresty foliages and summer meadow-inspired textures. Naturally, this included interesting ingredients like snowberry foliage, unripe raspberries, laceflowers, and Joe Pye weed. You can also see all of these magical botanicals in Nicole's bouquet below. In all honesty, we really love how all of these ingredients bridged the pink and purple color spectrum while keeping it soft and romantic.
Tierra Retreat Center Wedding Tips
Tierra Retreat Center is a long way from Seattle, but it is such a beautiful space that no one will mind. Of course, they do have lots of events throughout the year, so make sure you book well in advance! It's also a great idea to visit the venue before booking, ask lots of questions, and explore what your wedding might look like. It does require a bit more walking on uneven ground than a city venue would, so just keep that in mind for your older guests.
You and your guests can stay at the Tierra Retreat Center, which has plentiful lodging options. The venue is also quite close to Leavenworth, so any of those hotels or lodges would work, too! Unfortunately, there are no real transit options to get out in the mountains, so you and your guests will need cars. Naturally, you should also find vendors who are willing to make the trek across the mountains, and be ready to pay some travel fees. Vendors like your florist, planner, and their teams will all need hotel rooms for at least one night.
Lastly, we can't say enough nice things about the team at Tierra Retreat Center. Jen and her team were lovely to work with and made everything very easy! As always, we are so grateful we could work with such a fabulous team of vendors to make Nicole and Adam's wedding dreams come to life.
Are you thinking about getting married at Tierra Retreat Center? Ready to talk about your wedding? We’d love to chat! You can check your date with us below.
Vendor Team
Thank you to this incredible team of wedding vendors!
Floral & Event Design: Bloom Poet | @bloompoet_
Venue: Tierra Retreat Center | @tierraretreatcenter
Planner: Hummingbird Event Co | @hummingbirdeventco
Photographer: Here Today Photo | @heretodayphoto
Hair & Makeup: Mane by Nono | @manebynono
Catering: Good Mood Food | @goodmoodfood.wa
DJ: Showbiz NW | @showbiznw
Cake & Cupcakes: Sagebrush Sweets | @sagebrush.sweets
Dress: The Dress Theory | @thedresstheoryseattle
Suit: Suit Supply | @suitsupply
Linens: Rent Wenatchee | @rentwenatchee
Votives: Celebrations for Every Season | @celebrations.for.every.season