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The couple celebrates the end of their wedding ceremony at this Tierra Retreat Center wedding

Real Weddings, Weddings

Tierra Retreat Center Wedding | Nicole + Adam

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!

The bride and groom embrace, showing off her veil and hair flowers

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.

The couple stands in a lavender field at this Tierra Retreat Center wedding

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.

The bridal bouquet at this Tierra Retreat Center wedding uses seasonally inspired flowers in blush, pink, and purple tones

Wedding reception at Tierra Retreat Center with floral runners down long tables

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!"

The bride and groom hold a bouquet in the forest for their Tierra Retreat Center wedding

The sweetheart table florals at the Tierra Retreat Center wedding reception

Wedding ceremony flowers at the Tierra Retreat Center with couple holding hands

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!

The tall pine trees and wedding florals provide a stunning ceremony backdrop for this Tierra Retreat Center wedding

The groom looks on to his bride lovingly during the wedding ceremony at Tierra Retreat Center

Wedding florals and wooden platform for the wedding ceremony at Tierra Retreat Center

The bride and groom pose with the bridal bouquet at the ceremony

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.

The wedding reception at Tierra Retreat Center

Wedding florals drape the long tables at this Tierra Retreat Center wedding

The first dance at the wedding reception, with pines in the background

The bride and groom enjoy their sweetheart table flowers at this Tierra Retreat Center wedding reception

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!

The groom fans his bride to beat the heat at this Tierra Retreat Center wedding reception

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.

The bride and groom embrace, showing off her hair flowers

The bride and groom enjoy a first look at this Tierra Retreat Center wedding

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.

The bride and groom walk through the woods at this Tierra Retreat Center wedding

A close up of the summer bridal bouquet used in this Tierra Retreat Center wedding

The bride and groom walk through the forest together, holding a bridal bouquet

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.

The bride and groom embrace holding a summer wedding bouquet with roses at the Tierra Retreat Center

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.

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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

Real Weddings, Weddings

Mountain Wedding with Vibrant Summer Blooms

This week, we are celebrating April & Sean’s 2-year anniversary with a look back at their beautiful mountain wedding! These two had always planned to elope in the mountains with a small group of friends and family. Luckily, 2020 didn’t change their plans very much! Their beautiful mountain wedding captured our glorious Seattle summers, when we all find excuses to escape to the trails. With stunning backdrops that included mossy forests, snowy mountain peaks, and grassy fields, this elopement highlights the best landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.

A couple stands on a mountaintop after their wedding

Summer Wedding Flowers

April and Sean gave us so much creative leeway with these florals! We had a few inspiration images that included succulents and peachy tones, but otherwise we were free to capture the magic of summer. We wanted to create a lush, garden-inspired bouquet and personal flowers that felt romantic and vibrant. Additionally, April’s dress was stunning, so we had to make sure the bouquet did it justice!

A bride and groom kiss in the woods holding a bouquet

We also wanted to use only local flowers, since so many beautiful things are blooming this time of year. You can see the best of local summer flowers in these arrangements, including local garden roses, delicate poppies, early dahlias, and fragrant sweet peas. We loved how the colorful arrangements provided a delightful contrast with the moody greens, blues, and whites of the Pacific Northwest scenery.

A couple kisses in front of a lake with a large mountain in the background

A Summer Wedding Road Trip

April and Sean started their day with a fun lunch at a brewery with family and friends. Later, they traveled to a positively magical cabin in the woods, where they started to get ready for their ceremony.

The couple and their closest friends and family eat lunch

The couple visits a brewery before the ceremony

I love these touching photos of Sean’s mom helping him pin his boutonniere, and April’s smart choice of duck boots for the hike in her wedding dress!

The groom's mom helps with the boutonniere

The bride's smart choice of footwear for hiking in a wedding dress!

First Look in the Forest

April and Sean decided to have a first look before their ceremony, which turned out beautifully. The mossy, sun-dappled forest provided the perfect backdrop for this tender moment.

The groom gets ready for the couple's first look

The bride approaches the groom for the first look

The couple walks in the woods holding the bouquet

The spectacular peach, mauve, and blush flowers stand out next to all of the ferns and trees. These photos feel so iconic and thoroughly Pacific Northwest!

Mountain Wedding Ceremony

After their first look, April and Sean headed to their mountain wedding ceremony. This stunning overlook had it all: forest, mountains, and even snow fields!

April added a chic fur wrap to withstand the chilly temperature at the summit. She also touched up her lipstick and looked like a movie star doing it!

The bride touches up her makeup at the mountain

Their closest friends and family gathered on the mountaintop to celebrate together. It was such a sweet moment with the perfect mountain wedding backdrop.

The couple exits their mountaintop ceremony for that just married look!

They took some gorgeous pictures together at an overlook. Afterwards, they experienced an incredible sunset together, and headed back to the cabin for a fun celebration with their family and friends.

The just-married couple pose for a photo, holding the bouquet

The couple walking back from the mountain

The bride and groom embrace, highlighting the bride's fur shawl

The couple stands on a lakeside boardwalk

A couple embraces at sunset at an alpine lake

Summer Bridal Bouquet

There are so many beautiful summer flowers in July, when everything suddenly catapults into bloom! And actually, this bouquet could only have been created in July. It’s the only month where the last local spring blooms like poppies and sweet peas are available alongside true summer flowers like dahlias.

A closer look at the bridal bouquet full of poppies, roses, dahlias, and cosmos

We know it can be difficult to know what flowers are in season, or to identify what flowers you like in a photo. (Your florist should definitely be able to help you with this!!) Take a look at the list of blooms we used to create this gorgeous summer bouquet for April and Sean’s mountain wedding:

Astilbe
Clary sage
Dahlias
Garden roses
Cosmos
Spray roses
Succulents
Sweet peas
Raspberry and blueberry foliage

We sourced all of these flowers from local farms or our own gardens, and they were all grown sustainably. We love supporting our local farmers – especially when they give us such incredible materials to work with!

Close up details of the bridal bouquet flowers

Next Steps

We know it can feel overwhelming to plan a wedding - especially right now. It is our job to make you feel confident, empowered, and excited about your floral and event design! We love worrying about all of the details so that you don't have to, and we'd love to hear what you're dreaming up. You can click below to inquire about your date. We can't wait to meet you!

INQUIRE NOW

Vendor Team

Floral Design: Bloom Poet | @bloompoet_

Photography: Between the Pine | @betweenthepine

Dress: BHLDN | @bhldn

a couple holding each other, the bride with her bouquet wearing white furs

Real Weddings, Wedding Venues, Weddings

Winter Destination Wedding at Mountain Springs Lodge | Pacifica + Evan

Winter Destination Wedding at Mountain Springs Lodge

From the moment I met with Pacifica, I knew this destination wedding would be absolute perfection. This winter wedding at Mountain Springs Lodge had it all - drama, glamour, and sweet, intimate moments. Pacifica was inspired by the snowy landscape, the towering mountains, and creating a refined and elegant experience for her intimate wedding. Of course, we leaned into all of the luxurious details to ensure that this romantic destination wedding would be unforgettable.

A couple embracing at sunset on their wedding day, in the snow, holding bouquet

Mountain Springs Lodge

Mountain Springs Lodge sits in a valley just outside of Leavenworth, WA in the Cascades. We love the way the landscape transforms across the seasons. In winter, the lodge receives a generous blanket of snow, allowing them to offer sleigh rides, cross-country skiing, and more. (You'll see why this detail matters later!) Naturally, it was a wonderful choice of venue for a destination wedding!

A white bouquet with evergreens and pops of blue flowers, sitting in the snow

Romantic Winter Wedding Ceremony

To begin, Pacifica and Evan chose to hold their ceremony outside to embrace the incredible views of the mountains. The wedding ceremony took place just outside of Mountain Springs Lodge, next to their large fountain. We installed a lush floral wedding arch for the ceremony, complete with blooms and evergreen foliage. In addition, we lined the aisles with evergreen garland, all framing the view of the mountains perfectly. Amazingly, the lovely couple even got sunshine while reading their vows - perfection!

Wedding floral arch at Mountain Springs Lodge

The couple saying their vows in front of wedding floral arch

The couple standing at their wedding ceremony with mountains in the background

Of course, one of my favorite parts of this winter wedding was the handfasting ceremony. This ancient tradition is where “tying the knot” comes from! In this instance, we used luxurious hand-dyed silk ribbons from Silk & Willow for this handfasting ceremony. Pacifica and I were both obsessed with the one-of-a-kind blue botanical print ribbon, made with flower petals. You can see this stunning design in the second and third photos, as well as in her bridal bouquet.

The beginning of the handfasting ceremony with hand-dyed silk ribbon

The botanical print hand-dyed silk ribbon being used in handfasting ceremony

Final handfasting ribbon for wedding ceremony

The couple literally ties the knot with silk ribbon from their handfasting ceremony

After the ceremony, Pacifica and Evan had the perfect "just-married" smiles! Obviously, we love seeing how happy couples look right after their ceremony! Pacifica and Evan also made a particularly glamorous exit on a horse-drawn sleigh. Mountain Springs Lodge offers sleigh rides in the winter, which these two took full advantage of. I don't think we've ever seen a wedding exit quite so glamorous!

The couple have their first kiss as a married couple

The couple, just married, walking down the aisle smiling

The couple exiting their wedding ceremony towards a horse-drawn sleigh at Mountain Springs Lodge

The happy couple waving from their sleigh ride

A stunning image of the happy couple's horse-drawn sleigh in the snow, with mountains in the background

Elegant Winter Wedding Reception

Mountain Springs Lodge has a stunning rustic wood interior, which we transformed into an elegant, romantic experience for their guests through floral and event design. With event design, we help couples think through all of the aesthetics of their events. We source linens, place settings, and other rentals to create a cohesive design like this. Of course, for this wedding, no detail went unnoticed! From luxe velvet table linens to gorgeous wedding centerpieces, we ensured that Pacifica and Evan’s destination wedding would have an elegant and refined look throughout.

Wedding reception tables at Mountain Springs Lodge

Sweetheart Table settings at Mountain Springs Lodge

The sweetheart table and mantle floral installation

A close-up image of the plating for wedding guest tables

The hand-lettered menus on top of velvet green napkins

The cake table with stunning sugar flowers

Wedding reception setup with focal point of the fireplace and mantle for speeches

Destination Wedding Design Details

Pacifica and Evan asked us to do both floral and event design for this destination wedding, which we loved! For this winter wedding, Pacifica knew she wanted to incorporate evergreens and anemones in her designs, with a pop of blue. We used white flowers like anenomes, ranunculus, roses, and stock for all of our florals. Additionally, we incorporated touches of silver brunia, touches of blue delphinium, and lots of Pacific Northwest evergreens. And for her bouquet, we used the same stunning hand-dyed botanical silk ribbon that was used in the handfasting ceremony. Personally, I am obsessed with her hairpiece - I would wear this every day if I could! We also have to note here that both Pacifica and Evan have amazing hair and style!!

A bride with red hair and gorgeous flowers in her hair

The couple embracing in the snow, holding the bouquet

Evan with a boutonniere, smiling in the snow

The couple standing at their wedding ceremony

The couple holding hands in the snow, in a black and white image

In addition, we designed all the details of the wedding reception to create elegant, romantic tablescapes. We used navy velvet linens and gauzy white table runners as a base for these lush floral arrangements. Then, we also added romantic taper candles on antique silver bases. Along with candles, we used several rentals from CORT Party Rentals for the place settings, including silver beaded chargers, silver-rimmed glasses, and chic silverware. Lastly, we added green velvet napkins, floral touches, and the gorgeous menus and customized name cards to every plate. We love the way the overall look came together!

Sweetheart table details like candles, menus, and wax seals for this romantic wedding reception

Destination Wedding Tips

First, if you are planning a destination wedding, make sure you visit your venue before booking! You will want to be able to envision your wedding day. Plus, it’s a great excuse for a long weekend away.

Of course, destination weddings are also more logistically challenging for your vendors. Make sure you choose vendors who love to travel, and are willing to do so. It’s also a great idea to have a wedding planner who can help with all the moving pieces.

Lastly, we highly recommend that you stay at your destination for several days before the wedding! You don’t want to worry about jet lag, travel times, or other logistics right before your wedding day. Instead, arrive early enough to enjoy your destination for a few days and unwind before the big day.

Ready to talk about your destination wedding? We’d love to chat! You can check your date with us below.

CHECK YOUR DATE