The Inspiration
There are those serendipitous moments in life that remind you how beautiful life truly is & the inspiration behind this opal inspired Calistoga Ranch wedding was certainly one of them! When dreaming up the design elements for this shoot, I wasn’t quite sure what direction I wanted to go & honestly had a hard time deciding. But then it came to me!
As I sat dreaming about esthetics & color palettes, I found myself fiddling with the ring I was wearing. It was in that moment that I knew there would be nothing more perfect than to design this shoot around my grandmother’s antique opal ring. While I never got a chance to meet her, it was a lovely reminder that a piece of her is always with me.
This was such an incredibly fun shoot to work on and one that was close to my heart for obvious reasons and Kimberly MacDonald Photography & Christy Marie Photography captured it so beautifully! Keep scrolling to see all the gorgeousness from this Calistoga Ranch wedding!
The Beautiful Heirloom Opal Ring
This opal ring was passed down to me from my mother, who received it from her mother. The gorgeous opal center stone is surrounded by an intricate setting adorned with gold filigree and floral details. And I love to wear it!
I centered most of the details of this shoot around this stunning heirloom piece and knew the overall design would be the perfect esthetic for a Calistoga Ranch wedding.
The Gorgeous Venue – Calistoga Ranch
Let’s chat about the venue, which is a show stopper itself! Calistoga Ranch is nestled on 157 secluded acres, covered with 100 year old oak trees and surrounded by vast rolling hills. It is simply gorgeous.
Calistoga Ranch provides the most majestic setting for your wedding and is the epitome of rustic luxury and one of my favorite wedding venues in Wine Country. And I knew it would make for the perfect backdrop for our shoot! If you have never been to Calistoga Ranch, you are absolutely missing out!
The Details
Dreamy Florals
Calistoga Ranch is sprinkled with giant succulents, so Nature Rules Co. and I wanted to incorporate some gorgeous succulents into the floral design as an ode to the natural setting of the venue.
Nature Rules Co. also wanted to choose florals that brought out the iridescent tones of the opal by using soft peaches, and shades of pastel blues and purples. Our goal was to use florals that felt whimsical and romantic with some fun pops of texture mixed in.
Fun fact: I have had several weddings that loved this color palette and used it in their wedding design too! Check out Marie & Scott’s wedding gallery to see how we used this shoot as inspiration for their florals.
Antique Ceremony Fireplace Mantel
While I was dreaming up this shoot, I knew one thing for sure – I wanted an antique fireplace mantel as the ceremony centerpiece. I knew it would be unique but also fit in perfectly with our antique opal esthetic.
After searching high and low (I am picky haha), I finally found the perfect mantel at Cherry’s Very Vintage Rentals. I also really wanted a cascading floral arrangement flowing down the side & top of the mantel and Nature Rules Co. brought my idea to life in a way I could never have imagined! So much gorgeousness!
We constructed our mantel on the the lawn overlooking Lake Lommel with forested mountains as our backdrop. This is such a stunning spot for your ceremony or dinner reception.
Romantic Tablescape
It was really important to me to keep the tablescape design simple, yet whimsical with iridescent touches and gold accents. I also wanted to let the beauty of Calistoga Ranch shine!
I used smoke colored plates from Encore Rentals paired with glass cut plates from CB2 that really caught the light. These elements were an ode to the opal stone in the ring.
For the glassware, I paired gorgeous iridescent wine glasses also by CB2 with gold rimmed goblets from Encore Rentals. I also used gold flatware from Encore Rentals and tied them together with various chiffon and velvet ribbons to add more dimension and texture. Varying the types of fabrics was also a way to pull in the antique/vintage vibe of the ring.
To pull everything together, I used a lavender chiffon table runner from Party Crush Studios that flowed in the wind and really added to the whimsy of our tablescape!
The mismatched candlesticks from Little Rental Co. were the perfect antique touch with beautiful brass and crystal detailing.
The Invitation Suite, Placecards & Vow Books
The Bright Line Studio created the most gorgeous invitation suite for us, pulling so many beautiful details from my opal ring. Opals have flecks of so many different colors that all catch the light and Rachel really played up the lavender and gold palette from the ring. She even created these beautiful white iridescent wax seals and incorporated dreamy lavender silk ribbon to pull the suite together.
Rachel also made really beautiful place cards with handwritten gold calligraphy on pearly paper paired with a white iridescent wax seal.
And last but not least, she made really pretty vow books for us – made with purple covers that had the most beautiful sheen and hand painted details on the front.
The Made with Love Bridal Gown
We chose a stunning gown from Lovely Bride SF, designed by Made with Love Bridal. The handmade floral lace pattern and intricate detailing really drew me to the gown. The lace had a beautiful sheen when it hit the light, especially at sunset.
The Prettiest Cake
This gorgeous cake was made by Cake Coquette and Gabrielle brought my iridescent, whimsical cake dreams to life by adding a pearly sheen to the fondant and incorporating a fun ruffle texture. It was a delicious decadent devil’s food chocolate cake with a mocha fudge filling.
And that’s a wrap on this gorgeous opal inspired Calistoga Ranch wedding! This timeless design with a modern twist will always be one of my favorites! Thank you to our vendor dream team for helping bring my vision to life!
Vendor Dream Team
Photography: Christy Marie Photography & Kimberly MacDonald Photography | Venue: Calistoga Ranch | Florals: Nature Rules Co. | Hair: Afterglow Makeup | Makeup: Unveiling Designs by Heather
Paper Goods & Vow Books | The Bright Line Studio | Cake: Cake Coquette | Bridal Gown Boutique: Lovely Bride San Francisco | Bridal Gown Designer: Made with Love Bridal | Rentals: Encore Rentals
Linen Rentals: Party Crush Studios | Fireplace Mantel | Cherry’s Very Vintage Rentals | Candlestick & Cake Table Rentals | Little Rental Co. | Hair Accessories: Hair Comes the Bride
add a comment
+ COMMENTS