East Meets West Willows Lodge 2016 Weddings in Woodinville Recap

~The following is a guest post from Rebecca Grant, New Creations Weddings, Weddings in Woodinville 2016 Guest Planner for Willows Lodge~ 

Willows Lodge was turned into an Asian-inspired “East Meets West” theme for this year Weddings in Woodinville.  As the guest planner for Willows, and wanting to feature my specialty and knowledge in Asian weddings, I wanted to transform the space into a warm, inviting space with nods to Japanese traditions.

My favorite aspect of the design had to have been the outdoor pergola ceremony area.  Guests were welcomed to the outdoor ceremony space featuring a chandelier made of 1,001 paper cranes that are always part of Japanese weddings.  These cranes were actually used in one of my past brides weddings, and made with love by her family members.  She then gifted them to me knowing I would use them more than her.  What a gift and treat to be able to display these gorgeous handcrafted cranes for this show.

In addition to the show stopping crane centerpiece, Eleanor of Bash and Bloom provided draping of greenery that came out from the chandelier to the corners of the pergola, creating a very northwest and softer feel.  Soft fabric draping from Aria Style was put as a backdrop to the greenery so it stood out against the dark wood.  At night the pergola was stunning with warm fuchsia up lighting installed by Crimson Haze Event Lighting.

Inside, guests were welcomed to five display tables, with one being the main focal point.  The beautiful, patterned focal point table was draped in linens and chargers from BBJ Linens, while the glassware and utensils were features from Pedersen’s Rentals.  The side display tables were kept simpler but with different details that tied into the main display table with paper elements such as menus and place cards from Paper Passionista and calligraphy by Letters by Ellen.  I even featured chopsticks and crane chopstick holders that matched the décor perfectly!

On either end of the room were additional décor elements with one side featuring a gorgeous greenery wall backdrop for the stunning display cake created by Kara from The Sweet Side.  Directly next to the cake display was an exquisite gown from Le Salon Bridal that tied in with my Asian design.  It was not only by a Japanese designer, but it also featured back detail that looked like origami. 

On the opposite wall, guests could get off their feet for a bit and enjoy the delicious food offerings from Willows Lodge that tied in perfectly with the Asian-inspired theme.  The Ahi tuna and the Mongolian beef bites were to die for!  Guests could also wonder around the foyer area featuring entertainment from Nash Fung Magician and pop into the photo booth provided by 321 Foto, all while Brandon Ghorley DJ was playing upbeat tunes.

First thing to do if you're newly engaged

First thing to do if you're newly engaged is a guest blog post by Valley & Company Events

O'Malley Photography

While it’s so much fun to share your joy with everyone, we know how quickly the excitement can turn to an overwhelming and uneasy feeling of we don’t know! We have one sage piece of advice we’ve been telling our couples since 2003 that we wanted to share:

Take a deep breath. Enjoy. And have a serious talk about what’s most important to you both for your wedding and the planning process itself.

After all, your engagement is a journey and one of your first adventures you’re embarking on before you meld your lives together. We encourage you to assess the key details before you settle on a date, tell the world they’re invited, and dive into a budget.

Llanes Weddings

What’s most important to you both can mean a number of things, but consider:

• Location – are you both from elsewhere but live in a city together? Will you bring friends and family to that location and have a fun destination wedding for them and share your new digs? Will you travel and plan from afar to tie the knot in your hometown?
• Ambiance – what do you envision for the ceremony? Something traditional in a church or on a rooftop? An intimate cocktail party where a wedding happened of a beautiful reception party for 400? Do you want guests to come from the weekend and stay together at a resort or on an island?
• Figure out who loves what (or if you both enjoy everything!). We often find that our couples have different interests so one may enjoy planning the look and feeling of the wedding like flowers, the linen choices, lighting, and the visuals. The counterpart may really enjoy great food and cocktails and want to head that up or absolutely love music and want to create a festive vibe through sound and the menu.

Alante Photography

Remember to enjoy the process and have fun with it!

~Aleah and Nick Valley, Valley & Company Events

Congratulations New Creations Wedding Design & Coordination: Wedding Wire Couples' Choice Winner

New Creations Wedding Design & Coordination is thrilled to announce that they have been voted in the top 5% of wedding pros by their couples as determined by their Wedding Wire reviews. Weddings in Woodinville prides itself on working with the best in our industry and we send our heartfelt congratulations out to Rebecca!

"Thank you to all of our past, current and future couples!  Truly appreciate all the amazing words of love and being able to be a part of your wedding day!" ~ Rebecca

Rebecca brought her Asian wedding expertise to the 2016 Weddings in Woodinville tour as our guest planner for Willows Lodge.

The Lodge at Fall City Farms by Herban Feast Debuts as the Region’s Newest Outdoor Venue

One of our favorite catering companies, Herban Feast Catering & Events, has expanded their family of outdoor venues. The Lodge at Fall City Farms is a beautiful, rustic retreat in Snoqualmie Valley set on a 3-acre outdoor farm with stunning mountain views, a 5,000 square-foot Northwest-style lodge, wraparound decks that bring the outdoors in, expansive lawns, and overnight accommodations for 16. 

Escape the city and bask in the rural foothills of Mt. Si at The Lodge at Fall City Farms.

Stress-free planning includes catering by the award-winning Herban Feast and beautiful event styling and décor services from the Herban Design Studio. 

The iconic Northwest-style lodge features stone fireplaces, vaulted ceilings, and Douglas fir floors. Overnight accommodations are available for up to 16 guests.

Perfect for an event large or small, The Lodge accommodates seated indoor events up to 100 and outdoor events for up to 500. Expansive outdoor lawns offer space and flexibility for a variety of different activities. 

Schedule a private site visit or reserve your date by contacting Herban Feast at (206) 932-4717.

Bridal Fashion Pairing from Le Salon Bridal Boutique & Bridal Shop

The following is a guest blog post from Le Salon Bridal Boutique & Bridal Shop who were featured at Willows Lodge during the 2016 Weddings in Woodinville tour.

The Seattle #LSStylists (Le Salon Bridal Boutique & Bridal Shop) were excited to work with Rebecca Grant from New Creations for this year’s Weddings in Woodinville Wine Tour.

Our tour site was at Willows Lodge and in producing our presentation, the girls were tasked with picking the right bridal fashion to go with Rebecca’s “East Meets West” Theme. Rebecca and New Creations specializes in wedding planning for Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, and Samoan Weddings.

To help inspire brides in how they can coordinate the elements of their wedding dress with decor, we followed 3 simple steps.

Visit us at Willows Lodge to see the beautiful Junko Yoshioka piece we paired with our custom Paradiso Couture Italian Veil. Junko Yoshioka is a New York City based fashion designer apprenticed in Italy. She has been the recipient of various awards and other recognitions, including first place (bridal) at the Millennium Designer Invitational (Tokyo 2000), and was named as one of the Top 100 Influential Japanese People in the World by Japanese Newsweek (2007).

Her signature design style encompasses sweeping silhouettes, asymmetrical cuts and unique hand-crafted details, often creating extra texture and dimension by juxtaposing silks with less traditional materials such as leather and wool.

Store Address | LS Bridal Shop Seattle 1631 15th Ave W Ste 119, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone | (217) 215-2158 Text | (847) 920-4870

By Appointment Only | Seattle Tuesday – Friday: 10 AM – 8 PM Saturday: 10 AM – 6 PM Sunday & Monday: Limited

Located in the historic Queen Anne neighborhood, Le Salon’s 3rd location in Seattle offers a New York style showroom to try on the hottest designers from around the world – from Julie Vino , Lian Rokman of Tel Aviv to Atelier Pronovias of Barcelona.

You work one-on-one with your certified personal stylist and the boutique is all yours for 1 hour. To Request an Appt. you will need to fill out your Style File so you can highlight your top picks and best times for you.  A stylist will confirm available appointment times with you within 2 hrs.* of receiving your Style File.  No appointments will be confirmed by your stylist until your Style File is uploaded.

*during our hours of operations