Rustic meets great gatsby: The story of Alysse & Fernand’s ValHalla Tahoe wedding
As I sit close to the cozy fire it takes me back to last winter, when I was preparing a design for an incredibly special couple.
The crackling fireplace in my living room reminded me of the grand fireplace at Valhalla Tahoe, which was the focal point of this couple’s wedding ceremony and dancing celebrations.
This is the story of Alysse and Fernand’s wedding day through the eyes of their wedding farmer-florist.
Photo Credit: Sierra Flower Farm
Alysse & Fernand’s Wedding Vision
Alysse was a Minden girl who fell in love with Fernand in the Big Apple. The couple wanted their wedding day to be surrounded with the natural beauty unique to Lake Tahoe with a heavy focus on gathering with family friends, after too many years apart from the global unmentionable happenings we are all too familiar with.
Alysse and Fernand are also huge foodies, having good food, drinks and a mouthwatering cake was on the top of the list! Alysse was a wonderful bride to be able to collaborate with, since she came into the process open-minded. Knowing she wanted to use seasonal flowers and something that would bring in a balance of the woodsy- mountainous feel of the Lake Tahoe region with Roaring 20s vibe that the venue already aesthetically had. She wanted to truly embrace the beautiful space, highlight it- not cover it up. It was a May wedding, brightening up the darker stone and wood with cheerful spring colors was a must.
To compliment Great Gatsby vibes we went with gold accents and embraced the deco art.
Valhalla Boat House | Photo Credit: AJ Photography
Valhalla, the history of the venue
Valhalla has two names, it is also known as the Heller Estate. The Valhalla building, along with it’s boat house, sits on land that was once a resort for the rich with three estates taking the cake: Valhalla, The Baldwin House and the Pope House. These were built in the early 20th century with it’s booming popularity landing in the roaring 1920s. To learn a little more history on the building you can read it here.
Valhalla was indeed named after the grand Viking hall of the Norse mythology. With it’s high ceiling, stone, lumber and grand fireplace: it is a grand hall for celebrations and merriment (and no dying in battle to attend!). The fireplace was to be the focal point for the ceremony then into the night with a fire roaring as the couple and their guests danced the night away.
Great Gatsby with Seasonal Flowers!
In the 1920s some favorite wedding flowers were: roses, calla lilies, lilies, wisteria and orchids vining down to create large, cascading bouquets was the trend. We needed to take the over-the-top designs from the 1920s to bring in a more modern and modest touch for this couple’s wedding day.
Late May is when all the beautiful fluffs come into bloom: lush peonies, ruffly ranunculus and anemones. These particular flowers provide a similar look but are more seasonal and modern alternatives for our area to the flowers that would have been commonly found in wedding flowers back in the 1920s. Grasses, seed pods and other textural ingredients were used in homage of the mountainous Tahoe ambiance. If you have ever had the privilege of hiking through one of the many wildflower fields hidden within the Sierras, then you know that amongst wispy grasses and seed pods are flowers that tower above the rest: lupine, penstemon, and California False Hellebore to name a few. The wildflower meadows have a lot of diversity which gives depth and demands a second, third, an hour of staring and exploring the wonders in even a small patch. To bring a similar feeling, we used delphinium, Larkspur then some blooming branches to celebrate the spring wedding. For greenery, along with the first harvested branches from our dusty miller patch, we did incorporate more leafy greenery to once again lace in the roaring 20s vibe by giving the floral designs that green background (plus Alysse loves eucalyptus). With wisteria not being readily available, instead we used lilac and ivy along with some bleeding hearts to incorporate subtle cascade into the designs.
Alysse and Fernando wanted the guests to be greeted from shuttle bus to the wooden steps up to the entrance of the grand hall. On the pillars on either side of the staircase florals crept from the ground to look like natural wildflowers to compliment the Tahoe surroundings. Upon entering the building, a welcome table with florals and light greenery was tucked amongst photos of the couple. Valhalla is also two stories, Alysse wanted to tie the upper part with the down stairs to complete the look. Greenery with pops of hydrangeas and peonies were tied to the upper pillars, made to be easily removed for when the venue switched to hanging bistro lights for the cake cutting and dancing later in the evening.
Photo Credit: AJ Photography
The reception was held outdoors on the back lawn for the guests to better enjoy the mild spring weather that thankfully visited that day! Being foodies who enjoyed cooking fresh vegetarian meals, the couple were most excited about the delicious food from Cherry Bomb Catering. Their wedding cake though, well takes the cake…
Deciding on the cake design and incorporating fresh flowers was one of the last designs finalized but also my personal favorite! Each stem of flower was carefully cleaned and stems dipped in a food safe and vegan friendly food wax to keep the flowers from making contact with food that guests will eat but as a bonus, it keeps the flowers fresher longer. While we were setting up the florals outside the beautiful gold edged cake rolled by us and I found myself holding my breath as it went by! Cake people are brave souls transporting these fragile beauties. Flour Girl Wedding Cake was the baker and designer of Alysse and Fernand’s wedding cake and it was quite a piece of edible art! Vanilla bean cake, apricot preserves swirled with earl grey mousse and finished with an earl grey buttercream… this is still on my bucket list of must try desserts!
Congratulations to Alysse and Fernand!
It was an absolute honor to be your wedding farmer florist for your roaring 20s Tahoe wedding at Valhalla! An incredibly sweet and easy-going couple who wanted to celebrate their union and a reunion with their friends and family in a beautiful place and scrumptious food.
Photo Credit: Sierra Flower Farm
Vendor list for Alysse and Fernand’s Tahoe Wedding:
Each of these vendors poured themselves into making this couple’s day incredibly memorable. A special thanks to AJ Photography for capturing and sharing such stunning photos!
Venue: Valhalla Tahoe
Florals: Sierra Flower Farm
Photography: AJ Photography
Catering: Cherry Bomb Catering
Wedding Cake: Flour Girl Wedding Cake
Wedding Planner: XOXO Wedding
Makeup & Hair: Luna Belle Beauty
Music: Milton Merlos Productions
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Are you getting married in the Northern Nevada or Lake Tahoe area and are wanting the seed to centerpiece experience for your wedding florals? See if we’re a fit by clicking here.