Mandi and Ben's Wedding!

For Mandi and Hidden Valley, it was love at first sight! From her very first tour, Mandi saw the property for all of its beauty and possibilities, and she knew that it would be the perfect place to marry her other love at first sight: Ben. From the very beginning, we knew that Mandi and Ben were going to be a really fun couple to work with. Their family was very involved in the planning. A big group of extended family came to tour the property as they prepared. Brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents all helped to build the detailed elements of the event. Mandi came to Hidden Valley with a clear vision for her wedding, and that vision carried through into a collection of amazing details. With the help of their family, this dynamic couple created a wedding that was well planned and very well executed. We want to share some of their special details with you! 

One of their incredible details appeared right in the men's clothing. Ben took advantage of his wedding day to gather his groomsmen and subtly reveal their super-identities. He made his wedding attire exceptional by equipping each of his groomsmen with awesome cuff-links to reflect their inner heroes. 

This family is handy bunch! They used their creativity and skills to hand-make many of the elements of their wedding. For example, they created a photobooth for their reception. It was assembled in true vintage rustic style, with cute frames and delicate vintage fabric. Mandi and Ben completed the set with masks, hats, and mustaches for dressing up. Their photobooth was a smash hit with the wedding guests! Local Escondido photography company, Dapper Images, did a fantastic job capturing these and all the other amazing shots of the big day!

Many of our couples choose to have a special lovebird's table for their reception. Mandi and Ben chose to place their table on the Wedding Stage. The display was thoughtfully constructed with numerous details including mismatched chairs, vintage picture frames, graceful florals, elegant china, and a celebratory bottle of champagne. Word has it that grandma hand-made the vintage-style chairs! The beautiful florals were constructed by our extraordinary friend Kelly Fiorito with Petals and Lace. 

We were impressed and inspired by Mandi and Ben's signage. The signs used an array of materials, textures, and hand writings to create the rustic, vintage flair that we love at Hidden Valley. The superstar family even built the entire wooden Bar booth themselves! They've inspired us to create our own new signs for the property (keep your eyes peeled for a blog when they're ready!).

As the evening progressed, the entertainment continued. We were especially impressed by the tender moments Dapper Images managed to capture between Mandy, Ben, and their parents during the dancing portion of the evening. It is clear to us that their family shares a lot of love.

Many congratulations to Mandi and Ben! We have nothing but warm wishes to send to you as you begin this new journey. We hope your happiness only continues to grow.

Thanks to the vendors who made this special day possible:

• Photography: Dapper Images
• Florals: Petals and Lace
• DJ: DJ React (949) 842-8465
• Caterer: Out Of This World BBQ
• Bar: GYD Bartenders
• Transportation: Wess Transportation (760) 741-9953

Irish and Peter's Wedding

Just as spring turned to summer, we had the pleasure of hosting Irish and Peter's nuptials at the property. The celebration was charming, but also especially unique and personalized thanks to the couple's creative DIY ideas.

flower arrangement

The pair took advantage of Hidden Valley's unique experience to customize their wedding. They set up craft stations in the event center in order to create beautiful floral arrangements and one-of-a-kind details. The vast property at Hidden Valley truly allowed Irish and Peter's loved ones to experience several special moments with each other doing fun activities.Together they transformed pretty chrysanthemums and stunning proteas into gorgeous, handmade flower arrangements and boutonnieres.

boutonnieres

With a second wave of DIY inspiration, Irish and Peter created their own guest poster rather than opt for a traditional guestbook. They started with a cute bicycle template, then asked their guests to mark the page with their own, brightly-colored thumbprints. The result was a fun, ultra-personal keepsake to commemorate the friends and family that shared this special day with them. 

The happy couple also reinvented the traditional seating card idea. Instead of using individual placement cards to guide guests to their seats, Irish and Peter chose a chalkboard style template to create a series of signs displaying the table number and the names of the guests that were seated there. The seating signs were then hung from a simple line of twine near the Barn House and the Garden Suite. Putting the assignments onto a clothesline evoked a casual, yet practical and pretty style in the great outdoors.

Irish and Peter even dressed up the lighting poles on the property by wrapping them in gauzy chiffon. It was a very simple way to add something special to the dance floor. They even decorated the back of the wooden wedding stage with paper garlands for a little pop of color. Accents of yellow and grey unified the decorations and completed the personal look of this creative wedding!

A big thank you to Photographs by Anjuli for the photos! Congratulations Irish and Peter!! 

Ana & Gina's Wedding

 Every once in a while we come across a couple that exudes love in every sense of the word. Ana and Gina are two people who not only deeply love one another, but perfectly complement the other in every way.

  As a couple planning a wedding from a distance, certain aspects can seem insurmountable. However, Ana and Gina knew exactly how to incorporate their DIY vision throughout the property.

 They incorporated unique elements into every aspect of their wedding day through the use of bright colors and festive decorations. Paper lanterns and giant tissue paper flowers adorned the wedding stage as well as the reception space in the event center.

 Handmade fans had the program printed on one side and their engagement photo on the other. Nestled among the seats were parasols that guests could use if the midday sun became too hot. Both ideas helped everyone stay cool outside and they also served as mementos from the day.

Guests were welcomed into an inviting and intimate atmosphere with the set up at the wedding stage. Instead of being placed in straight lines, the chairs were arranged in a semi-circle. This allowed guests to share in all parts of the ceremony. 

Summoning their inner crafty gurus, these two made use of existing items on the property very well. A vintage clothing rack magically transformed into a seating card display with the help of some crepe paper and creativity.  It became a beautiful and functional focal point in the gallery that reflected the overall theme of the day.

To add ambiance, Ana and Gina draped round bulb lights throughout the gallery and forum. This made for some great sparkle late at night, but enhanced the room during the day, too.

  One of the best ideas was converting our wood armoire in the forum into a dessert buffet. A homemade bunting, crocheted flowers, and photos of the happy couple made this more than just any old dessert table. Colorful treats were tucked away among mason jars filled with wildflowers. Tissue paper flowers and mini lanterns added a bit of whimsy to each shelf, too. All the elements came together and enhanced the most important part of all: the wedding cake!

 Ana and Gina had many creative ideas for their wedding, but to make them a reality, they enlisted the help of their wedding planner, Elisa Suter. She was able to use existing items to solidify a theme that was carried through the entire wedding.

Here are other talented vendors that helped to make the weekend magical:

Wedding Planner- Events by Elisa
String Trio- Ocdamia Strings
DJ- DJ Wong
Photographer- Kaysha Weiner
Caterer- Silvia Stover
Rehearsal Dinner Caterer: Phil's BBQ
Florist- Carlota Garcia, friend
Cake- San Diego Desserts
Cupcakes- Calculated Whisk
Ceremony MC- Paulina Davis, friend
Party Rental- Affair Party Rentals

DIY elements at Hidden Valley

     At Hidden Valley you can personalize all aspects of your wedding! Our chalkboard signs add a DIY touch to your special day and allow your creativity to shine. These boards are also perfect for writing down your wedding menu, as a festive guest book, or even to display a special message to guests when they arrive. You can use these boards as directional signs to inform  guests of important locations on our property, too. Summon your imagination and use colored chalk to match your theme. These stand alone boards are the perfect addition to a wonderful wedding at Hidden Valley!

Sharlene & David's Wedding

 It's been a busy few months here at Hidden Valley, but we wanted to stop amidst the chaos and bring you some gorgeous wedding photos of Sharlene & David. This couple was a joy to work with from start to finish. Just check out the photo of them walking along one of our paths! Visit First & Orange to see more photos of the happy couple enjoying their day and slicing pizza from David's very own Pizza Wagon. Congratulations, Sharlene and David!

Our inspiration shoot and virtual tour

Sometimes it is difficult to visualize exactly where everything is located on our property, so we teamed up with Here Comes the Guide to create a virtual 360 degree tour of our grounds. We decided to stage our own inspiration shoot in order to help future brides create their own Eco-friendly, DIY wedding at our property.

  First thing's first: our wedding stage. We wanted to use simple decorations to accent the ceremony site, so we chose something inspired by summer. A yellow lace trim was tied to each chair down the aisle, as well as to the stairs at the wedding stage altar to define the aisle. The color combination of lemon yellow and olive green was used to enhance the natural setting and give a pop of color against the white chairs we placed on the lawn. Simple, yet sweet!

   Next stop: Reception! We placed round tables on each tier overlooking the wedding stage. Cream colored linens were accented with silver buckets, filled with lemons and cream colored tulle. We wanted a fresh and summery feel, so we had to have mason jars filled with lemonade at each place setting. Sliced lemons, along with red and white striped biodegradable paper straws, were placed in each mason jar for extra fun. To top it all off, deep-hued green napkins were trimmed with our aisle ribbon and a silk marigold carnation to finish the look.

   When nature is the focus of your big day, then Hippocrates Circle is the perfect location. Our towering oak trees make for a visually stunning ceremony space any time of the year. For this outdoor area, we chose to do simple decorations so as not to compete with the surrounding nature. A cream colored burlap runner marked the aisle leading to the stage and small bows decorated each bench down the aisle. Ikea lanterns created a border with soft, glowing light. We used LED lights in particular, so there would be no fire hazards in such a heavily wooded area.

  Overall, our sweet, country style transformed the space without drawing attention away from the natural state of the property. Eco-friendly products and DIY ideas made for a fun celebration without harming the environment. Be sure to view our virtual tour and see our ideas come to life!

All photos by: David Lenhert 

Chris and Amy's Wedding: February 4, 2012

 This couple focused on family and friends for their wedding at Hidden Valley. They utilized the gardens to create an intimate location for their ceremony. Guests joined them on the wedding stage for a lovely service to celebrate their love.

   Shortly after the service the photographer, Albertine Feurer, gathered everyone for a memorable group photo. By gathering everyone in attendance, it makes for a unique twist on a traditional wedding photo.

Since Hidden Valley is more of a DIY location, Amy was able to incorporate her colors and create an elegant atmosphere for the day of her wedding. She brought in elements of nature along the aisle to enhance Hidden Valley's outdoor setting. 

There are so many options when it comes to planning your reception. Take a look at how Amy used the event center to make the celebration come alive.

  Congratulations, Amy and Chris!

Photos by Albertine Feurer