A Midsummer's Eve Inspiration Shoot

 The beginning of fall just beckons for a romantic, rustic wedding...doesn't it? We're always interested in creating inspirational shoots for our prospective brides because it allows one to see the infinite possibilities at Hidden Valley. Originally, we wanted to create an inspiration shoot that conveyed a theme with bohemian accents, but when we met with our friends at The Bee and the Bobbin and Chris Wojdak Photography, we found a new theme for inspiration: A Midsummer Night's Dream.

  What better way to celebrate the transition from summer to autumn than with woodsy elements and a warm, inviting atmosphere. Rich color schemes, lush floral arrangements, and romantic lighting transformed our property into a landscape worthy of any Shakespearean sonnet. Fading sunlight set the trees aglow and enhanced the natural beauty of the surroundings. Every detail hearkened back to a time when woodland fairies and young love ruled the world.

  Take a look at the amazing work of all of our vendors and see the entire gallery on Style Me Pretty's Little Black book blog!

Venue: Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa 
Photography: Chris Wojdak Photography 
Concept, florals, and event styling: The Bee and the Bobbin
Linen: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental
Rentals: Pow Wow 
Cakes: Cake Ball Love 
Dress: Lovey by Isha 
Paper: Paper Scissors Print 
Bride’s Jewelry: Mimi & Lu

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

Chris & Christy's Wedding

 Chris and Christy are a vintage match made in heaven. This lovely couple incorporated unique elements (check out the amazing brooch bouquet!) into their wedding and truly made the day their own. Take a look at some of our favorite photos, taken by the talented Stephanie Olvera. Enjoy!

Getting creative at Hidden Valley!

As some of you might know, Hidden Valley is the perfect place for family reunions, church getaways, weddings and more. We recently had a group of girls from a church stay at our property for a few days in order to bond and explore together. All the girls participated in many different team-building activities and discovered Hidden Valley's numerous gardens, plants and trees. The group then came together to create hand painted, customized signs that are now placed around our property identifying different plant life. In the picture below you can see one of the girls holding her handmade sign titled, "Fiona's Enchanted Garden." Why not stop by and paint your own? We would love to have you add your creative flair to our gardens and other outdoor areas!

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!

The Self Heal School Women's Retreat

We have so many wonderful groups staying at Hidden Valley this summer. If you haven't heard of the Self Heal School of Herbal Studies, now's your chance! This organization focuses on learning about plants, plant medicines, and other practices that can enhance a person's health and well being. We're very excited to have them staying with us in August! Read on for more information about this wonderful organization:

21st Annual Women’s Retreat

Since 1989 Self-Heal School has been hosting annual events inviting women to come together to share and celebrate women’s healing arts. This year’s retreat will take place August 10-12 at the former residence of the late healer and teacher, Doctor Bernard Jensen, in the secluded foothills of Escondido. This 11-acre garden paradise boasts a pool and Jacuzzi, gardens and fruit trees, waterfalls, shady groves, open vistas, comfortable quarters and beautiful expansive common areas for group activities. The retreat offers women a chance to relax and be nurtured, to heal their body, mind and heart, and to renew and rejuvenate. Six delicious vegetarian meals are served.

Arriving on Friday, women settle in their quarters and get comfortable, swim in the pool, soak in the Jacuzzi, or walk the garden paths. Women are offered the choice of several workshops in each of five workshop periods. Friday night teachers introduce themselves and the workshops they’ll be offering such as dancing, art, singing and music therapy, transpersonal psychology, nutrition, and herbal and energy healing. Some of the workshop titles include: Your Wonderful Womb; Stress - how to use it to strengthen yourself; Herb Walk Around the Ranch; Intro to Human Design - making decisions in alignment with your life plan; Sounding and Singing Meditation; Marriage and Family Therapy in a Bottle; Taking Care of our Energy Bodies; Developing Abundance Consciousness; Self-Journeying with Music Therapy; and Creating Magic Wands. Other activities include an Herbal Spa Saturday afternoon, a Talent Show Saturday night and a Barter Faire on Sunday morning.

Jane Richmond, retreat coordinator, chooses great teachers for their knowledge, experience and enlightened awareness. Women attending these events experience renewed spirit, joy, laughter, new friendships and transformation, as well as learning self-healing arts that they can use in their everyday life and share with others.

Cost: $345 assigned bed, $315 bring a cot or mat. Pay in full by July 27 to receive a $50 Early Bird discount.

Self-Heal School, owned and operated by John Finch and Jane Richmond, also offers classes and workshops in local plant identification, shamanism, herbal medicine-making and therapies, holistic nutrition, aromatherapy, energy healing, and holistic herbal clinic operation.

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!