Romantic fall wedding at Bernardus Lodge and Spa

Weddings

Feb 24

Groom kisses bride's cheek in a vineyard at sunset at Bernardus Lodge and Spa in Carmel Valley.

Nestled in the rolling hills of Carmel Valley rests the beautiful luxury wedding venue Bernardus Lodge and Spa. Capable of hosting both small and large gatherings, the sprawling garden venue still provides an intimate and tranquil setting for every celebration. The property has large, well-designed rooms for couples and their guests to stay and get ready in, an open lawn area for large cocktail party gatherings, a quiet rose garden for romantic wedding ceremonies, and a picturesque vineyard for timeless portraits. All-in-all, Bernardus Lodge and Spa is one of the most gorgeous venues I’ve had the honor of capturing.

And for Lisa and Ryan’s wedding day, the luxury venue was the perfect place for the high school sweethearts to share their vows and celebrate with their 200-plus friends and family members who traveled across the world to be with them on their special day.

An autumnal garden party with warm neutrals

Leaning into their November wedding, the soon-to-be newlyweds—and their talented wedding planner team Sunshine Events—opted for warm neutrals, soft pinks, and rich terracottas for their color palette. Starting with their outfits, the bride was in a beautiful floral lace gown with a cathedral veil, wearing heirloom jewelry, while the groom opted for a cream suit and tie, classic white shirt, black shoes, and a vibrant floral boutonniere. Together, they truly stood out against their lush venue surroundings. For their wedding party, the groomsmen wore matching cream suits and ties with the groom and the bridesmaids went for silk dresses—the bride’s two maid of honors wore soft pinks while the rest of the bridesmaids wore champagne.

The stunning florals created by The Flora Club were whimsical, sophisticated, and timeless. They too carried the warm neutral and pink theme throughout the day, from the scraps included for their detail photos and the stunning ombre ceremony arch to the centerpieces and bud vases that decorated each reception table. The florals both complemented the wedding’s overall color palette and the lush garden atmosphere of their wedding venue, while adding pops of color and the feeling of abundance throughout the entire day.

Celebrating love and honoring family

After practically growing up together, it only made sense for Lisa and Ryan’s wedding day to not only be about their love for each other, but for their families too. The bride honored her mother, sisters, mother-in-law, and best friends by setting aside time on her wedding morning to get ready with them all! They wore matching robes, did their makeup together, shared a meal, and took photos before getting dressed and getting her married. Ryan and his groomsmen spent the morning hanging out, practicing his vows, and getting excited for the day ahead.

They also made sure to add plenty of time into their wedding day timeline for group photos with their wedding party and families! We took photos of everyone together, just the bridesmaids and just the groomsmen, and individual portraits with the couple and each member of their party. We also made sure to list out the different family groupings they wanted in advance to make sure we didn’t miss a single photo. This helped to make the process seamless, quick, and easy! And everyone was able to feel included, important, and loved.

And with so many of their loved ones traveling from far and wide to be with them, including many family members coming all the way from Japan, it was very important that the newlyweds had time to mingle with their guests and take photos with each and every one of them. During cocktail hour, we did a mix of candid and group photos on request, and during their reception, we played the table dash game and managed to get photos with all 20-plus tables in under thirty minutes! During the game, they were able to honor their guests with hugs, kisses, and thank you’s, and also allowed their loved ones an opportunity to congratulate them and share in this special moment.

Finally, at the end of the day, the bride shared a choreographed dance with her father! Their dance was sweet, sentimental, elaborate, and very fun to watch. The choreography allowed for the bride to interact with their loved ones that lined the dance floor, including her grandmother, and to truly honor the love she has for her parents. And when it was over, her father sweetly offered the dance floor to his new son-in-law for the couple’s first dance.