San Diego Union-Tribune’s Regina Elling, of the Ramona Sentinel, recently walked the halls of Mt. Woodson Castle, a venue that lies close to our hearts. Due to its tantalizing history for the occult, this historic Castle is a hotspot for San Diego spiritualists during this time of the year. In her article, Regina wonders if the spirit of the Castle’s original owner, Amy Strong, has abandoned the historic site. As we reflect on all of our magical experience at the Castle, any thoughts of spirits are usually at the BAR!
Ghost jokes aside…
For the first time since our partnership with Mt. Woodson Castle, which began about a decade ago, the corridors and kitchens are eerilyquiet. If there ever was a spirit, we believe the warmth from our events and respect for the Castle’s history pleased it. Due to the shutdowns caused by Covid-19, you can feel the stones themselves miss the vibrant flow of life from the 100+ weddings per year it was accustomed to. One benefit of this year’s unexpected time-off is that the Castle has never been in such great shape! The Mt. Woodson Castle staff have been busy adding their own personal touch to top-secret historic renovations among the halls. Hopefully, with the start of the new year, guests will appreciate the resurrection of this gorgeous venue’s splendor!
First and foremost is to have fun with your ideas for these centerpieces. Your guests are going to be sitting in front of these most of the night, so make sure they’re memorable. Otherwise, why bother with the effort? The picture below came from a wedding venue where the Bride chose to make the centerpieces herself, and the bay-side location inspired her to set up this simple and affordable beachy display.
First, she collected the (FREE) sand, shells, and stones from her local beaches over the months she was wedding planning. Then she snagged the vases, gold leaf, and extra-large gold metal rings from a craft shop. She hand-painted each jar meant for the candles, each shell with the gold leaf, and used the gold rings as guides for the last step: floral accents. Sticking some adorable succulents into the sand-filled vases was a piece of cake, and the eucalyptus just needed a little wire to adhere it to the rings for that perfect circle. Put it all together, and she got an easy-breezy centerpiece! It was simple, affordable, and memorably unique.
Photographer: Aldous Photo
Content!
Don’t be afraid to reach outside of the flower shop. Almost anything can be used in a centerpiece, whether its candles, vases, garland, flowers, lanterns, or even food! Trust us, artichokes and heads of lettuce can be beautiful if paired with the right table decor.
Below, the florist used different shaped vases of varying heights to hold all the eye-catching flowers not commonly seen in the wedding world. No two flowers looked exactly alike, but collaboratively they harmonized because nothing seemed unbalanced or out of place!
Photographer: Studio Carre Photographie
Multiple Uses
Plan on moving those statement pieces!
Events rarely keep the guests in a single space the entire night. An average wedding will move the party up to fourtimes over the day from ceremony space, to cocktail hour, the dining area, then finally to the dance floor. Using the same arrangements for different places will give you the most bang for your buck, without diminishing their splendor! What decorated the aisle can decorate the sweetheart table. Those Bridesmaids bouquets are now for the dining tables. In the picture below, we can see how some centerpieces even double as favors for guests to take home at the end.
Plan to use flowers that are in season around the month of your event! It will be easier on your florist, and you’ll surely receive the freshest arrangements guaranteed not to wilt halfway through the night.
Some flowers, like roses and succulents, thrive all year, but asking for gardenias in the middle of December might make for a sad display on the table, and in your wallet. Some of the best Summer and Spring flowers are:
Sweet Peas
Cherry/Apple Blossoms
Hydrangeas
Peonies
Daisies
Coordination and Florals by Penny Blooms Weddings and Events
Considering table shape and size while planning your centerpiece is necessary. It never hurts to test out your plans ahead of time to save you in the long run. Hindsight is 20/20, but not very helpful at the moment.
Some general guidelines are: If your tables are long, the “center” is technically more significant, so plan accordingly. The opposite goes for smaller, more intimate tables. So try not to engulf the Bride and Groom behind a tidal-wave of flowers if they’re not at a giant head table to even everything out.
The centerpieces should be a continuation of the event’s overall theme and appealing to the eye, but not so over-the-top distracting that it seems like somebody dumped a whole shrubbery on the table. They should tie together the room decor with the table settings. Smoothly draw attention from the grand statement pieces to small accents. The picture below is of a table that we think blended effortlessly with its surroundings.
The attention-catchers were the silver metallic accents and peacock green of the napkins, so the florist chose to accentuate those with some refreshing eucalyptus and clouds of white flowers. The tables naturally reflected the abundance of natural light in the room, and everything seemed to glow!
We highly encourage varying the heights of your decor pieces. It creates a positive depth and dimension to the table. What we tend to warn our clients against is a centerpiece that impedes line of sight and is too tall for guests to see each other from across the table.
No matter how beautiful, if the guests have to lean around your centerpieces to be part of the conversation, they’ll see it as a joke and remember the inconvenience instead of the artistry. The “Wilson Test” is from the TV show Home Improvement. The next-door neighbor character, Wilson Wilson Jr., was only ever seen from the eyes up over the wooden fence separating each backyard. Once you finish setting up your centerpiece, sit down with a friend on the opposite side of your arrangement, and see if their whole face is visible. Wilson was great on the show, but maybe not the best at your event.
Rule of thumb is to keep your decorations no higher than about 10″ from the tabletop. If you’ve got grand designs that reach for the sky, we say try to stay as skinny as possible between 10″-20″ from the tabletop and make sure to use sturdy tables! Too tall and things get wobbly.
Photographer: By Amy Lynn Photography
See Beyond Your Event
What happens to your centerpieces at the end of the night?
Are they going back with the florist? Home with you or the guests? The night doesn’t end for you when the music stops. Consider your transportation options–meaning packing boxes, vehicles, and size constraints before the day of the event! This way, you’ll never be stuck at the end of the night, exhausted, past your check-out time, saddled with twelve flower arrangements, and an irritated venue manager with no ride trying to figure out what to do.
Keeping our guidelines in mind will hopefully help point you in the right direction, but it all comes down to eyeballing your handiwork and being flexible at the moment of the event. Be willing to play around with your centerpiece ideas and remember to stay true to yourself and your theme!
Thanks to all the fantastic photographers and florists mentioned above!
The Garter and Bouquet Toss are infamous and time-honored traditions at weddings. Unfortunately, the reaction to this tradition from guests can be an unpredictable mixed bag.
We got our experts together to cook up some fresh twists to help rejuvenate this wedding ritual, so old customs can be tailor-fit to you as a couple on your big day!
15 Ways to Spice Up Your Bouquet or Garter Toss!
Consolation Prizes
-Kids Prizes:Weddings with lots of children might want to encourage a separate kids-toss with fun prizes so the adult toss can be ore traditional. This way, everyone feels included, and nobody accidentally gets stepped on during the excitement!
-Cash Incentive (AKA Singles for the Singles): Placing a bit of money on the bouquet, or with garter, before the toss can add a little motivation for your guests to claim the prize! Gift cards are a fun alternative as well and could encourage future romantic dates for the lucky winner.
-Bottle of Booze: Winning a bottle of something enticing to accompany the bouquet or garter might also promote a little more interest from guests!
New Methods: Fresh perspective on old fun!
-Hot Potato: (Similar to musical chairs, but with fewer chances for accidental injuries.) While a song plays in the background, guests can pass the garter or bouquet around in a circle until the music stops. The one left holding the prize is the lucky winner!
-Box of Treasure:Have guests pick a key out of a mixed pile to unlock a box or birdcage with the award.
-Ribbon Pull: An old European version of this tradition. Many false ribbons are held in the Bride’s hands above her head, with one secret winner tied around the bouquet. Everyone pulls at the same time, and the right ribbon pulls the prize!
-Toss the Boutonniere:If you still want to throw something to the single men, but you don’t want the scandal of the garter toss, then toss the boutonniere – but take the pins out first!
-Football/Three Flies Up: Easier to throw and catch, especially concerning the garter; a football can be a natural alternative. This saves the integrity of the bouquet and modesty of the Bride.
Pranks: For couples who love to laugh together.
– Blindfolded “Quick Switch”: Groomsmen dress up as the Bride.
-Magic Trick: Pull random items from beneath the dress stashed out of sight behind the Bride.
-Breakaway Bouquet: Throw a “Breakaway Bouquet” made of separated flowers, so everyone in the crowd gets one!
-Gender-Bend: Surprise unsuspecting guests by swapping outfits, and reverse the garter retrieval! See who “wears the pants” in the relationship. *wink wink*
Or, toss the tradition entirely.
-Anniversary Dance: Honor the longest-married couple by giving them the bouquet.
-Cake Pull: Many variations of this technique exist, but it is popular in Southern traditions and similar to a “King Cake” from Mardi Gras celebrations. Small charms placed in a cake or cupcakes for participants indicate different types of prizes, such as good fortune in money or love. By either pulling a ribbon to extract the charm or eating the cake, guests can see what they’ve won. Be sure to warn guests before they take a bite!
-Pass The Torch: Give the Bouquet to the next Bride-to-Be with a wedding coming up. The ribbon or other decoration from that bouquet can be for “something borrowed” on her wedding day.
Have fun with the tradition and make it fit your personality however you see best!
Guests will be delighted by any efforts to keep it alive in your unique way.
In Part Five, we talked about our lazy, “Sunday Kind of Love” wedding themes. If we were to categorize this next theme, we’d have to say it was for our “Hometown Honeys.”
One of the most popular and versatile themes last season was a love for the Rustic!
Rustic Romantic, Rustic Bohemian, Rustic Vintage, even Rustic Alternative couples have loved throwing a little of this flair into almost every wedding motif.
Specifically, when we’re picturing this homey concept, we imagine romantic string lights, mason jars, lots of lace, twine, dark or unfinished wood, barns, trees, mountains, ranches, and the rural outdoors.
Best of all…Every dining style fits this motif!
Buffets tend to be the most popular option for couples choosing to go along with the less formal feel of this theme, but Seated Dinners and Moving Style/Small Plate receptions work flawlessly too.
Check out some of our favorite venues below for a little inspiration.
This gorgeous 1939 ranch is rich in history and tucked into the canyons of Carlsbad. With is classic Spanish influence, wild roaming peacocks, and great outdoor space, it’s perfect for couples who are looking for that unique rustic charm.
We can’t blame couples for falling in love with the pastel color pallet that comes naturally here.
We’re always fans of the crisp white, sage green, warm terracotta, and the signature Leo Carrillo blue.
Natural beauty is everywhere with succulent gardens, massive–nearly a century old–cacti, soft stone, and abundant fresh eucalyptus.
Many couples are relieved not to need extra decorations to achieve the look they want. Spend that extra cash on something fun for you and your guests!
There are separate Private Bridal Rooms that are available to get ready in!
The Bride’s Room, in the historic Hacienda, is Leo Carrillo’s repurposed bedroom, and its dripping with vintage elegance.
The Groom’s Room is outdoors in the historic Carriage House, and we love the masculine feel of all the exposed brick and textured beams.
Farm Tables look so natural at this location and add a higher authentic quality feel with the dark finished wood.
How many wedding venues have wild peacocks that freely roam around during events?
These friendly foul made Leo Carrillo Ranch their home long ago, and relish the opportunity for extra attention from guests.
Another even older historic venue, constructed in 1921 and tucked into the mountains between Poway and Julian, is alive with rustic charm.
The Castle was decorated with hand-painted artwork on many of the ceilings, giving each room personality and unique spirit.
The entire Castle is built from natural stone from a local quarry meticulously pieced together created a work of art that is perfect for the Rustic look.
The Windmill, originally used to draw water from a well, no longer functions as anything other than a fantastic background for magical photos.
The Castle has multiple ceremony locations, but by far, the most Rustic would be the Oak Tree Ceremony Location.
Beneath the shade of these majestic boughs, couples can declare their love while guests feel transported to a forest glen.
A Country Wedding with cowboy boots goes with the rustic theme like love and marriage.
We love this idea of white boots and a lace gown, exploring the flower fields behind The Castle!
The lace and boots combination isn’t only for the Bride!
Adorable, shorter, lace Bridesmaids gowns pair flawlessly with this motif.
For your tables, keep the decor simple!
Wildflowers, wood, and a few candles are all you’d need when the beauty of the mountain is all around.
Even the ceremony decor can be fresh from the farm.
Who knew that a few wood crates, candles, and some white pumpkins for a Rustic Autumn Wedding could complete your look?
These romantic misty mountain views are unchallenged is their unique beauty.
More Inspiration
DIY Seating Charts
These well-loved windows are the perfect place for your guests’ names and table assignments.
Rustic Sweetheart Table Decor is easy to find and affordable.
We’ve even seen couples use a vintage door and two wine barrels as their table!
As we always say: Keep your wedding theme True To You!
Welcome to Part Four of our WTWL (Wedding Themes We Love) Series!
In this section, we’ll stray away from generalized “Moods,” such as we’ve shown represented in a Romantic or Modern theme.
Instead, we’re shining a light on Specified Subject Themed Weddings.
Some couples have a distinct shared event, pin-pointed hobby/interest, or even holiday that they feel defines a significant part of their relationship, and that subject steers couples towards the theme of their special day!
Travel
Here’s a theme that has become super attractive to young adventurous couples recently!
We’ve seen so many creative ways to incorporate travel into the smallest details for a wedding.
Above, a talented couple was able to recreate the Adventure Book from Disney’s “UP!” used as their suggestion/sign-in book where they asked their guests for new travel destination inspiration.
Guests can even pick up personalized ticket/escort cards to find their seats, seen below!
Photographer: Fleeting Fox Photography
This witty Flight Attendant had her garters custom made from pieces at her job!
Photographer: Fleeting Fox Photography
Have guests sign an atlas to use in your future travels!
Like being dropped into a jungle, minus the heat and humidity, a wedding in a garden venue such as the San Diego Botanical Gardens, would be a perfect affordable tropical escape.
Venue: San Diego Botanical Gardens
This happy couple brought the exotic beaches of Cuba to their big day through the use of palm fronds.
If you and your love are fans of any fictional world, we’re talking about anything from Disney, Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Game of Thrones here is some inspiration!
The Cake Topper is often a personalized reflection of the Bride and Groom, why not make it a fun version of yourself?
Photographer: True Photography
After your event, using the centerpieces as your guests’ wedding favors is a sure way to immerse them in your favorite fantasy world.
Holidays
Popular holidays such as Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc. have been used as inspiration for a couple’s wedding theme as well.
These dates can be attached to important cultural events or meaningful family moments that are influential enough to be an underlying spirit throughout the wedding.
Are you looking for a little extra luck on your big day? In the picture above, the couple wanted to celebrate their strong connection to their Irish roots, and threw their wedding on St. Patrick’s Day!
A white winter wedding can be like a second Christmas with the chilly weather and gathering of family. Subtle decor, like the pinecones below, can be a discrete nod to the holiday season without covering everything in tinsel.
Photographer: ABM Photography
Hobbies
Whether it be a specific sport, activity, or shared interest, if you and your loved one share a passion, why not bring it into your wedding planning?
Photographer: True Photography
For example, this couple wanted to bring their love for Baseball into their celebrations for loving each other!
Photographer: True Photography
This caffeine craving couple custom printed their favorite drinks onto their toasting glasses!
Photographer: Dapper Images
All in all, a wedding day is all about celebrating love!
If a couple loves a particular subject almost as much as they love each other, use it as a launching point for a wedding theme!
Chances are, it’ll be no surprise to any friends or family who know the happy couple, and everyone loves a customized wedding.
Feel free to Reach Out to our talented coordination team for answers to any planning questions!
Keep an eye out for Part Five of our WTWL Series, coming soon!
We can see Small Plate or “Moving” Style dining perfect for this theme, but with its formal air, a Seated dinner could also be a smart choice!
Coming Soon!
Keep a lookout for Part Four of this series as we explore the Tropics, and some clever Travel themed weddings, (for those who can’t wait for the honeymoon!)
Flight Attendant Brittney and US Navy OS1 Alfred both love travel and adventure.
They found each other up in the Bay Area of Northern California
and fell in love over long hikes with their dogs and exploring the world.
Finding someone to share such a high-paced lifestyle–or even keep up–is difficult.
Fortunately, these two old souls bring out each other’s best in every way.
The happy couple was so sweet and wrote letters to each other to read before the big First Look!
Friends and family traveled from all over the world to attend the five-day party.
Fleeting Fox Photography was able to capture some romantic, intimate moments before the craziness of the big day began.
Patricia Norvelland her team did such a phenomenal job with not just with the bridal makeup and hair,
but with all the bridesmaids, flower girls, and Mothers as well!
Floral arrangements were from Nancy Stevens Flowers, and Brittney’s vision for bouquets with paper flowers, succulents, and real flowers was made into a charming reality.
Alfred gifted his Groomsmen with custom pint glasses to commemorate the occasion.
The bridal party was looking sharp in their Platinum Gray suits and gorgeous mixed Plum, Champagne, and Navy dress tones!
Guests were welcomed by our staff at Mt. Woodson Castleand encouraged to take a cold Apple Cider Sparkler to drink on the way down to the ceremony.
The white pumpkins, lanterns, and candles tucked into moss framed wooden crates started the aisle at the lower Oak Tree Ceremony site.
The Ceremony was initiated by just about the cutest and most enthusiastic flower girl we’ve ever seen!
The day was sunny and warm, despite the late fall season.
As BrittneyandAlfred held hands and said their vows, the giant oaks sheltering the ceremony site were reminiscent of where they first met in Northern California.
After the touching ceremony, officiated by Brittney‘s Uncle Butch, the guests celebrated and were encouraged to go up to the cocktail hour for a reception on the upper lawn.
This allowed Alfred and Brittney to sneak away for their first quiet moment together as husband and wife!
The scene set before the guests on the Upper Lawn was immaculately polished to perfection; frosted in lavenders, sage greens, and metallic gold accents.
Guests picked up a Vanilla Old Fashioned or Blood-Orange Spritzer signature drink from the bar on their way to collect their boarding pass/escort cards.
Lavender goblets and gold chargers enhanced the purples of the succulent and eucalyptus centerpieces with gold geometric candle holders.
Each guest jumped on board the photo bus and filled the happy couple’s sign-in book with their best faux mustaches and disco afro pictures.
With the castle in the background and the surrounding mountains silhouetted by the setting sun, an ethereal feeling settles in.
Was that a fairy hiding behind the cafe light?
Or just one too many spritzers?
After a short welcome speech, our servers delivered a salad of tender baby greens in a cucumber ring with candied pecans, and bleu cheese crumbles to each guest.
Once finished with the first course, guests could help themselves to all three of the food stations.
There was Lobster Mac n’ Cheese with crunchy Bacon Toast, Braised Beef Short Ribs with decadent Garlic Whipped Potatoes, and finally the taco bar with Pollo Asado and Sautéed Shrimp.
As dinner wrapped up, our staff served champagne, toasts began, tears were shed, and the smiles were unstoppable.
Everyone then gathered inside the Great Hall of the castle where first dance, Mother and Father dances, cake cutting, and general rug-cutting took place.
Flour Power provided the ceremonial cake topper, which Brittney and Alfred saved after cutting, but made sure there were four different flavors of pie for their guests!
DJ Pat kept the dance floor rocking for the rest of the night and everyone had the time of their lives!
The rest of the night was full of merriment and joy as the two families and friends finally melded together.
After the Grand Exit, shuttles took guests back down the mountain to the hotel but scheduled a necessary stop along the way.
Guests were allowed to get off the bus to stop at In-N-Out, order, eat, and get picked up again all by the same service!
It was a dream-like event meant for the storybooks.
We just wanted to thank Alfred and Brittney for choosing us to share your special day with you.
We love your love and wish nothing but the best in your future together!
Thanks also to all the other vendors who helped us make this day perfect!
Lauren and Travis got married on such a beautiful day at Mt. Woodson Castle. With gorgeous florals and matching pastel pink bridesmaid dresses, every single detail of this wedding was cohesive. Check out their stunning wedding photos!
Check out these stunning photos from Alexsis and Julian’s Mt. Woodson wedding! They tied the knot with a ceremony on the front lawn of the castle, followed by a beautiful reception on the lower lawn. We love the fall wedding colors they chose and the bridal party looked amazing in burgundy dresses with matching bouquets.
Vendors:
Venue – Mt. Woodson Castle
Caterer – Personal Touch Dining
Photographer – True Photography
Coordination – SD Weddings By Gina
DJ – My DJ’s
Check out this Mt. Woodson wedding that was featured in the New Zealand Weddings Magazine! Sarah and Neil wanted a beautiful venue with scenic views to host their elegant wedding. The castle was the perfect place! See the entire blog post here!
