This Couple Kept Their Cool in 110 Degree Heat!

Despite a day of record breaking temps in the Bay area (we're talking 110° Fahrenheit!), you would never know by the images captured by onelove photography. We're so in love with the simplicity of the celebration, held under the (welcome!) shade of the Redwoods at The Mountain Terrace, and with the incredible couple that kept their cool despite the heat and still managed to pull off an absolutely perfect day.

From the bride... Our wedding guests are scattered all across the globe, so we were SO thrilled for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gather all of our closest friends and family together in one place! We wanted to have a deeply personal, simple, and intimate event that would celebrate this new chapter of our lives and to honor and thank our friends and family for everything they have done for us. Much of our wedding planning thus ended up focusing on what was really most important to us: a heartfelt and uncomplicated ceremony, a memorable outdoor setting, an evening of delicious food (and desserts!), and many hours on the dance floor.We have lived in the Bay Area for quite some time, so we wanted to find a venue that would allow our guests to experience the gorgeous Northern California scenery. When we visited Mountain Terrace, we knew it was absolutely perfect for our simple celebration – the venue had a beautiful lodge and outdoor deck under the shade of stunning redwood trees.The gorgeous venue made it easy to take a fuss-free approach that focused on what was most important to us. (We planned and designed everything for the wedding, so this was a really helpful strategy!) We drew on a neutral color scheme of grays, cream, and copper, and our foliage leaned heavily on greenery and forest plants. We DIYed all of our simple signage, reception table decor, placecards, infused olive oil favors, and other touches, all to honor the already-perfect forest setting.As much planning/simplification as you might do, unexpected things will happen the day of your wedding, but the memories will still be incredible! The day of our wedding, the Bay Area experienced an unprecedented and record-setting heat wave. Although we expected temperatures in the high 70s, it ended up being about 110 degrees when our wedding began, so some our DIY decor literally fell apart from melting, our guest shuttle to the venue battled a broken air conditioner, and we had to cancel our plans for toasting s'mores over a fire pit. Despite these setbacks, our guests and vendors were absolute troopers, and we all spent the rest of the evening bonding over the experience. We wanted a memorable event, and we got it!The whole day was so much fun! We held our ceremony right under the redwoods, had a close friend officiate, and tearfully shared the vows we had written in front of our dearest friends and family. After the ceremony, we enjoyed passed hors d'oeuvres and drinks with our guests on the lawn followed by a lovely dinner together on the deck under twinkle lights and a full moon. Instead of the traditional wedding cake, we had Cantonese egg tarts, Taiwanese snow ice, and passed s'mores to honor our heritage and love of sweets. We closed out the evening with embarrassing toasts from our family and bridal party, silliness in the photo booth, and amazing energy on the dance floor.

Photography: onelove photography | Cinematography: Drake & Evan Wedding Films | Coordination: Harvesting Love Events | Floral Design: Ha Rue Floral Design | Wedding Dress: Enzoani | Stationery: Minted | Shoes: Schutz | Jewelry: BHLDN | Bridesmaids' Dresses: BHLDN | Catering: The Mountain Terrace | Hair + Makeup: Joli De Jackie | DJ: DJ's And MC's | Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss | Venue: The Mountain Terrace | Rentals: Standard Party Rentals