California Wedding Archives - Sinclair & Moore

Ok… true confession… a guilty pleasure of ours is to watch ABC’s ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’. I know it is not the best use of our time… but there is something that just draws us in. Desiree Hartsock’s season was no exception. In fact… the finale of her season fell on a week when we were out of the country, on an island putting together a destination wedding. The lodging our client provided for us didn’t have Wi-Fi… and so we drove to the other side of the island and checked into a resort that had Wi-Fi so we would be able to download the finale and see which guy Desiree chose. Looking back, that now seems ridiculous, but for some reason we felt connected to Desiree and invested into her decision. She ended up choosing Chris, a really great guy who also happened to live in Seattle. When they announced their engagement at the end of the show, they also said that Desiree would be relocating to Seattle. I remember joking with Jamie… “what if we became friends with them and ended up getting to do their wedding?”

As fate would have it, we did become friends with Desiree and Chris, and we were blessed with the opportunity to design their wedding. People often ask me what I think about the two of them and their relationship. Des and Chris are the real deal… they may have met and fallen in love through unconventional means… but I assure you their love is strong and inspiring. They are sweet, kind, gracious and just really wonderful people.

Just two weeks after our son was born, I hopped on a plane and headed to California to put together their wedding. Des wanted a lush and organic wedding that infused her berry and blush color palette. We worked with the color of her bridesmaid dresses and the limitations of finding lush flowers in dead of winter and created something magical for Des and Chris. The reception was held in an old library, and so we incorporated vintage books into the table centerpieces (also as a nod to Chris’s love of literature and poetry). Sally from LaHappy created all of the beautiful calligraphed stationery that I carried down to California with me on the plane. My friend Jenny from Found Vintage Rentals contributed all of the beautiful wood tables, chairs and the gorgeous linen soft seating collection. I’ve been a long time fan of Sweet and Saucy Shop‘s cakes and desserts, and they created a beautiful spread with some tasty treats.

Every wedding we put together truly takes a village, and there are some people I have to thank and acknowledge! My good friend Nancy, owner of Oak and the Owl, prepared everything for me so once I arrived in California, all I had to do was head to the studio she had set up for me and start working on the flowers she had already fully prepped. I couldn’t have done this wedding without Nancy. I actually called Nancy from the hospital when Jamie was in labor giving birth to Grey, asking her to take my mess of a flower order and make sense of it and get everything ordered that we needed. I am so thankful for Nancy and her friendship. She selflessly helped with every detail, and deserves so much recognition for how this wedding came together.

In addition to Nancy, I had some really wonderful friends who also pitched in and helped make this wedding a success. Erik and Brett drove the 40-foot truck filled with supplies from Seattle to California and then worked all weekend. Lisa, who was was on a trip to Vegas, and flew over to California for the day to help tie favors and set everything up. Rhi from Hey Gorgeous Events, flew out from Michigan to design florals with us. We truly had the best team, and I am so thankful for the work everyone pitched in to make this wedding a success!

Another highlight of working on this wedding was getting to meet the talented photographers who captured every detail of this wedding. Brandon Kidd and his wife Kristin are probably two of the kindest, sweetest souls I have ever met, and they became fast friends. They even flew up to Seattle a few months later and spent a few days with us. I love finding talented people who are masters of their craft, yet remain humble and so friendly.

I can’t believe a year has already passed. Happy anniversary Des and Chris! Thank you for allowing us to be part of your celebration. It was truly an honor!

To see more of this wedding, and read more of the story check out the feature from US Weekly !

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