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A Vibrant, Whimsical Outdoor Destination Wedding in California

A Vibrant, Whimsical Outdoor Destination Wedding in California

July 28, 2011

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Table Setting

Eunice Moyle and Daniel James worked around the corner from each other in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, eating -- but never meeting -- at the same Mexican restaurant. Eunice, meanwhile, reluctantly agreed to try three months of online dating at the urging of her sister. Her self-imposed deadline quickly arrived, and she was poised to log out of the site forever when Daniel James came a-courting. A year and a half later, Daniel proposed. On May 9, 2009, friends and family assembled at Wilbur Hot Springs, a solar-powered, off-the-grid hotel about two hours north of Napa for a carnival-like weekend wedding.

Here, lush centerpieces by Sharla Flock Designs set peonies, garden roses, jasmine vine, lilacs, dusty miller foliage, anemones, foxglove, and metallic leaves in trophies and vintage vessels. Purple and fuchsia "crackers" serve as place cards; guests pull the ends to release treats. Calligrapher Michele Papineau, papineaucalligraphy.com hand lettered all of the cracker bands with guests' names.

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The Bride and Groom

Eunice Moyle -- in a spectacular dress hand-stitched by friend Iain Harris Bartlett -- and Daniel James steal the scene. Many details of the wedding, including the stage for the ceremony, were inspired by images from photographer Tim Walker. The stage was built by Because We Can and designed by the bride.

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Playing Cards

The bride collaborated with textile artist Joel Dewberry to fashion playing cards, part of a welcome gift to guests staying at the hot springs.

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Fans and Confetti

To help wedding-goers keep cool, Hello!Lucky printed programs on paddle fans.

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Confetti Toss

Hello!Lucky created vellum bags of Ecofetti to toss during the recessional are displayed in a wire basket for guests to take.

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Menu and Programs

The menu for the reception was written on a chalkboard by calligrapher Michele Papineau and displayed next to the basket of programs printed on fans.

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Photo Booth

Bridesmaid Stashia Cabral tries on a prop hat from the photo booth, provided by Magnolia Photo Booth Co.

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Stationery

Eunice mingled Victorian and woodland fairy-tale aesthetics for her letterpress stationery suite and information booklet. Calligrapher Michele Papineau embellished the envelopes with beautiful gold calligraphy.

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Flower Girl

How To Make the Paper Crown

Flower girl Lily Wertheim, in a J.Crew dress and paper crown, enjoys a lollipop and homemade caramel corn.

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Caramel Corn

Homemade caramel corn was put in customized by Hello!Lucky containers for guests to indulge in.

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Donut Holes

Eunice and Daniel served guests donut holes in bags with custom labels. The donut holes were prepared by the San Francisco-based caterer and event-design company Fork & Spoon Productions. Photo by Sara Remington.

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The Bridesmaids' Bouquets

The bridesmaids' bouquets of creamy roses and dusty miller are wrapped with fabric from their silk dupioni dresses.

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A Parade to the Ceremony

The festivities started early as guests, holding animal puppets aloft, marched in a whimsical and raucous parade to the ceremony site.

The festive ceremony procession was inspired by an otherworldly photo by Tim Walker of kids parading with animals on sticks. The puppets were created by Because We Can and designed by the bride.

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Ring Pillow

How To Make the Ring Pillow

Eunice and her friend Tricia Roush, of House of Nines Design created the ring pillow.

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The Ceremony

The couple asked Daniel's father, Allan James, to officiate because of his air of seriousness and dry wit.

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Ceremony Decorations

Eunice decorated the pews at the ceremony with crepe-paper bouquets she made herself. Photo by Gia Canali.

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The Bride's Bouquet

Hot-pink peonies, purple anemones, dusty miller, and a few feathers, as well as vintage metallic and fabric leaves, make up Eunice's bouquet, by Sharla Flock Designs.

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The Recessional

The ebullient newlyweds recess to The Beatles's "All You Need Is Love."

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The Guest Book Table

Flea market finds like the cigar box, ceramic rabbit, and vintage photo album lend the guest-book table rustic charm.

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Colorful Cockades

Pal and hatmaker Tricia Roush crafted colorful cockades, which the groomsmen wore as boutonnieres.

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Parasols

Parasols offer guests protection from the sun.

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Younger Guest

One of the younger guests takes a stroll and takes advantage of the parasols provided for guests.

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Drinks

Friend David Klaphaak ladles a mug of sparkling blackberry lemonade.

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Signature Cocktails

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Signature cocktail Marital Bliss, a blend of St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Hendrick's gin, lime, and soda designed by sommelier Jeffrey Porter. Drink flags consisting of skewers tied with grosgrain ribbon add a colorful accent.

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Guests

A couple of the guests enjoy one of the signature cocktails served at the reception.

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Seating Chart Display

One of the bridesmaids looks at the creative seating chart to locate her table.

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A Closer Look at the Seating Chart

The seating chart matches names to tables, which are identified by animals instead of numbers.

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Photos

The bride and the groom take a break for some photos. The wedding photography was done by by Gia Canali with Sara Remington.

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Reception Decorations

Eunice made the garlands of pom-poms from coffee filters that she hand-dyed. Servers are dressed in bistro aprons and Russian naval shirts.

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First Dance

The newlyweds dance to "Dream a Little Dream." Lighting by Creative Lighting.

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Fancy Shoes

How To Make the Shoe Clip

Eunice wanted fabulous shoes without giving up on comfort. So she found a pair of simple gold flats that she decided to embellish to make them her own. Photo by Emily Nathan.

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A Vibrant, Whimsical Outdoor Destination Wedding in California

1 of 40

Table Setting

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The Bride and Groom

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Playing Cards

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Fans and Confetti

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Confetti Toss

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Menu and Programs

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Photo Booth

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Stationery

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Flower Girl

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Caramel Corn

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Donut Holes

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The Bridesmaids' Bouquets

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A Parade to the Ceremony

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Ring Pillow

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The Ceremony

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Ceremony Decorations

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The Bride's Bouquet

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The Recessional

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The Guest Book Table

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Colorful Cockades

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Parasols

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Younger Guest

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Drinks

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Signature Cocktails

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Guests

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Seating Chart Display