The Wedding Story of Christina and Paul Anderson

It’s hard to believe the fall season is almost upon us—a season of warm, pretty colors, pumpkin spice candles and cozy, cold weather walks. This was just the time when Paul proposed to Christina. Christina says, “He proposed on October 27, 2015. I came home from yoga and I was in my sweats, hair a mess and hungry so we ordered some Chinese food. Paul suggested carving our pumpkins that we had bought the week prior. This year, though, Paul was working very secretly and would not let me see what he was designing until he was done. Well, I finished mine pretty quickly and went outside to let our dogs out, and when I came back inside all the lights were turned off and the pumpkin was candlelit holding the ring. And yes—bonus—my fortune cookie that came with our Chinese food predicted my dearest wish would come true. It did.”

After some squeals, countless hours spent pinning and help from family and friends, Christina dreamt up a wedding that was personal to them. After discovering Journeyman Distillery, she knew that it not only was home to Paul’s favorite adult beverage, the Cable Car, but also breathtakingly beautiful. “It was the only place I could have imagined getting married,” she says.

Brides understand they’re in good hands with a vendor they’ve hand-selected but are super thrilled when they get even more than what they bargained for. Christina explains, “The photographer I had been following (stalking) on Facebook for some time. I loved her style and knew I had to have her. She ended up being the sweetest person on the planet and quickly became one of my go-to people for wedding ideas and questions. And now, I’m happy to call her my friend.”

After flying in to visit Kleinfeld Bridal in New York with her mother, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Christina fell in love with her Romona Keveza gown. Not only did she know immediately it was the one—she loved that she could also dance in it!

One of the sweetest touches was Christina’s crown, a symbol of her Swedish heritage. “I wore a traditional crown that my mother and aunt both wore on their wedding days,” says the bride. “My grandmother got it and personalized it as a replica of the one she wore on her wedding day. I also wore my grandmother's fur coat.” Other special touches included the Swedish Dala horses on the cake and gold candelabras for the memorial table. Besides the calligraphy for all the invitations, the couple D.I.Y.-ed the ring box and several signs. Some of the most memorable details, however, included the taco and s'mores bars, whiskey barrel guest book, and Paul coming out mid-reception in a green velvet tux and matching bow tie!

Desiring a “woodsy” winter wedding, Christina chose deep greens, golds and hints of burgundy and her sister-in-law’s mother was a tremendous help in executing her vision. “She came in and did all of my florals and also stepped in as my day-of coordinator,” says Christina. “This wedding couldn’t have happened without her help. All I did was show her a bunch of pictures of what I liked and gave her freedom to do what she thought would look nice. She used tons of seeded eucalyptus, berries and roses.” She also created Christina’s embroidery hoop floral arrangement hung above the ceremony and head table based off of a picture from Pinterest.

 

WHAT WE LOVE

We love that we were a source of inspiration for Christina. She says of her planning, “I would scroll through the real weddings and blogs on the website for hours for ideas. I loved the fact that you feature local vendors, so it was easy to have it as a reference guide. It made the beautiful weddings you publish realistic for those planning in this area.”

 

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