Winter Wonderland Microwedding: Dani + Justin

What started out as a Fall wedding on November 8th quickly became a winter one as Mother Nature decided to make an appearance and bring some heavy snow.

I must say that the moment I saw these photos I was in love. It may not have been what they originally planned (in more ways than one), but the snow made it so magical! I would love to get married in the snow like this!

Check out all of the snowy goodness and some Q&A with the couple below!

Photography: Wild Heart Media Inc

Venue: Arrowhead Pine Rose Cabins

Groom’s Suit: Hugo Boss

Wedding Dress: YesStyle

Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

A: You can say that we’re college sweethearts. We met in college just as Justin was graduating in media and cultural studies. He came to my art show where I was dressed as a deer. I had my art installation set up and he was immediately drawn to my art and my costume. He asked a fellow artist who I was and came up to me wanting to collaborate. We immediately hit it off after talking online. Seven years later, during the pandemic, Justin drive us to Oak Glen botanical gardens, just as the Apple fire was going on. We hiked to our favorite spot, and there he knelt down. I couldn’t remember anything he said after that. All I can remember is me wanting to say yes. There are a lot of challenges thrown at us, but we made it pass the fire, and we saw a family of deer eating from the Apple trees.

Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? 

A: We were inspired by the woodland environment. We had a color palette based on fall, which included dark mint, beige, orange, and dusty rose. For the cake, we wanted to include a family of deer, and I thought it would be cute to sprinkle powered sugar on them, so it would look like it’s snowing. The week before our wedding, we learned that snow was to come to Pine Rose cabins. The baker, Katherine, who was included in our pop up wedding packet, said that it looks like we’ll have our wish after all.

Q: Let’s talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? 

A: We were originally planning to incorporate dried flowers in our wedding ceremony outside. However, the snow was enough decoration for us. Our reception took place inside the cabin and the flowers mostly included dried flowers, such as bunny tails, baby breaths, pampas grass, and eucalyptus. We also included items from our home, such as brass candle holders and long candles, chalk boards, mason jars, our engagement photos, and fake soap pastries to trick guests. The photo booth station was the cabins fireplace, were we decorated with fairy lights, a just married decor sign, and our photos.

Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

A: The most anticipated moment of our wedding day was our first dance. We danced to Moon River, sang by the lovely Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. We felt like everything else just melted away and it was just the two of us, the snow, and the lights. Our hair looked like the powdered sugar on the cake, and we couldn’t be happier.

Q: Let’s talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? 

A: I wanted a Victorian inspired wedding dress that is conservative around the neckline. I looked everywhere online for the perfect dress, and I ended up finding it on YesStyle. The dress looked much more expensive than the actual cost. It was never purchased on the site before, so I was a little skeptical, but I took a leap of faith and spent $295 on a dress that would easily cost over $1000 if I were to buy it somewhere else. I received the dress two months later looking perfect. The dress had a frame under it, and that gave the bottom portion extra volume. As for my hair, I wanted a classy updo and a traditional veil. The hair accessories ended up looking perfect with the frozen backdrop. I felt one with the snow. Justin also went for a traditional look, choosing a dark charcoal a suit from Hugo Boss. We shopped for his suit together. After first attempting to buy a suit from Indochino, the suit came completely different from our measurements. Disappointed, we went into his favorite shop for suits and got an incredible deal—$195! It fit his body so nicely. We just had to customize the buttonhole and legs.

Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?

A: Keep your wedding intimate and safety is number one. Remember the why’s behind the what’s. Because of the pandemic and unexpected snow storm, many of our friends had worries about their safety coming up to Twin Peaks. We wanted our loved ones to be safe and feel more than anything, so we didn’t guilt anyone for not being able to make it. Also, we gave them the option to join us via livestream, which is another quirk of our awesome Pine Rose pop up package. People joined us from the safety of their homes and was just as touched by our love for each other. There was only nine of us there, but what matters is the love that emulated from our hearts.