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And so it goes with a wedding—brides, grooms, mothers,
fathers, guests . . . all hoping to savor this day, this experience, moment
by moment. With this in mind, newlyweds Hollye Schumacher
and Eric Shunk planned a four-day celebration designed
to take advantage of the all-important time and the marvelous
sensations associated with a dream come true.
Scottsdale consultant Victoria Canada reflected on the
four-day celebration, which included a welcome cocktail party
alongside a trout pond, a rehearsal dinner aboard a private yacht,
the wedding itself at a lakeside estate and a southern-style brunch
the day after the wedding. “The bride and her planning team had
a keen sense of timing throughout the event, which was hosted at
the father of the bride’s expansive home on Lake Tahoe.”
Naturally everyone wants to “get to the church on time” but
what if the “church” is a natural wonder situated between California
and Nevada, surrounded by towering shade-dropping trees,
alternating between rocky terrain and grassy lawns, and the bride
is a photographer who wants to have fun? In Hollye’s case, you
bring in nationally recognized photographers to document your
day, as well as a trusted consultant to keep it all running smoothly
. . . so you can sail away into wedded bliss.
“We essentially timed everything to revolve around the availability
of light throughout the day,” reflects Hollye. “As a wedding
photographer myself, I know how crucial timing is in getting
great portraits and candids. I had the timeline arranged so that
the sunset was approximately an hour after the ending of the ceremony.
I wanted to allow the photographers to get great candids
during the cocktail hour without having to use their flash, which
tends to be fairly intrusive. Also, since we had a clear tent, it was
important for there to be enough light outside for the guests to
see the 70-foot-tall trees looming over the tent once they entered.”
“But what minutes!
Count them by sensation, and not by calendars,
and each moment is a day.”
- Benjamin Disraeli
When the bride is a noted photographer, you’d better believe she’s
going to have her eye on making certain her wedding photography
is the best it can be. (We think being lovely and having a sense of
humor also helps, as you can see here!)
Says Hollye: “We put a lot of thought into the photography.
We had two sets of photographers (from Canada and Texas) all incredible people with amazing personalities.
Of course, we have a lot of photographer friends
who would have been perfect to document the
day, but I wanted my photography friends to be
able to enjoy themselves at the wedding as guests
and not as vendors.”
Although hosting a wedding at a familiar venue
(dad’s house, affectionately dubbed “Kamp
Kern”) sounds like it would take a lot of the
anxiety out of planning the event, consultant
Victoria Canada still had quite a bit of legwork
to do to pull off the wedding of Hollye and Eric’s
dreams as she worked between Arizona and
California over the course of several months.
“With any destination wedding, you try to
do as much work ahead of time as you can,”
explains Victoria, whose team prepared favors
in Chinese take-out boxes and rolled plush pashminas
for guests (to ward off the evening chill)
prior to shipping to California. The planning
team had the added challenge of securing local
vendors during the busy fall tourist season in
the Lake Tahoe area. Even then, you have to be
ready for the unexpected…such as bear sightings
on the property the day before the wedding!
One of the most important planning elements
was décor. Although the family estate is gorgeous
in its own right, and the bride’s father is
an experienced party host, there were distinct
décor elements that the couple sought to incorporate.
“Our theme was essentially a mixing of
contrasts, black and white, organic, Asian and
modern,” says Hollye. The couple chose Phoenix
designers Mark and Angela Karp of Angelic
Grove to translate their vision of bringing a
sense of the outdoors into a reality.
They anchored black branches to the ceiling
and used white and black branches as focal
points of each table, which created an organic
feel inside the reception tent. “We didn’t want
the reception to be overly formalized, so in lieu
of chandeliers, they hung Asian lanterns and
opted for white and green florals,” explains the
bride. To further the theme in a whimsical, yet
elegant, manner, Angelic Grove included black
and white fish in the centerpieces. The overall
effect was stunning, and the lighting changed as
the evening progressed.
The music was important to establishing the
party atmosphere. After dinner, the reception
opened with a band that specialized in highenergy
cover songs from the ’70s to the present.
When the band finished its set, a well-known
San Francisco club DJ Solomon Kahn spun
records until the wee hours of the morning,
keeping the guests on their feet. Recalls the
elated groom, “Just like Sol’s grooves, we ended
the night on the highest and most positive vibes
possible.”
Hollye and Eric’s wedding was truly one of the
most spectacular events that Lake Tahoe has
ever seen. The fun-loving couple was quick to
note that their celebration was the result of hard
work on the part of their chosen vendors. “With
all the moving parts, from the Valet, to the guest
bags, to the timing of the Thunderbird boat, the
day would have never been the same without
them. They helped relieve a ton of pressure from
my family and myself which helped us all enjoy
ourselves even more. I was so grateful to have
them as a part of the planning and with me on
the ‘big’ day.”
Location:
Family Home, Incline Village
Wedding Coordinator:
Victoria Canada Weddings and Events
Photographer:
F8studio, Addison, TX &
DQ Studios, Canada
Floral Design & Decor:
Angelic Grove
Accessories:
Bright Event Gallery
Wedding Website:
Will Be Wed
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