Winter Woodland Wedding at The Lodge at Malibou Lake

Kiley & Matt

Kiley & Matt are veterans in the world of hospitality and met while working at a hotel. When it came to their own wedding, they wanted to ditch the typical hotel vibes and run away to nature for a whimsical Winter Woodland Wedding at The Lodge at Malibou Lake.

First Look

As a wedding planner, I am definitely a fan of first looks. Why? Having a first look at your wedding allows the photographer to capture many more shots of the couple alone together before than ceremony. It’s nice for the couple to have a quiet moment together before the well-organized chaos of family and friends begins to vortex on the wedding day.

Forgoing a first look might mean you are more crunched for photo time than you want to be. Especially when you are working with talented photographers like Marisa and Tim of Peterson Design & Photography you want to take advantage of all the photo opportunities you can to capture the important moments.

The look of sheer delight on Matt’s face when seeing his beautiful bride Kiley for the first time is priceless! Yet another reason to make sure you take first look photos!

Videography

If you ask most married couples what they regret most about NOT doing at their wedding, the #1 answer is hiring a professional videographer! I am so glad Kiley & Matt trusted The Byrd Sisters Film to capture their big day. There is nothing better than getting to relive your wedding celebration over and over again through the magic of film!

Stylized Details

This Winter Woodland wedding was all about texture, rich hues, and seasonal design. Incorporating elements like wood, berries, greenery, and velvet gave the styled details a rich and warm feeling.

Paper Goods

As a wedding planner who focuses on design, I believe that the invitation suite design sets the tone for the whole wedding style. I LOVE diving in deep with my paper good designers when crafting the invitation suite. Details are key. Wedding design is all about continuity and making sure all the creative elements complement each other, throughout. Luckily, Sandy of Roseville Design is always game to get creative with me and my clients and helped add the whimsy to this winter woodland wedding!

Peterson Design & Photography

For Kiley & Matt’s Winter Woodland wedding, friendly creatures like squirrels, raccoons, deer, bunnies, and birds were strategically placed along with mushrooms, branches, berries, acorns, and greenery. You could find them in the paper goods as well as the tablescape designs. When researching the style or woodland creatures we wanted to incorporate, I turned to some images from vintage, German children’s stories as inspiration.

Along with the loveable and furry creatures, warm, holiday hues like maroon, evergreen, birch brown, and winter white were featured throughout.

Wedding Party Fashion

Kiley & Matt had a very large wedding party of fifteen friends from throughout both of their lives. The Groom and Groomsmen donned Friar Tux charcoal and dove-grey suits and the Bridesmaids wore floor-length, off the shoulder, maroon velvet gown.

Personal Florals

Instead of bouquets, the bridesmaid accessorized with statement gold cuff bracelets with fresh florals elements from Smith & Lily.

The Dress

Kiley’s gorgeous all lace, high-neck, long-sleeved gown with a full train was from Dreamers and Lovers.

The Venue

The Lodge at Malibou Lake is a unique oasis in the Santa Monica Mountains, surrounded by over 5,000 acres of protected wilderness. In 1936, the members of the Malibou Lake Mountain Club built The Lodge to serve as the heart of its private lakeside community. For over 80 years The Lodge has hosted weddings, meetings, dances, conferences, and parties of all kinds.

As its name suggests, The Lodge at Malibou Lake has an outdoorsy vibe and attracts adventurous couples. Because the venue is surrounded by trees and mountains on one side and a lake on the other, wedding guests get the best of both worlds when it comes to experiencing the beauty of Los Angeles’ natural elements.

Coming from a hospitality background, both the bride and groom wanted it to feel as if their wedding guests were being ushered into their home. A warm, crackling fire, wood farm stables, and a comfort food family-style menu made their family and friends feel welcomed, warmed, and loved.

To reflect the woods surrounding the property, forest-inspired floral centerpieces and glass cloche displayed mushrooms, moss, and pine cones scattered throughout the tablescapes and fireplace mantle. Large lanterns and mercury glass votives gave the room a gentle, evening glow as the winter sun began to set. The overhead chandeliers were draped in cascading greenery to bring a bit of the outdoors, inside.

Cardinal and gold love birds nested and nestled within the nooks and crannies of the tablescape garlands as if to welcome guests as they took their seats. Each table’s floral design was slightly different creating a creative and woodland whimsy around the winter sun-glazed room.

The family-style menu from Chef Cordelia Catering included rich, winter belly warmers like Honey Soy Lacquered Braised Short Ribs and Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Irish Butter.

At the bar, guests were treated to a ‘Yule Mule’ featuring zingy flavors like cherry, cranberry, and ginger. A ‘Winter Wonderland’ featuring hot apple cider, bourdon, and fireball warmed their hands in the winter breeze.

The Ceremony

A sunset ceremony took place on the sprawling Mailbou Lake lawn facing an array of California winter foliage. In LA, you can’t get away from the Palm Trees, even when they are nestled amongst the pines! The simple square wood arch was adorned with greenery and pops of red while the aisle was flanked by large potted poinsettias.

‘To have and to hold in case you get cold’ fleece blankets were offered to guests to use during the outdoor ceremony.

The Cake

A four-tiered almond and vanilla ‘naked’ cake from Susie Cakes cascading with red roses, greenery, and gold acorns was the perfect sweet finish to the evening.