American sweethearts Edward Yu and Alison Chase tied the knot in a garden ceremony on top of a mountain surrounded by beautiful redwood trees overlooking San Francisco Bay. "We wanted it to be outdoors but it's too cold on the beach of northern California, so being amongst big trees was the next best thing!" laughs Alison.
Their rustic celebration at The Mountain Terrace on Woodside Highlands, was awash with shades of beige and purple – Alison's favourite colour – from the flowers to the décor and outfits of the bridal entourage.
The event was a whimsical DIY affair with over-hanging paper lanterns, pin-wheels in recycled wine bottles, and small floral arrangements of calla lilies and orchids for the table centrepieces. Table signs were made jars of wheatgrass wrapped in burlap with little flags that bore illustrations of different trees.
In remembrance of her late father, Alison affixed a small photo of him on her hand bouquet. And to honour his Asian roots, Edward gave out Mason jars inscribed with the Chinese symbol for 'Double Happiness.'
Officiated by their mutual friend, the ceremony was performed on the lawn which included a traditional Celtic handfasting ritual. After that, everyone mingled freely for cocktails and sat down for a buffet dinner on the lodge's deck.
As the night grew darker, a fire pit was lit so that the kids could make smores with homemade marshmallows by Alison's ex-colleague. "It was fantastic…speeches, dancing, music … wish the day could have been longer!"
