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We’ve been doing some research into the new trends in weddings for 2012 this week – and it has gotten us super excited for the upcoming wedding season! We are interested to see if any of these trends will get picked up for weddings at Sander’s Estate this spring and summer. We also wanted to share the new trends with you, in case you are looking for a little inspiration for your upcoming nuptials.

Let’s start with the biggest trend in wedding flowers for 2012 – peonies! They are going to be THE wedding flower of the year. We’re delighted because the peony is one of our favorite flowers – romantic, soft and lovely beyond words! Plus, they come in such wonderful colors and shades.

You could carry peonies in your bouquet – by themselves, or mixed with other flowers and greenery…

I Love Southern Weddings, Elizabeth Anne Designs, Style Me Pretty, Something Blue for You, Bouquet Bridal  

You could decorate your cake with peonies – real ones or ones created from frosting and fondant…

The Book of Secrets, Style Me Pretty, Source Unknown, Lavish Event Design

Or include them in your floral decor scheme for the wedding as a whole…they look beautiful paired with turquoise mason jars for a casual country look, or set in silver cups and vases for a more glamorous and elegant look.

The Little Oak Tree, Reasons to Breathe, Style Me Pretty, Every Last Detail, Saved by the Southern Belle, Lovely Fashion Dolls

However you use peonies in your wedding, they are going to look stunning and give the whole wedding an ultra romantic appearance and vibe.

At the Golden Globe Awards last weekend, we saw one of the new hair trends for 2012 make its appearance - the headband! Already, its picking up steam and making waves. Women everywhere are adding this accessory to their formal (and casual!) hair styles. As for you brides, we predict this trend will be big in wedding fashion and style this year – not to mention, its a great option if you don’t want to wear a veil or a tiara. You can wear headbands with an updo, with your hair down, long and wavy, or with it pinned low in waves and curls. It can be romantic or trendy. It can be modern or old fashioned – the possibilities are endless! 

First Four Images – Twigs and Honey, Middle Image – Jennifer Behr, Last Three Images – BHLDN

Will you be trying the headband trend on for size at your wedding?

Jessica and Seth met in January 2004.  Jessica was back from college at Washington State University for winter break, and was filling in a shift at a local espresso stand.  Seth, a foreman for a construction company, frequented the stand often and had become friendly with Jessica’s boss. One day after a snow storm, Jessica’s boss asked Seth to take Jessica to the store to pick something up that she needed, since Jessica wasn’t comfortable driving in the snow.  The two had an instant connection.

Seth proposed the day before the couple’s 6-year anniversary in March.  The couple had gone to the Salish Lodge in Snoqualmie for the night, and the next morning after checking out, they hiked down to the falls.  It was a gorgeous day, and Seth wanted to make it out to a large rock that was nearly in the middle of the falls. They made it to the rock, and before Jessica knew what was happening, Seth was on one knee, proposing. And so the wedding planning began…

Jessica says she never thought a lot about her wedding, but what she did always envision was an outdoor ceremony and tented reception.  After researching and visiting several of these types of venues, Jessica found that none were quite right.  But when Jessica and Seth arrived at Sander’s Mansion for a tour, the instantly knew it was perfect.  It was only 20 minutes from their home but felt a million miles away at the same time – like a special destination wedding.  Jessica and Seth loved the immaculate and beautiful grounds.  Seth also loved the pond and the fact that there were swans!

The couple’s June wedding day was perfect  - sunny and warm. The wedding Jessica and Seth had planned was all about vintage romance – since the bride loved unique vintage-inspired touches. There were also handmade elements and lots of crystals to make the vintage decor more formal and elegant.

The colors for the big day were black, off-white, and moss green.  Very natural shades that also were very elegant when combined together.

A friend of Jessica’s family did the flowers for the big day.  Jessica had opted for all white flowers, and a combination of white roses, hydrangeas, and a bit of white stock for scent, and her bouquet was made up of perfect white roses, stems wrapped in ivory ribbon, and crystals, tucked into the arrangement.

The ceremony was held on the upper lawn where there is a large landscape of grass, overlooking the fields.  Jessica says the beautiful views made for the perfect spot to become Mrs. Chavira.

At the reception, the couple planned two different kinds of centerpieces for the tables.  Half of the tables had tall, slender vases filled with white flowers, and crystal strands hanging down all around them, as well as, candles surrounding the bottom of the vase.  The other half of the tables had shorter cylinder vases, and were filled with just white roses, with crystal drops tucked all over the arrangement.

White poms were hung from the ceiling inside the reception tent, and unique centerpieces were created for the cocktail hour bistro tables – square glass vases filled with water, green pebbles lining the bottom, and floating candles in each.

The couple used rocks instead of a guest book, having each guest include their name and a short message for Seth and Jessica, on the rock.  There is now a glass vase filled with these personalized rocks in their home.

Jessica also found an old antique window pane, and used each panel to describe a different member of our wedding party, which was then hung this in the cocktail hour tent.  Wood signs that had sayings such as “This Way to I DO” and “Let’s Celebrate”, were placed around the venue grounds to give direction to our guests.

Each place setting at the reception, had a wedding favor – a bottle of pear Jelly Belly jellybeans to coordinate with the wedding colors – and two “cootie catchers”.  The cootie catchers was a game the couple remembers playing when they were kids.  These particular “Cootie Catchers” held trivia about Seth and Jessica.

At the reception, the couple also included a “kids table” where there were crayons, bubble blowers, a bucket of bubbles, kids drinks, and brightly colored candy.  The table cloth was actually white butcher paper for the kids to color on.

The dance floor was lined with hooks that held cups of our white flowers, alternating with lit lanterns.

The magnificent cake came from Corina’s Bakery in Tacoma. The three tier off-white cake was decorated with different black vintage detailing on each tier.  Jessica opted to have real, white roses topping the cake rather than a traditional cake topper.  One tier was vanilla cake with lemon butter cream frosting, and the other two were honey lavender cake with butter cream frosting.

After dinner and cocktails, it was time for dancing. Seth’s brother, who was also his best man, sang an acoustic version of the song “Marry Me”, by Train for the couple’s first dance. The rest of the evening was spent dancing and laughing with friends and family, under the stars.

 Congratulations on your wedding Jessica and Seth! We are so happy to have been a part of your big day and wish you nothing but the best in your new life together!

Vendors:

Photography: Tasha Owen Photography

Catering: Twelve Baskets

DJ: Terry Green

Cake: Corina’s Bakery

The couple, who met in 2005, when they were teaching swimming lessons together, got engaged on their third dating anniversary. Trevor woke Jill up at 5am and took her on a sunrise hot air balloon ride. Afterwards, they went to the Woodland Park Zoo, where they had a private feeding with the giraffes. Then, it was off to dinner and a show at Teatro ZinZanni. Finally, when they arrived home to a house filled with rose petals and candles, Trevor popped the question. Sounds like an amazing day, doesn’t it?

When it came time to start planning for the wedding, the couple originally wanted to get married in a hotel in downtown Seattle – to make it easy on friends and family that live in the area. However, after visiting a few hotels, the couple wasn’t feeling a connection to any of the spaces they saw, and felt that the ballrooms weren’t personal enough.

They began to visit some outdoor spaces, and when they finally drove through the gates of the Sanders Estate, they just knew, they were done looking. Jill says the tents were a huge selling point for her because they felt romantic and intimate. Not to mention, the drive from Seattle to the Estate was shorter than the couple had thought it would be, and they arranged to have a charter bus to take family and friends to and from the city.

Since the couple found the Estate and the grounds so beautiful, they wanted to keep the colors of the wedding neutral, so as not to take away from the natural beauty. All of the flowers were white with touches of greenery, and the accent color was gray. According to Jill, it was simply stunning against the outdoors!

One of the couple’s most memorable moments was their first look. Since they weren’t able to get married under the arbor, due to the rain, they decided to have their first look there instead. Trevor stood overlooking the meadow, and Jill walked up behind him.

The couple chose a vintage travel and hot air balloon theme for their big day. The hot air balloons incorporated the story of their engagement into the wedding day, and the travel theme carried through the idea of marriage being a journey. They purchased old suitcases from an antique store, and used a custom hot air balloon design on their paper goods like the menu, seating chart and escort cards. The bride even baked and dipped over 400 cake balls and boxed them up into tiny pastry boxes which she sealed with custom stickers that had hot air balloons, the wedding date, and the couple’s name on them. They were displayed in an open vintage suitcase with a sign that encouraged the guests to “Take One!”

The ceremony the couple chose was very personal and traditional. They lit a unity candle, exchanged rings, read their own vows, and even had a friend play a song.

The couple had initially planned to have their ceremony on the upper lawn, underneath the arbor, which on a sunny day, looks amazing. The cocktail hour was planned for the upper tent, and the reception for the lower tent. But, since summer weather in Seattle can be completely unpredictable, they woke up to rain on their wedding day.

At the last minute, the couple decided to move their ceremony into the lower tent on the grounds, overlooking the rose pond. The couple and their family agree, it was still spectacular and even more beautiful than is could have been on a sunny day. Jill says the rain made everyone feel closer and more intimate, and it was all so gorgeous, no one even noticed the rain.

The reception was designed to be formal looking, for still fun for the 150 guests. It was cozy because of the rain outside the tent, but the feeling was intimate and guests danced the night away despite the fact. Jill and Trevor danced their first dance to Iron and Wine’s “Flightless Bird”.

Congratulations on your wedding Jill and Trevor! We so enjoyed helping you create your perfect wedding day!

Vendor List:

Photography: Ryan Flynn Photography

Catering: Act 3 Catering

Floral: Distinctive Designs by Anna Brandt

Videography: Edit 1 Media

Brides and Bridesmaid’s Hair: Swink Style Bar

Bridal Attire and Accessories: I Do Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew

Planning and Coordination: It’s Your Day Events and Expressions

Tis the season…to get engaged!

This is one of the busiest and most popular times of year to get engaged, and the beginning of what will slowly become the hectic wedding season. We love this time of year – not just for the family, friends and merry-making, but because we love hearing about new engagements and how they happened, and then helping brides start to planning their weddings.

If you get engaged this holiday season, we want to hear all about it – share with us on Facebook or in the comments below, and let us know how your special moment happened.

If you’re a new bride looking for a venue, come visit us at the Seattle Wedding Show at the beginning of January. We’d love to show you what we have to offer. We will be there on January 7th and 8th, with a booth near the Fashion Show Stage, and are even offering viewings of the Sanders Estate on Sunday the 8th of January – if you want to come down and check it out in person, after visiting us at the wedding show.

We can’t wait to kick off the start of an exciting new wedding season with some beautiful new brides-to-be!

Happy Holidays and Blessings from the team at Sanders Estate!

P.S. – Once you’re engaged, don’t forget to check out our Pinterest account for loads of inspiration for your big day and the planning process!

Landlocked Bride, Green Wedding Shoes, Zsa Zsa Bellagio, Designed by Me Stationary, Inspiring Brides, Oh Suze Q, A Life of Beauty and Grace, Style Me Pretty, Just the Thing    

Would you ever have a winter wedding?

Wishing you a very Happy and Blessed Holiday Season! We will see you soon with more blog posts – including real wedding features held here at the Estate!

Here at Sanders Estate, we absolutely love weddings. From the planning process to the vows, from the cake to the dancing, we are huge fans of every last detail. With that spirit in mind, we are excited to welcome you to our all new website and blog. Yes, that’s right ladies and gentleman, we are finally jumping on the blogging bandwagon. After all, what better way to share our news and inspiration with you?

So, whether you are a former Sanders’ bride or a future Sanders’ bride, or just someone that loves any and all things wedding-related (like we are!), you will be able to come and check in here for news on what’s happening around the mansion and the grounds, see gorgeous photos from weddings at the Estate in the past, gather inspiration from other weddings and wedding ideas from around the globe, and even get some tips and advice from our talented wedding coordinators on staff here at the Estate.

Come see us often – there will be plenty of beauty, inspiration and wedding tips and tricks to share!