Visit Martha Stewart Weddings Real Weddings Wedding Styles Seasonal Weddings Summer Weddings An Ethereal Wedding in the Woods of California By Sarah Schreiber Sarah Schreiber Sarah Schreiber has been writing, editing, and producing lifestyle and weddings content for over seven years. In that time, she has interviewed and worked with hundreds of leading experts to become an authority on all things homekeeping, flower arranging, home design, and wedding planning. Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 27, 2018 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Sylvie Gil Photography Neutrals, nature, and nothing but love made this an event to remember. 01 of 15 BreeLayne and Hunter Sylvie Gil Photography When BreeLayne Ring and James Hunter Carter started planning their wedding, they knew they wanted to create a woodland fantasy for their guests. The spot they chose for their vows, within a 20,000-acre preserve in the hills of Carmel, is called a fairy ring: a natural circle of towering ancient redwoods that all sprang from the same parent. A quartet played music from The Legend of Zelda, golden rays from a setting sun streamed through the trees, and the bride rode off afterward on a white horse. "We both had always wanted to get married in the woods, and we're pretty spiritual and connected to our environment," says BreeLayne. "It ended up being so magical, like we were on another planet." The two met in 2011, after he saw her walking her dog on the West Hollywood street where they both lived. They immediately hit it off. Two years later, James proposed by attaching a ring to the wheaten terrier's collar, and the creative couple—she's a fashion designer, and he's an entertainment consultant—started planning their wedding. "We mixed and matched vintage pieces from different eras, everything from chairs to china, silverware, and glassware, which gave it a feeling of timelessness," says James. To maximize the impact of the landscape, they kept the location a secret for their July 18, 2015 wedding, transporting 160 guests via shuttle to the stretch of pristine, untouched nature set among rolling hills. The bride and her father walked down an aisle covered in white rose petals and gardenia blooms, and in a nondenominational ceremony, the pair exchanged vows they had written themselves. After BreeLayne's dramatic horseback exit, guests were ferried to the preserve's 1920s barn. There they enjoyed a dinner that included farm-fresh fare (grilled-peach and candied-pecan salad) combined with southern comfort food (buttermilk fried chicken so good, it even met Louisiana native James's standards) amid dancing and toasting. In an especially old-fashioned touch, the Santa Lucia Preserve didn't have cell reception, "so everyone was present and in the moment," says BreeLayne. A bit of magic, indeed. 02 of 15 The Fashions Sylvie Gil Photography For their wedding amongst the redwoods, BreeLayne chose a Galia Lahav gown and Hunter wore a Gucci suit. BreeLayne wanted a dramatic bouquet that looked as if she could have gathered the flowers on her way to the aisle. Her florist, Mindy Rice, used passion vines, amaranthus, garden rose, clematis, fresh mint, and eucalyptus to create the cascading arrangement. 03 of 15 Watercolor Save-the-dates Sylvie Gil Photography Watercolor and calligraphy save-the-dates, by Burbank's Tiny Pine Press, came wrapped in handmade kraft paper and sealed with a small twig. 04 of 15 A Gorgeous Gate Sylvie Gil Photography Passion vine, smilax, acacia, eucalyptus, amaranthus, and garden roses adorned the gate guests passed through en route to the pre-ceremony cocktail hour. 05 of 15 Everyone in Neutrals Sylvie Gil Photography The couple asked guests to wear neutral colors to the wedding. "People didn't quite get it at first," says the bride. "But we wanted everything to play off of the natural beauty that was already there." 06 of 15 The Ceremony Sylvie Gil Photography The couple incorporated symbols from different religions, including a 14-foot chuppah decorated with fresh ferns, amaranthus, hops vines, gardenias, tuberose, clematis, spray roses, and more. "We wanted it to be intimate and romantic. By the time the ceremony took place, the sun was just setting through the trees," BreeLayne says. 07 of 15 The Processional Sylvie Gil Photography BreeLayne's sisters wore Zac Posen and The Row. Other bridesmaids donned Dreamers & Lovers and a vintage number. 08 of 15 Furry Friends Sylvie Gil Photography The couple's wheaten terriers, Zoe and Jameson, processed in to the ceremony just before the bride walked down the aisle. BreeLayne was walking Zoe when she and James first met, and when he proposed, he attached the ring to the pup's collar. Pets That Helped Their Owners Propose 09 of 15 A Dream Come True Sylvie Gil Photography BreeLayne had long fantasized about exiting her wedding on horseback: "I'd envisioned riding off, just like in a fairy tale," she says. After the couple said their vows, the all-white Paloma was brought over, and the 5-foot bride (using a felled log as a step) climbed aboard and rode out side-saddle. James walked alongside "just in case," he jokes. 10 of 15 The Escort Cards Sylvie Gil Photography Organdy stitched pouches held the escort cards on a bed of moss and bark. 11 of 15 Floral Arrangements Sylvie Gil Photography The cascading arrangements included 'Moondance' and floribunda roses, sword ferns, smilax, maidenhair ferns, and amaranthus. 12 of 15 The Reception Sylvie Gil Photography Meandering vines were arranged to "grow" up the barn's rafters and drape along chandeliers with eucalyptus and smilax. 13 of 15 The Place Settings Sylvie Gil Photography The five-course menu, printed on a soft, almost linen-like paper, was draped over each place setting. Lush arrangements of fresh, damp moss, Queen Anne's lace, helebores, lisianthus, ferns, sprouting lichen, and bark flowed organically down the center of the reception tables, curling around the place settings and candles. 14 of 15 A Cake Inspired by the Woods Sylvie Gil Photography A three-tier naked cake sat on a table carved from a fallen Redwood. Stumps from the preserve, fresh sheet moss, lily of the valley, clematis, wild sage, blade fern, millet and rattlesnake grasses surrounded the dessert, to create the look of an overgrown forest. Naked Cakes for Your Wedding 15 of 15 Sources Sylvie Gil Photography Location and catering, Santa Lucia PreserveEvent planning, Sacks ProductionsFlowers, Mindy Rice Floral and Event DesignPhotography, Sylvie Gil PhotographyOfficiant, Lauren DaCruzStationery, Tiny Pine PressSave-the-date and invitation calligraphy, The Wells MakeryCake, Hansen's CakesCeremony music, Kelly ProductionsReception music, DJ GeezusRentals, Classic Party Rentals; Found Vintage Rentals; Pretty Vintage RentalsVideography, Paperback Wedding FilmsLighting and sound, Got LightBride's ceremony gown and veil, Galia LahavBride's reception gown and capelet, Inbal DrorBride's earrings, Penny PrevilleBride's engagement ring and wedding band, and groom's wedding band, Polacheck's JewelersBride's shoes, Manolo Blahnik; Dolce and GabbanaHair and bridal crown, Trace Henningsen BridalMakeup, Stevi ChristineBridesmaids' dresses, Dreamers & LoversFlower-girl dresses, Tea PrincessGroom's suit, tie, shirt, and shoes, GucciGroomsmen's suits, J.CrewDécor and linens, RrivreWorksPhoto booth, Night Owl Photo Booth Was this page helpful? 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