A western inspired Los Alamos wedding at Bodega. This is the story of Natalie and Ryan and the day they got hitched in the quaint central California town, Los Alamos. We captured this day on a mix of 35mm film, digital, and video. It was such an inspiring celebration, we’lll forever love capturing weddings in Los Alamos.
See this wedding featured in New York Times.
An Interview with the couple about planning and having their Los Alamos Wedding at Bodega:
What were some inspirations for your wedding?
We got married in Los Alamos, Ca, and wanted to infuse some of the western charm and influence that comes from that area. We were also inspired by the garden party aesthetic of our venue, and had a lot of fun pairing those two worlds together.
What are some adjectives that describe your wedding decorations and style?
“Cowboy garden party” is what we called the vibe. Adjectives we used for vendors were western, vintage, & romantic.
What did you love about your Los Alamos Wedding at Bodega?
EVERYTHING! We fell in love with the small town feel of los alamos, and really just wanted to take over the town for the weekend. It was so fun to share that part of California with our families and friends who have never been there and show them all the reasons we love California. We adored our venue, our cake, the food, the band, the outfits… We gave our guests an optional dress code which we called “cowboy cocktail,” and it was so fun to see what people came up with. Everyone looked so amazing.
Where there any important cultural traditions that you incorporated that felt really meaningful to you?
The food was really special to us. Ryan’s parents grew up in a predominantly Japanese neighborhood, so he’s always been passionate about cooking asian food. i’m restricted to a gluten & grain free diet, so almost everything we eat at home is some version of healthy asian cuisine. we really wanted our cooking style to come through in the food we served our guests, and our caterers totally nailed the vision. there were kimchi dumplings, hoison braised short ribs, and even a copycat of our favorite dish in la- walnut shrimp on a scallion pancake. we also found an amazing gluten free cake that blew everyone away.
Anything nontraditional you incorporated into the day that made the celebration more unique to you?
At the last minute, we scrapped the idea of sleeping in separate beds on the night before the wedding. Ee just felt sad by the idea of spending that time alone, and honestly, having a quiet moment together in the morning before all the craziness began was so special. It helped us feel connected all day, especially since we decided not to do a first look. The next time we saw each other was at the end of the aisle.
Best decision during wedding planning?
Hiring a wedding planner, and Giving ourselves a year and a half to plan the wedding. it was a lot of work, but totally worth it!
Something you would do differently if you had to do it over?
I’m happy to say we truly wouldn’t change a thing, except maybe adding more drake to the playlist 🙂
Most memorable part of the day?
It’s impossible to just pick one memory! But one detail we’ll never forget is our vows, which we decided to write and read together. As creative partners that’s how we always worked, together, and in service of the best creative outcome. It felt so right to translate that into our promises for marriage and all that lies ahead.
Lead photographer was Nate, capturing the day on both film, digital, & video.
VENDOR CREDIT:
Venue: Bodega Los Alamos // Photography & Videography: The Shalom Imaginative // Planner: Radiant Love Events, Rachelle // Floral Design: Idlewild Floral // Makeup/Hair: Tanya deemer // Dress: Happy Isles //
Catering: Field to Table // Cake: Solvang Bakery // Rentals: Otis & Pearl // Paper goods: Wonderland Invites // DJ: Jasmine Fields
See more like this Los Alamos Wedding at Bodega: Romantic Grand Powers Paris Wedding || Romantic Destination wedding at Prim Mexico City // Midsummer inspired Shelter Social Club Wedding || Intimate Joshua Tree Wedding at Mojave Moon
