Karen & Charlies’ wedding at Journey’s Pechanga Resort & Casino
Temecula, California
this is my first blog post of a wedding! there were many interesting things about karen & charlie i thought theirs would be the perfect wedding to begin blogging with. first of all, when i met them and saw how much they loved each other i was convinced there is no “appropriate” age to get married and couldn’t wait to photograph this adorable couple. i absolutely loved karen’s enthusiasm in planning the wedding and equally loved her creativity in incorporating their personalities with design elements.
charlie is quite the entertainer & owned many radio stations back in the day. they made the k-luv sign in honor of his passion. the red light even turns on & blinks!
karen aka mrs oz to her elementary school students, wore “red ruby slippers” for her dancing shoes at the reception.
fifi from finicky flowers in murrieta designed the flowers for the wedding. aside from being a talented florist, she is a die hard romantic! all the extra cute details she did made me say “awwwwwww”. pictured above is one of her striking arrangements featuring exotic white orchids, yellow roses & brilliant peacock feathers overflowing from a rustic copper pedestal.
the wedding took place indoors at the magnificent journey’s golf clubhouse at pechanga casino. the decor there is earthy meets modern rustic. by using natural elements of fire, water, earth & sky native traditions are woven together to create a compelling atmosphere.
karen & charlie’s wedding took place indoors overlooking the golfcourse, sacred oaks and rocky hillside. typically rain panics the bride, but the sixty foot windows flooded the venue with the raddest natural light & the stormy sky became a magical backdrop in the cozy clubhouse.
they wrote their own vows and told each other they were very hip.
sundance chief & well known spiritual advisor john funmaker performed a native marriage blessing. sacred traditions have been passed down for over 1000 years from the original lakota people. it is important to have the 5 elements present as well as the young & old. the 5 elements are the necessities of life & the young & old represent the transition to the spirit world. the bride & grooms hands were tied together symbolizing their unbreakable bond. then they were covered with a blanket as they were cleansed with the burning of sage.
the color yellow was carefully chosen by the bride & groom. charlie’s pet name for karen is sunshine; so they adorned the place in a cheerful sunny palette of golds. usually a color scheme chosen only for a summer or fall wedding, the unexpected yellow provided a welcoming warmth for a wintery day.
karen & charlie love to dance & have a good time. pictured above is karen groovin’ with her ruby slippers on. if you look closely you can see the yellow petals referencing the yellow brick road.
after the toast they told a wonderful story on how they discovered temecula and of their love for the valley. on the cake, provided by jodee’s bakery, was a wine country motif and the k-luv tower as an artistic touch.
the couple was so sweet they invited all the vendors to stay for dinner as their guests.
the reception was filled with family & long time friends. karen’s maid of honor was the maid of honor in her first wedding in 1965!! and charlie’s best man was the best man in his wedding in 1963!!