A Cozy Little Alaska Wedding, All Because Two Vegans Fell In Love
Alaska is a beautiful state with a unique assortment of stunning scenery and a strangely low (to most of us) number of daylight hours to take in the sights. But rather then fight the steadily darkening November days, Kelsey and Tom chose to embrace the comfort and closeness that the Alaskan night offers in a cozy little Alaska wedding, all because two vegans fell in love. Oh did we forget to mention, all the food at this gorgeous wedding in the woods was completely vegan!
So cuddle up and enjoy this fabulous wedding that will have you craving a candle lit dinner with all your loved ones. And don't miss a moment of this day thanks to the talents of Erica Rose Photography that fills the full gallery!
Cozy & Organic
From Blomma Designs: This wedding was as unique as it was beautiful! The couple are vegan, but also raise their own chickens. The focus of the day was on the wild beauty of Alaska, their love for a sustainable lifestyle and bringing their closest family and friends together. The Forget Me Not Nursery in Indian, AK is nestled in the Chugach National Forest and it was the perfect space to take advantage of the scenery and also the cozy nature of the darkness that encompasses Alaska during the winter months. All of their stationary included chickens, one of their passions. Lots of lush greenery was used throughout to create the organic feel that is important to them.
The focal point of the room was one large table with an edison bulb and hanging greenery installation over the center. Their dog, Tikishla (named after an Alaskan area) was the ring bearer. All of the food was vegan and delicious, including the desserts! The couple exchanged vow books that they saved to say to each other on their honeymoon in the PNW, as they wanted to share this privately. The day was cozy and gorgeous!
Focus On Family & Food
From the Bride: Take a deep breath and decide what your priorities are, as well as what your vision of the day is. Everyone says, "things will go wrong," and they will, but focusing your energy on what is most important to you will ensure that the most important aspects of your day will go smoothly. Hiccups are inevitable, but on your wedding day you will be so wonderfully overwhelmed that those things that do go wrong won't matter. It is easy to lose sight of what is important during the hectic moments of the planning process, but don't forget that this is ultimately a celebration of love! Be true to yourselves, what is integral to your relationship, and the rest will all fall into place.
We focused on what is important to and represents us as a couple; our love for animals and veganism, our love for friends and family, and our relationship (we were married on the seven year anniversary of the day we met, which also happens to be the one year anniversary of the day we got engaged - it's our day!). It all came together beautifully and was the perfect representation of us.
The Un-Restrooms
As everyone promised us, lots of little things went wrong, or weren't exactly how we envisioned them, but all of the little things on the day of didn't really matter because we were so completely overcome with feelings of love. Not only for each other, but for and from our guests. That was definitely the biggest surprise to me and my husband -- we knew that we would feel love for each other, but could not have imagined how much love we would feel from everyone else. We were both so overwhelmed and completely emotional the entire day. Click to read how Kelsey and Tom turned one poo-r mistake around for the better!
There was one "disaster." Our venue did not have restroom facilities so we had rented a very nice restroom trailer, which was supposed to be delivered the day before the wedding. However, when we arrived at the venue for the rehearsal the day before, instead of a nice restroom trailer, there were two port-a-potties. We were totally shocked and really upset. The availability of a restroom trailer rental was what sold us on our venue (because the idea of port-a-potties for a November wedding in Alaska was a total deal-breaker), and now we were stuck with our worst nightmare. Our planner called the company we had rented the restroom trailer from to insist that they fix the mistake, but they continually refused to deliver it due to "inclement weather." We were all very frustrated because the weather was fine (unseasonably mild for November) with no storms in the forecast, dry roads, and calm winds. The rental company had insisted that they would be able to deliver the trailer even in snowy conditions - they totally let us down! We were stuck with the port-a-potties, and as frustrating as it was, they turned out to be just fine. The weather wasn't too cold and the owner of the venue even added heaters and lights inside of each potty to make them more comfortable. The handicap port-a-potty was manageable in a wedding dress, and both potties were much cleaner than what I am accustomed to (I usually use port-a-potties before running races, which are never very clean!). None of the guests complained, and we ended up with some hilarious photos taken on the instant camera we had for guests to use during the reception. The frustration and disappointment of not having the restroom trailers became a source of hilarity during the reception.
- Cakes & Catering: Sweet Herbivore
- Cakes & Catering: Modern Dwellers Chocolate Lounge
- Cakes & Catering: Riza + Brown
- Fashion: Liancarlo
- Fashion: Harbor Bridal
- Hair Stylist: Amy Dean
- Lighting & Entertainment: Spin Entertainment
- MUA: Holly Ryan
- Photographers: Erica Rose Photography
- Venues & Officiants: Forget Me Not Nursery
- Videography: Aflatis