My Fall Wedding at Bass Lake

It was perfect. There’s nothing more to say.

Well, scratch that. There’s a lot to say and I’m so excited to finally share all of the details from my wedding day with you.

The Pines Resort in Bass Lake ended up being just as picturesque as I had imagined. You can read more about why we chose this venue in our tour post here. We were trying to be very budget-conscious through our wedding planning, and the Pines offered wedding packages and accommodations for our guests that were affordable yet felt like an ultimate vacation. We completely lucked out with weather, which can be pretty hit or miss during November— in fact, the weekend before our wedding it had been raining and sleeting nonstop! But alas, we had the sun high in the sky and literal rainbows shining over the lake. All we keep hearing is how it was the most beautiful wedding people had been to in years.

Everyone loved the fact that all the festivities were at the resort, from the rehearsal dinner to the ceremony and reception, and we only heard amazing things about everyone’s rented chalets on the property. And the food… oh my god, the food. It was just as good as the tasting. We actually had friends asking if they could buy a second plate to bring back to their cabins.

I can’t thank Jessica, the wedding coordinator at the Pines, enough. She was always three steps ahead of me… and you all know how organized I was! The entire staff just took so much stress off my shoulders and handled all the nitty gritty details for me.

Adam and I did end up staying in the honeymoon suite the night before the wedding. We woke up, gave each other a kiss and I sent Adam to get ready in the Best Man’s suite. Meanwhile, the girls came to mine since there was plenty of room for us to spread out and get ready.

GETTING READY ROBES: I found these for $15 each on Amazon. They’re pretty roomy, so we all fit in smalls. They are plain and satin, but it would be easy to DIY any customizations. I kept them as is for a clean look.

GOLD KNOT BANGLES: These gold bracelets were another great Amazon find that was a perfect touch to thank my girls.

GOLD LEAF HAIR CLIPS: I actually picked these up at Joann— a craft and fabric store! I had searched high and low for a hair clip that would actually hold hair up and these worked really well, and didn’t slip out of their hair at all.

I curled my hair with the Instawave Professional with the 1.5” barrel. As I slid the barrel out of my hair, I held the curl in my hand to let it set. This gave me bouncy curls that lasted. I sprayed them with the Tresemme TRES Two Extra Hold Hair Spray and my hair looked great all night without feeling crunchy.

Meanwhile, the guys were having a few drinks in their suites. We had bought them personalized old fashioned drink glasses with the groomsmen’s last names. And believe me, they got used right away!

BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES: As the girls started getting into their bridesmaids dresses, I knew choosing Kennedy Blue was the best decision. Each of them looked amazing in their choice of dress. Two chose the same style, Stella, while my maids of honor each chose something different: Mackenzie and Violet.

Despite the various styles, they all looked cohesive in the Bordeaux shade. It was great that, while clearly all part of the same bridal party, they were able to share their personal style with the dress they chose. You can read more about the process of ordering and trying on the Kennedy Blue dresses at home in my post here. The bridesmaids dress at-home try on made the process so much easier, especially having girls in different states, and they ended up coming together so perfectly.

GOWN & VEIL: My gown was also from Kennedy Blue— their Carolyn style. It was literally the dress I dreamed of since I was young. A classic ballgown with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice was beaded with sequins for a little bit of a flash, and I topped the look off with their Maisey veil.

PETTICOAT: I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on undergarments for my dress. I found this ballgown hoop petticoat on Amazon and crossed my fingers. It was perfect— it helped fill out my skirt to create the princess silhouette I wanted.

SHOES: I had two pairs of shoes from Badgley Mischka that I was going back and forth between wearing on my big day. I ended up choosing these wedges they sent me from their Jewel Badgley Mischka line called the Hunt Glittery Wedge Sandals. I figured the wedge style would be much easier to wear while walking on grass for the ceremony— and I was right. Also, my feet held up all night without much pain besides the back of my heels. Even though you couldn’t see them much under my skirt, they were the perfect mix of elegant and functional.

Leading up to the big day, I had this recurring dream that I ran out of time and couldn’t do my makeup before walking down the aisle. Luckily, that didn’t happen in real life. I had the entire day planned down to the minute, and I gave myself room to relax so that I wouldn’t be under too much pressure. Because pressure + winged liner = never a good outcome. You can see exactly how I did my wedding makeup in this video and product breakdown.

Finally, it was time for the first look. We decided to do the first look and photos before actually walking down the aisle. We were going to see each other before the ceremony anyway due to the Jewish tradition of signing the Ketubah (a Jewish marriage agreement). I wanted to get the majority of the pictures taken beforehand so we’d have plenty of sunlight.

FLOWER CROWN: I reached out to my friend Stephanie from Pixie Glitz Shop to make me a custom flower crown. I had been looking for weeks and couldn’t find exactly what I wanted… or they were just too expensive. She created this and it was precisely what I imagined wearing. The flowers were made of fabric so I can keep it for the memories.

YARMULKES: We ordered both Adam’s yarmulke and the attendee’s yarmulkes on Amazon. His was grey and knitted with blue trim to match his suit, while the ones we provided for our guests were plain satin black.

FLOWERS: Our bouquets and boutonnieres were from Ecoflower, a company that creates floral accessories out of styrofoam, recycled wood and fabrics. They look real, and I can save mine to display in my home! Plus, they make a great bridesmaid favors after the wedding. The boutonnieres were more delicate, though, and were mostly smushed by the end of the night. You can read more about the quality and ordering process in my review here. The floral decorations on our wedding arch and aisle were arranged by Sweet Dreams Cake & Flowers, who also baked and decorated our delicious Vanilla Toffee cake.

It was cool to have two vibes in terms of our wedding photos: fall florals and beachy. Our actual ceremony took place on the lawn above the lake, which was surrounded in fall foliage and rich oranges and reds. However, just below was the docks and serene blue of the water. I love the variety that our photographer, Michael J Costa, captured. He worked so hard to photograph every smile and laugh and the tender moments that bring me right back to that day.

If you have any questions or need any suggestions for your own big day, leave them in the comments! I’m in another wedding in May, so the excitement is far from over. Plus, we’re going on our honeymoon in just a few short weeks… Thailand, here we come!

And a few from the party…

Be sure to check out my other wedding planning blogs leading up to the big day for more details!

What is your favorite wedding memory?