Wedding Ceremonies at Nestldown Wedding Venue in Los Gatos California
Wedding Ceremonies at Nestldown Wedding Venue in Los Gatos California
A wonder-filled fairy-land, Nestldown is pure magic. It’s no wonder people travel from all over the world to get married in the awe-inspiring redwood cathedral. It’s got soaring trees, lush foliage, koi ponds, and a palpable feeling of peace. This blog focuses on a few of the many wedding ceremonies I have officiated at Nestldown wedding venue in Los Gatos California. It features three couples, and three talented wedding photographers, including Nirav Patel, Amy Carr and JJ Chen.
Kat and Ben
The Old Way
Photo credit: Nirav Patel
Kat and Ben wanted a beautiful, powerful and authentic ceremony that was rich in reflection and tradition. It was especially important to Kat to honor her heritage by including various cultural, material, symbolic, traditional and spiritual elements, namely a ring warming, a hand fasting, and a private, pre-ceremony Quaich. These ritual elements didn't so much reflect Kat’s immediate family customs, nor had they been practiced or incorporated in her lineage for at least two generations. Rather, they honored and reanimated “the old faith,” as Kat’s grandfather used to call it. (Their handfasting cord was made from deerskin leather lacing, silk and cotton velvet, and natural dyed silk ribbons in their wedding colors, and was braided by them.)
Photo credit: Nirav Patel
Their ceremony honored a decade of intoxicating highs and devastating lows. It painted a rich and nuanced picture of a passionate love, an authentic love, with all its real life peaks and valleys, struggles and successes. Kat is an incredible writer, and the words she used to describe Ben were pure poetry. One example: "When I peeled him back, all his insecurities, his walls, he was like an artichoke, with a thick husk. But just like an artichoke inside, inside was this radiant electric lavender glow."
Photo credit: Nirav Patel
In addition to the rituals mentioned above, Kat and Ben also included a “make up bell” in their ceremony. It involved ringing a large bell that would be rung during or just after a fight as a reminder for them not to go too long before reconciliation and repair. In addition to friends and family members, their two adorable pugs were in attendance.
Zhinan and Zhiqi
Rainy Day Magic
Photo credit: JJ Chen Photography
Zhinan and Zhiqi were super excited for thier redwood cathedral wedding ceremony at Nestldown, but stormy rains and intense winds put a real damper on their wedding plans. Thankfully, the barn provided some warmth and some opulence, and a cozy, intimate vibe. In 7+ years of officiating wedding ceremonies, I have never seen a bride walk down the aisle with more poise and command than Zhiqi. She was so self-possessed and so elegant — she almost floated down the aisle. She emanated grace and profound presence.
Photo credit: JJ Chen Photography
Their wedding ceremony was in English, but Zhinan and Zhiqi chose to share their vows in Chinese. It was important for them to express themselves in their native Chinese and be understood by their predominantly Chinese-speaking guests. I have no idea what they said, but there was a lot of laughter and a few tears, too!
Photo credit: JJ Chen Photography
As you can see from above, the joy that Zhinan and Zhiqi’s photos emanate is contagious. They rose to the occasion, made the best the situation, and landed some epic wedding photos as a result. These stunning photos were captured by JJ Chen Photography.
Michelle and Dan
Third Time’s a Charm
Photo credit: Amy Carr Photography
From their first date, Michelle and Dan had a ton of chemistry, and talked endlessly about everything under the sun. Neither of them wanted the night to end, so they went to great lengths to extend their date as long as possible, which ultimately resulted in Dan losing his phone, but that's another story for another time… Things progressed, they got engaged, and excitedly starting planning their wedding. Enter Covid. When all was said and done, they planned and postpone their wedding twice (stressful!) before finally getting married on a gorgeous, sunny, fall day at Nestldown. (Michelle, a Lord of the Rings fanatic, chose Nestldown for its enchanted, forest LOTR themed vibe.)
Photo credit: Amy Carr Photography
During the height of the pandemic, Michelle was a front line medical worker putting in longer hours than usual in high-risk situations. As an anesthesiologist, she was responsible for incubating critically ill Covid patients in the hospital, and there is almost no higher risk procedure in terms of transmission and exposure. She was in constant fear of getting sick or bringing the virus home to Dan. Thank goodness we had people like her who were willing to put their lives on the line despite their very real fear! Their ceremony was ultimately a dream come true, and entirely worth the wait.
Photo credit: Amy Carr Photography
From an email Michelle sent me a couple of days after the ceremony: “Dan and I are already in Hawaii already for our honeymoon but we both wanted to take a moment to make sure we told you just how incredible your ceremony was!! I can’t express enough how blown away we and all of our guests were at how you just nailed it. Miraculously you achieved the seemingly impossible task of putting together a ceremony that was spiritual, solemn, light-hearted, funny, warm, and SO customized to reflect our unique interests and personalities. You made the ceremony everything we’d hoped for and more and we just can’t thank you enough. Ending with that Lord of the Rings quote made my day and my parents couldn’t believe I hadn’t asked you to do that haha.”