WEDDING IDEAS

Guests found their seats at tables named for different streets Amy and Doug had lived at throughout their lives. Amy’s mom created the bright orange silk dupioni tablecloths, with an added layer of cascading ribbons, for the head table and the family tables. "We kept the centerpieces at a low height to make conversation easy," Amy explains. A lush border of pink, orange, and green flowers surrounded square boxes filled with wheatgrass.

Letterpress invites with a modern-style pink typeface arrived in guests‘ mailboxes clothed in bright orange envelopes -- the first clue of the vibrant wedding palette. Later, the programs incorporated the same look.

Amy and Doug chose formalwear that was just right for their casual destination affair. Doug and his four groomsmen wore light tan suits from Banana Republic. The groom wore a shirt with hot pink stripes and an orange tie with pink polka dots; his brother and friends wore green-striped shirts with pink ties.

Amy and Doug said I do standing beneath a huppah on the deck beside the hotel pool. The huppah, made by the mother of the bride, featured loose ribbons hanging down on three sides. Ribbon was also tied to the back of each guest‘s chair, and as guests entered they were handed pink or orange yarmulkes and a "ribbon flag," with a long piece of ribbon tied to the end of a wooden dowel. The waving ribbons enhanced the celebratory mood as the newlyweds made their way back up the aisle.

Colorful blooms added to the cheery ambiance at the ceremony. Vases of gerbera daisies adorned the chairs that lined the aisle, and the ring bearer made his way down with a pillow made of green Kermit mums.

Amy and her bridesmaids carried a mix of seasonal flowers, including roses, peonies, and calla lilies, in pink and orange hues. The stems were elaborately wrapped with -- you guessed it -- matching ribbons.

Each chair back was tied with ribbons, and even the napkins were rolled and tied with hot pink ribbons

Guests found their seats on flags pinned to brightly colored miniature silk and satin elephants. "I discovered the elephants at a hotel called The Sukhothai in Bangkok," Amy explains. "I had often traveled there for work and loved the elephants they left on your pillow each night." She emailed the hotel and was able to have 200 custom-made for the wedding.

Outside the dance floor, tables and a bar allowed guests to take a breather. Guests could also grab a quick sugar rush at the candy bar, which was set up with brightly colored treats and take-out containers for guests to fill up and take with them.

The four-tiered, hexagonal cake was surrounded by fresh limes and had flowers in pink, orange, and green between each tier. How to make each piece (whether a bittersweet chocolate layer cake or classic cheesecake) a perfect match? Each slice was served with scoops of cantaloupe and raspberry sorbet.

Amy & Doug in Squaw Valley, CA

Photos By: Geoff White Photography, San Francisco

It's hard to believe that Amy Davis and Douglas Flanzer were engaged just six months -- their perfectly personalized destination wedding on Lake Tahoe looks like it could have taken a team of people years to put together, yet it took this super-organized duo hardly any time at all. "Doug was very involved and helpful in the planning -- I would not have married him otherwise!" Amy jokes.

The Bride Amy Davis, 30, retail buyer
The Groom Douglas Flanzer, 32, director of engineering
The Date May 21

Amy and Doug's weekend wedding was all about bringing together 140 family and friends from both coasts for a celebration that was as alive with color as it was with joy. "We wanted the event to feel festive," Amy explains. Inspiration came from an unlikely source: "I had seen shower curtains that were made of streaming colorful ribbons, and those inspired a lot of the décor," the bride says. Ribbons of all sizes and styles, though mostly in orange and hot pink, trimmed wedding day details from the bouquets to the tabletops.

-- Kate Wood