This “High End Summer Camp” Wedding Brought Color + Whimsy to the California Woods

Tucked away in the San Bernardino Mountains and surrounded by national forests, Big Bear Lake is an idyllic getaway destination for SoCal city-dwellers eager to escape the bustling sprawl. A wonderful place for a weekend away…or a stunning summer camp wedding 🏕️💍

Jayden + Nick brought some serious elegance to the great outdoors with their Big Bear “I do’s.” Think velvet tuxedoes + dreamy ivory drapery, all outside in the shade of beautiful towering trees. What made the whole thing *magic*, though? The spark of colorful playfulness that ran through the entire day + its design.

“Our inspiration was definitely high end summer camp,” Jayden + Nick say, “something neither of us went to as kids.” And chic boutique lodge N+P with its uniquely designed cabins was the perfect spot to make that dream come true. 

The couple collaborated with event designers, planners, and florists from Forever Refined Events to create their sophisticated summer camp vibe. Vibrant florals, a checkerboard dance floor, and lost of creative + contemporary takes on shapes and layouts contributed to the immersive, modern design.

“We wanted something that was intimate, romantic, and whimsical, but wasn’t too reliant on aesthetics to be a comfortable day for both of us,” Jayden + Nick remember. 

“It was a celebration that perfectly blended tradition, vibrant color,” says photographer Sierra Dawn Photo of Jayden + Nick’s Big Bear day, “all in timeless elegance in a relaxed summer camp setting.” So excited to take you through these incredible photos she snapped!

We are so obsessed with Jaden’s strapless basque waist wedding dress!! This bridal silhouette is one of our fave wedding trends of the moment!

There is a lot of color in store in the day’s floral design by Forever Refined Events, but we’re just taking a moment to bask in the monochromatic beauty of this all-ivory bridal bouquet.

You never know when a wedding dress shopping journey is going to surprise you! “I ended up in a dress that was the complete opposite of everything I thought I wanted,” Jayden remembers. “My ever-growing Pinterest board of 13 years held dreams of intricate beading, appliqués, cathedral veils, etc..”

“Then I tried on a customized Julie Vino dress from áLouise Bridal in San Diego that another bride had made, but changed her mind about. It was simple and elegant and all of a sudden… I knew it was mine.”

“For Nick, he wanted his own moment to shine, but has an engineer brain so he wanted something practical,” bride Jayden remembers of her hubby’s wedding day look. “He ended up renting a dashing tuxedo from Friar Tux that he almost didn’t try on! After some nudging in a velvet green direction, he tried it on and loved it.”

We can’t get over the way the ruffle edge of this wedding veil echoes the ruffle detail along the bottom of Jayden’s dress!! Shop this ruffle veil from Lulus if you’re loving Jayden’s veil vibe.

Jayden’s core crew rocked colorful looks from For Love & Lemons and ASOS in fuchsia, green, and marigold– a teaser of all the color to come.

Check out our roundups of the best sage green bridesmaid dresses and our favorite floral bridesmaid dresses to start building a similar bridal party color palette yourself!

Lacy hand fans worked into the bridesmaid bouquets?! We LOVE!! It’s so fun when a wedding gets inventive with bridal party florals — like at this romantic Charleston wedding, this coastal garden party wedding and this full moon wedding.

The Ceremony

The use of soft + fluttery ivory textiles for the aisle, the ceremony backdrop, and this hand lettered welcome sign gave the ceremony a magical breeze-blown feel.

A cascading path of white fabric lined with color gradient florals, leading you through the woods? It doesn’t get much more whimsical than that.

Our list of the most creative wedding aisle decor ideas might come in really handy if this high-impact aisle design is catching your eye.

A colorful paper hand fan awaited each guest at their seat for the ceremony. We love when guest favors can add to the look + color story of the day.

Living for all of the texture and complex color in these floral arrangements! Both of those design elements are flower trends of the moment that we’re loving.

Our Musical Choices
Processional
"Concerning Hobbits" - Howard Shore
Recessional
"Accidentally In Love" - The Cairn String Quartet
First Dance
"Space and Time" - Tyler Childers

Our Favorite Memory
Our ceremony will always be so special to us. During our beautifully crafted and unique to us ceremony our officiant Bethel put together, we passed the rings we will wear for the rest of our lives around. Each and every one of our guests were able to hold them and put their wishes, hopes, and dreams into them, before we got to the ring exchange. Seeing our loved ones take their time to truly dream with us is a moment we will never forget.
Another really special moment: For us, one of the most memorable moments was receiving a wedding quilt from Nick’s Grandfather during our reception. He and his wonderful new girlfriend had found an unfinished quilt from Nick’s late Grandmother. They then completed the quilt and gifted it to us, like they had for all their other grandchildren on their wedding days before her passing. It is absolutely so special to us.

A Moment Alone Together

“We met online through my brother’s discord server,” bride Jayden says of how this love story began. “Nick and Billy had been playing games online together for years, and one day I just decided to pop my head in for some laughs.”

“One joke about ducks later, a move across the country, and now we are newlyweds 3 years later.”

The Reception

The curvy configuration of this banquet table put such a fun + modern twist on the reception layout! We love a good unique reception table setup idea!

Weddings really are that once-in-a-lifetime chance to get so many of your loved ones in one place. And we think summer camp weddings like Kayla + Nick’s are such a brilliant way to extend the hang beyond just the ceremony + reception — why not get everyone gathered together in cabins and make the most of the moment! This indie-meets western summer camp wedding and this charming cottage core summer camp wedding are a couple of our other favorite examples.

We have Town & Country to thank for this lodge-worthy dark wood seating and the wonderful winding banquet table. And 7 Elements & Co. made these patterned + gathered table linen dreams come true

Jayden + Nick’s guests enjoyed a delicious dinner from Lemon Grove Bistro beneath the pine tree cover.

We are SWOONING for this adorably retro vintage wedding cake from Sweets 619!

The happy couple took to the floor together for the first time when DJ Phoenix 619 played “Space and Time” by Tyler Childers. Such a romantic first dance song ❤️

Our Advice
Allow room for the imperfections to become special moments. There is so much pressure on couples to have the “best” day of their lives on their wedding day & for every moment to be meticulously curated. Remember that the big picture is that you two love each other and are making the choice to continue to do so forever.

Also... HIRE the wedding planner. Suher has so many weddings and events under her belt, having her there to guide us through the stresses of wedding planning, and handle a ton of them, was invaluable.

Lastly, take time to get to know your vendors during the finding process. These professionals assist so much in making your day happen. Trusting they understand you and your vision is the key!

Let’s hear it for this high low reception dress!! Love the amazing 80’s sleeves + lace and the fact that Jayden paired it with a pair of cute high top bridal sneakers!

Who needs bubbly when you can have a Diet Coke tower?!

Also, how fab are Jayden’s pearl-adorned wedding nails?!

Congratulations, Jayden + Nick! It’s obvious that Big Bear Lake was so full of love on your big day. Best wishes from all of us at GWS!