Malibu

Perfect Balance

October 2, 2010

Pacific Weddings

There are a handful of places in California that remain untouched by time and progress. Saddlerock Ranch, a 1,000-acre idyll nestled deep in the rugged Santa Monica Mountains of Malibu, is one of these rare places. The open range is scattered with dozens of horses and exotic animals that roam the bucolic landscape amid rolling white fences. Here under an immense old willow tree, Elena Finney and Jeff Endlich pledged their love surrounded by family and friends. Their wedding was a breath of fresh air far from the busy pace of their West Hollywood lives.

Elena says, “Saddlerock Ranch is a world unto itself. You feel completely separate from Los Angeles, and it is incredibly peaceful.” She and Jeff were enchanted with the wide open feeling of the main grounds and the lovely weeping willow. The tree in fact became a significant symbol for the couple throughout the planning process as Elena recalls, “We used a silhouette of ourselves under the willow on our save-the-date cards and invitations.”

 

Though their backgrounds are decidedly different, Elena and Jeff share an uncommon devotion to family, so the Finneys and the Endlichs merged quite effortlessly during the festivities. Elena explains, “We wanted our wedding to last an entire weekend, and we were excited to share the ocean with our friends and family from the Atlantic side.” The wedding day, warm and clear, capped the heartfelt weekend.

The bride was naturally exquisite in a Monique Lhuillier gown with an Alençon lace bodice and a feather-light tulle skirt. Her “something blue” was an heirloom sapphire necklace passed down from her great- great-grandmother. The groom was her perfect escort in a Hugo Boss tuxedo with his handsome tousled waves and easy panache. Bridesmaids wore wine- colored silk chiffon J. Crew dresses along with gold “tree of life” necklaces, gifts from the bride to reference the willow tree ceremony.

The chuppah was a simple structure of intertwined willow branches covered with sheer fabric and draped with the groom’s grandfather's talis and a Native American offering of tobacco ties. Both Elena and Jeff will never forget the moment when the rabbi and medicine man covered them with the sacred talis. “Set apart from the world through the shelter of the prayer shawl, we made spontaneous vows to each other. It was an indescribable feeling to be so deeply intimate and simultaneously embraced by family and friends showering us with immeasurable love. It was, without question, the most incredible moment of our lives,” says Elena.

The groom made sure the men in his entourage were both stylish and comfortable, supplying them all with Converse sneakers and argyle socks to be worn with their own tuxes. Eschewing an overly formal event, the couple says, “We were going for a little bit country and a little bit rock n' roll.”

The celebration continued as guests dined and danced under a canopy of rustic trees woven with twinkling light strands. In lieu of place cards, the bride's mother, Marcia Finney, had spent months nurturing two hundred organic seedling herbs individually planted in painted terra cotta pots and added small flags to designate table assignments. Elena remarks, “Since the wedding, we have been receiving photos of the herbs replanted all across the country in our friends’ gardens and other meaningful places.” What a wonderful reminder of how true love grows, gracing the lives of family and friends.

The glorious surroundings of Saddlerock Ranch Vineyard took center stage at the ceremony and reception with a nature- inspired wedding motif and minimal décor.