A Wedding At Erna’s Elderberry House

Leah, a huge fan of all things magical like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, knew right when she set eyes upon Erna’s Elderberry House that it was the location for her wedding. A magical wedding venue that transforms you into a dream world. After your vows, you follow the heady fragrance of roses through the gardens to Erna’s Elderberry House Restaurant, arriving hand-in-hand for a fabulous wedding feast. After a casually elegant evening, you will steal away with your new husband to the Château du Sureau or to your manor house, the Villa Sureau, a picturesque spot nestled in the forest. How incredibly magical does all of that sound? It’s the exact reason why Leah and Matthew chose Erna’s Elderberry House as their wedding venue.

Lucky for us, Leah provided a full budget breakdown (including their honeymoon)! So, you can see how much a magical wedding like this cost. Of course as always, you must see more of this magical wedding in the full gallery by clicking here. All beautifully photographed by Adrienne Gunde.

From the bride:
The theme evolved to an enchanted forest because I am obsessed with stories (especially Disney) and most fairytale stories takes place in this kind of backdrop. Erna’s Elderberry House gave me that cottage-like feeling, and there is a beautiful adjacent chateau as well. I love stories like Harry Potter, Narnia, and Lord of the Rings as well – ones aren’t quite as girlie, which provided inspiration as well because this day isn’t just about me, it’s about Matt too and the adventures we have together.

The centerpieces were all created by Matthew’s aunt – the table names were all enchanted forest names from different books, and the mushrooms, gnomes, birds, lights, books, and earthy things were all present to support our theme.

Be sure to watch the film by Motion Pic Weddings. You can see all the wedding details up close as well as the the magical wedding venue.

Venue: Erna’s Elderberry House
Makeup: Emily Johnson
Cake: Sweet Dreams Cakery
Caterer: Erna’s Elderberry House
Cinematography: Motion Pic Weddings
DJ: Johnnie Rae
Flowers: Sweet Dreams Cakery
Officiant: Autrey Nassar
Hair: Sonia Garcia | Event Designer: Centerpieces and other details were done by the groom’s aunt, Kerry McGuire

The wedding costed a little under $36,000. I did all the invites, guestbook, programs myself since I am a graphic designer. All the decor setup was done by Matthew’s aunt, with the exception of flower arrangements. We had a lot of DIY decors created. All the wood pieces came from Matt’s grandma’s in the foothills.

Erna’s Elderberry House (venue + food) for 80 people, 10 people didn’t show up: $11,200
Officiant: $475
Music: $750
Photographer: $4,000
Videographer: $2,350
Cake: $480
Flowers $3,000
Ceremony & Reception decor: $700
Hotel: $600
Transportation: $200

Invitations: $300
Guestbook: $60
Gifts to parents and bridal party: $300
Programs: $50

Engagement Pictures at Disneyland: $500
Disneyworld Honeymoon: ~$4500
Rehearsal Dinner $250

Gown with alterations: $2,000
Birdcage Veil: $50
Bride’s Accessories: $350
Hair & Makeup: $230
Prewedding pampering: $110
Grooms Tux: $500
Grooms Accessories: $200
His wedding band: $800
Her wedding band: $1400
Engagement ring: $500 to set the stone. Diamond is Matt’s grandmother’s wedding ring from his grandpa.