Kenwood Wedding with Total Style

January 4th. 2010 by Abby Larson | Filed Under | 14 comments

The first post of the New Year is a bit like the first day of school. A little bit of nerves, a little bit of excitement, a little bit of a lazy hangover still lingering. We had a blissful week off (and by blissful I really mean totally insane with little spurts of relaxation that you can read about over on backstage) and managed to not only spend some much needed QT with our family, but also to spend some much needed time deciding what 2010 will be all about for Style Me Pretty.

Anyway! I thought that we could kick off the new year with what I have decided is my official favorite new thing in weddings. Inspired by the Day and Max wedding that we featured way back when, I am totally and completely smitten with the different hued bridesmaids dresses in this super cute wedding. The dresses along with just about everything else.

kenwood wedding with different color bridesmaids dresses

all images by Ashley Forrett

I had always envisioned a late spring, early summer wedding but after getting engaged in December ’08 I changed my mind. I didn’t want to rush our engagement and have our wedding the following spring, but I also didn’t want to wait until spring 2010. My fiance and I knew we wanted to have our wedding somewhere in Sonoma County, as I grew up there and we both love the area. After thinking about it we realized that early October was the perfect time, giving us enough time to plan, great weather in San Francisco (where we live) and providing quintessential “wine country” conditions for the wedding, especially for our out-of-town guests.

kenwood wedding with different color bridesmaids dresses

all images by Ashley Forrett

We found our venue by chance (I stumbled upon it on the internet late one night after hours of searching) and knew immediately upon seeing it and meeting the owners that it was perfect for our Big Day! Casa Vecchia is just minutes from my parents’ house and is surrounded by vineyards. The grounds are beautiful, with an old barn, an original water tower, a bocce court… and the most AMAZING oak tree I’ve ever seen!!! So, even though they were a new venue (we were only their 2nd wedding!) everything felt right.

We wanted a casual, rustic, yet elegant feel to everything… and hoped that by doing many of the details ourselves, elements of our personalities would come through.The oak tree sort of became the focal point of our wedding, and we used that image on our invitations (hello! lucky) and programs (that we made ourselves). We tried to borrow, reuse or make many of the decor elements.

kenwood wedding with different color bridesmaids dresses

all images by Ashley Forrett

The ceremony was set on a large lawn with the oak tree behind us, and vineyards and mountains opposite. We used the same chuppa canopy that my mother had made for my sister’s wedding and lined the aisle with pots of lavender (which my mom and sister now have in their yards).  The guest book was placed on a small wooden desk from my parents house with black and white photos of our parents and grandparents.  I found a beautiful vintage green wire basket that we used for wedding cards.

Lars’ Norwegian relatives came dressed in their traditional bunad while my bridemaids each chose their own dress in a different color.  My mom made the sashes for the flower girls, as well as the bell “bracelets” they rang down the aisle (a nod to a Norwegian custom believed to drive away evil spirits).  I wore my dream dress, a Monique Lhuillier Monet sample that I had altered, and accessorized it with a jcrew belt I found on ebay, my grandmother’s pendant, and dark red satin heels that I found at a used clothing store (Cris) in San Francisco.  We gave all the groomsmen fedoras (from Goorin Bros) for their gift and all the bridesmaids received clutches (from via bella on Etsy) that I had lined to match their dress.
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14 Comments about “Kenwood Wedding with Total Style”

  1. Jenifer Simpson says:
    January 4, 2010 at 10:41 am

    I love this wedding! Love the family style dinner too...So pretty!

  2. Mouse says:
    January 4, 2010 at 12:09 pm

    nice jewel tones!

  3. Secil says:
    January 4, 2010 at 5:37 pm

    one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen!

  4. Naomi says:
    January 4, 2010 at 11:35 pm

    This wedding has such a warm, friendly feel to it. Nothing seems forced. The bride and groom along with their family just fit!

  5. Sara says:
    January 5, 2010 at 12:44 am

    What a perfect wedding! I'm planning my wedding for August and am doing many of the same things that this bride did. I live in the Bay Area and would love to know if she's interested in selling any of the decor elements that she may have purchased....

    Thanks for this lovely wedding!

  6. kathryn says:
    January 10, 2010 at 12:30 am

    thanks for all the kind responses! just getting back from our belated honeymoon, so sorry for the delay :o) Sara, I would love to get in touch with you regarding reusing some of our decor items -- what's your email?

  7. Heather M says:
    January 12, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    Hope you had a wonderful honeymoon! My fiance and I are considering the same venue for our wedding. I would love to speak to you to get more details. I can be reached at heatherlmorris (at) gmail (dot) (com). Thanks!

  8. Sara says:
    January 15, 2010 at 1:31 am

    Kathryn,

    Thanks - I'd love to talk about possibly purchasing some of your decor items! My email is sawimberger@gmail.com

    Look forward to talking to you!

  9. Kate F says:
    January 28, 2010 at 9:38 am

    kathryn - love, love, love the wedding you put together! i'm definitely leaning toward having my bridesmaids choose their own dresses. i'm curious if your girls' dresses were from the same designer? did you give any "rules" (e.g., length, fabric, style) or did you just suggest the colors? thank you!

  10. Kathryn says:
    February 12, 2010 at 12:38 pm

    Hi Kate,

    Sorry for the delay -- I haven't checked our page in a while. Thank you so much for your compliments!

    Basically, I talked with my b'maids and together we debated on having shades of one color or going with Jewel Tones -- and everyone agreed that Jewel Tones would look really pretty. Then we decided what colors would look good on which person -- and together. I did want to make sure the dresses complimented each other, so I suggested they be of the same material if we could find it. It took a while, but worked out -- and the silk chiffon was perfect. All the dresses were from Jcrew, except the the green dress which I already owned (and lent to my sister). Jcrew does a fab job and they're pretty affordable.

    Personally, I would have been totally okay if the dresses had been more different, i.e. different lengths or necklines... but more than anything I wanted the girls to feel pretty and buy a dress they'd really wear again; which turned out to be these. I did encourage them to accessorize/ style however they wanted, because I wanted them to look and feel like themselves.

    I think it's important to be honest about what you envision -- if you don't feel comfortable with a certain material, or cut, etc. make sure to tell your b'maids. My last tip is to make sure you get all the dresses together with enough time to make changes.

    Good luck and congrats! Kat

  11. christine says:
    August 18, 2010 at 1:32 am

    kathryn,
    your wedding was gorgeous and looks absolutely perfect! my fiance and i are also considering having our wedding there and it would be great if i could get in contact with you and ask you some questions. my email: cyu718@yahoo.com
    thanks so much!
    christine

  12. Juanita says:
    September 2, 2010 at 8:08 am

    Hi Kathryn!

    I absolutely love Monet. I tried it on and fell in love. Are you interested in selling your dress? If so, email me at chisler(at)mac.com. Thanks!!

  13. Elizabeth says:
    September 8, 2011 at 4:45 pm

    Hi,

    This venue looks gorgeous. My sister is getting married and looking for a venue in Sonoma. The website doesn't provide any info...can you provide a rough estimate of the site fee?

    Thanks!

  14. Caitlin says:
    October 11, 2011 at 1:44 am

    Hi,

    Congratulations on your beautiful wedding! I am also curious about the same question as the previous person. What venue is this? It looks gorgeous!

    Thanks,
    Caitlin :)

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