Napa Valley Wedding by Sylvie Gil Photography

Peonies and weddings are like peanut butter and jelly in our book. They go hand in hand like a trusted classic and one that we never, ever get sick of gazing at. So it’s no surprise that we can’t take our eyes off this gem held at one of the prettiest spots in California, Beaulieu Garden. It’s classic elegance with a layer of pretty, pretty pink florals by Valley Flora and image after beautiful image by Sylvie Gil Photography. Now add in the oh-so-in-love couple and we have the makings of the perfect happy ever after. See it all here.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… Every time I think of Napa, I think of the gorgeous green rolling hills. The smell of grapes reminds me of all of the wonderful times spent with our friends. We’ve eaten at some of best restaurants in the world and of course enjoyed copious amounts of our favorite beverage — wine. Amir & I definitely consider ourselves to be huge “winos” and foodies. I really wanted our wedding to have a romantic feel and really capture what we love in life: great times with friends and excellent food and wine. Napa was the perfect fit for us and without much deliberation we chose it as our wedding location.

For the décor and overall style I wanted to stick with the following themes: vintage, French countryside, and understated elegance. Naturally, Napa provides a rich and colorful setting for a wedding, so I didn’t want to overwhelm tables with elaborate flower arrangements. Instead, I opted for simple peony bouquets in glass vases. I absolutely love peonies, and I have to admit that the wedding date was planned around the peony season, which is fairly short – only 6 weeks (May through early June). I do love my peonies! I also really liked the idea of dessert buffets and I wanted our dessert table to incorporate some our favorite treats. Our table featured baked goods from our favorite bakery: Bouchon. Ah, Bouchon, where do I begin … known for their French macaroons, eclairs, chocolate bouchons and pretty much any other baked deliciousness. We decided to skip favors and offered to go boxes that our guests could fill up with whatever they chose from the table. I heard it was quite a huge hit with everyone.

Words can’t describe how happy I was to wake up to a warm, sunny morning. We definitely got very lucky with the weather, as it was cold and heavily rainy the entire week leading up to our wedding. The day was beautiful, full of emotions, happy tears, and of course as I have been warned, flew by in what seemed like 5 minutes. I am glad that I remembered to take Kathy’s advice, before the last song, I grabbed Amir’s hand and stepped away from the dance floor to just stand there for good 10 minutes and soak in the moment. Watching friends & family dancing, popping in and out of the photo booth, munching on late night snack, I will never forget that moment. Looking back, I would not have changed anything and I am completely overjoyed with the thought that now Napa will always have a special place in our hearts. Every time we come back to Napa we will get to re-live the memories of our wedding day..

Photographer: Sylvie Gil Photography / Venue: Beaulieu Garden / Cake: Michael and Angela of Perfect Endings / Catering: Geoffrey and Tim of Paula LeDuc Fine Catering / Celebrant: Tannaz (Taz) Mokayef, groom’s sister / Ceremony + Cocktail Music: Brian Moran of Ever Music Group / Wedding Planner: Kathy Higgins Weddings /DJ: Chris Fox / Florals: Polly Harrington of Valley Flora / Sound System + Lighting: Jon Retsky of Got Light / Rentals + Linens: Deirdre Muller of Classic Party Rentals / Lounge Furniture: Neil Adams of Blueprint Studio Collection / Rehearsal Party: Brix / Transportation: Karen Dooley of California Wine Tours / Dessert Table: Bouchon / Hair and Makeup: The Makeup Dolls

26 Comments about “Napa Valley Wedding by Sylvie Gil Photography”

1. Kacee Geoffroy says:

   January 17, 2012 at 12:14 pm

   Just dreamy!!!!!
2. Andrew Billington says:

   January 17, 2012 at 12:19 pm

   Beautiful looking wedding with some fantastic images. Great work!
3. Kelley Cannon says:

   January 17, 2012 at 12:22 pm

   I love the "peanut butter and jelly" analogy for peonies and weddings! I 100% agree! This wedding is totally gorgeous- love it!!!!!!
4. jacin {lovely little details} says:

   January 17, 2012 at 12:23 pm

   what a beautiful wedding!
5. Jenny F. says:

   January 17, 2012 at 1:03 pm

   Where oh where did the bride get her beautiful veil! I've been looking for a raw edge fingertip length veil everywhere and they're harder to find than I anticipated...
6. Bloomington Wedding Photography says:

   January 17, 2012 at 1:51 pm

   We love the shot of the couple embracing in the middle of the empty road. Nice work : D
7. Celina says:

   January 17, 2012 at 1:59 pm

   From where are the amazing bridesmaids dresses ?
8. Ally Mokayef says:

   January 17, 2012 at 2:19 pm

   Hi Jenny,
   I got my veil at Monique Lhullier!! So simple but yet so beautiful!
9. Ally Mokayef says:

   January 17, 2012 at 2:28 pm

   Hi Celina,
   The dresses are by Amsale..:)
10. Dominion House says:

    January 17, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    Beautiful photographs! The bride's cake is simply stunning! Congrats to the happy couple!
11. Eddye says:

    January 17, 2012 at 3:58 pm

    Beautiful Ally! And is your wedding gown by Monique L?
12. Eden says:

    January 17, 2012 at 4:29 pm

    That last shot is super sweet :)
13. invitation consultants says:

    January 17, 2012 at 4:43 pm

    gorgeous. elegant. chic.
14. Jaime says:

    January 17, 2012 at 5:25 pm

    The bride and bridesmaids look stunning especially with the side swept hair style, very elegant.
15. Ally Mokayef says:

    January 17, 2012 at 8:09 pm

    Hi Eddye,
    Yes, the dress is also a Monique.. I honestly think no one else does better lace dresses than her!!
16. Jenny F. says:

    January 18, 2012 at 12:06 am

    Thank you so much, Ally... you were a stunning bride. And you're absolutely right about Monique. No one does lace better! :)
17. Judy says:

    January 18, 2012 at 4:59 am

    So adorable colored theme!! I love the pink!!! And her shoes are stunning!!
18. Kelsey says:

    January 18, 2012 at 9:52 am

    The peonies are beautiful! Much like the ones I saw at http://flowersbydickburton.com/ , congratulations it looked beautiful!
19. Rachel says:

    January 19, 2012 at 2:47 pm

    A quick logistical question... I am also planning to have white french/vintage plates on the tables preset for the reception. The meal is a served plated dinner. Did you have your servers pick up the plates and replace them with food on them, or was it a buffet instead? I'm still trying to figure out how to get the plates from the tables looking pretty, to the back to plate the food, and back out... Maybe guests won't mind getting a different plate back...
20. Sheri Bailey says:

    January 24, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    Simply fab! Are the bridesmaid's dresses in Cerise color? Love the flowers too. Looks like it was a joyful, special day. Everyone looks so happy!
21. Misha says:

    January 31, 2012 at 3:22 pm

    Love how simply and elegant the wedding was.
22. Andrea O'Donnell says:

    February 10, 2012 at 12:24 pm

    What a beautiful wedding! That day was so much fun! You looked gorgeous!

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