I am going to go ahead and say it, I SO wish I was a guest at this wedding. Because the reception these two hosted is basically my dream. An al fresco dinner under twinkling lights all set in the gorgeous Sonoma? Does it get any better than that? Why yes it does, when that beautiful fête celebrates two beautiful people. Luckily for all of us we can be virtual guest of this gorgeous soiree thanks to the stunning images from Viera Photographics, and you can see it all here. 

 

From Viera… Fact- Mike is SO in love with Aimee. You can just tell by the way he holds her and looks at her. Aimee and Mike are both from New York, so their wedding was a destination wedding in Napa Valley. Their ceremony and reception were held at the Jacuzzi Family Vineyards.

From the Bride…We decided to have a destination wedding in Napa Valley because it represented everything we love; good food, wine and traveling. We were so blessed to have 90 friends and family fly across the country to be there for us. Mike and I, along with our great wedding planner spent over a year working out every little detail. We felt if people were going to make this kind of committment to us we wanted to make it unique and special for them. Very few things in life that turn out exactly as you imagine them in your mind, and this was even better.

We had the most beautiful weather for our outdoor ceremony, something we stressed about for the whole year.The highlight of the wedding was the dinner in the vineyard, people commented that they felt like they were on a movie set.We are huge foodies and wanted the meal to be the centerpiece of the evening. We had one long table set up right between the grapvines with Italian string lights above. Everyone ate an amazing dinner together as the sun set. Most brides don’t eat a plate of butternut squash ravioli then polish off and entire short rib entree but i did! After the dinner we moved into the barrel room for dancing and cake. We had brought in these gorgeous chandeliers and vintage furniture for seating areas and the room had this cool old New York vibe to it. We are also huge cocktail fans and we found these awesome bartenders in San Francisco who made custom cocktails for everyone all night. Also had handcrafted Tequila Jello shots with edible flowers in the center made by a lady in the Mission. At the end of the evening we had Sonoma County school buses pick up everyone and take them back to the hotel for an after party.

Wedding Photography: Viera Photographics | Wedding Venue: Jacuzzi Family Vineyards in Sonoma, California | Wedding Coordinator: Heather Holliday | Floral Design: Grant Avenue Florist | Officiant: Anthony Sciolino | Catering: Park Avenue Catering | Wedding Cake: Patisserie Angelica | Bar Service: Rye on the Road | Entertainment: AMS Entertainment | Lighting: The Lux Productions | Makeup: It’s a Date at the Powder Room

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A passion for golf brought these two lovebirds together, so it only seems fitting that the beautiful Morgan Creek Gold Club played host to their big day – a day that was not only drop-dead gorgeous, but rich in Winter-inspired details, from the dreamy blue hues to the comfy bridesmaids’ shawls to the yummy hot chocolate bar. (LOVE.)  Planned to perfection by AlphaLee Events and captured in breathtaking images by Anita Martin Photography, this, my friends, is one for the history books.  See it all right here.

 

From the Bride… Chris and I share a passion for golf. We met on a golf course, we came to know one another and fall in love through the game and business of golf. We wanted our wedding to reflect our passion for the game and our passion for the people in our lives. With a winter setting, we added elements of class and warm fuzzies. For example, we offered a dessert table full of homemade desserts (even golf ball cake pops!) from family and friends instead of a cake, and a hot chocolate bar with personalized favor mugs for all to take home. We put our efforts into making sure our guests felt honored, welcome, and ready to have a good time. The day was about us, yes, but the truth is, we would not have been there on that day if it weren’t for each and every one of those people that had formed, touched, encouraged and shaped us along our journey in life. We made sure that was clear and set the tone of the evening.

As the bride, I had an eclectic taste I wanted to bring together… monochromatic, clean lines, vintage touches and a wintery ambiance. I made sure my color palate was complimentary without matching too loudly. I searched countless antique stores and thrift shops to find what I was looking for. My uncle cut down an aspen tree in Colorado so we could utilize slices of it in the centerpieces. My father-in-law handmade the vintage gate that acted as our seating chart. It was these (and many more) personal efforts the helped make my seemingly overzealous vision a reality. All of these hopes came together more perfectly than I could have ever imagined, and I could not have done it without all my incredibly talented and generous vendors who were willing to see my vision with me and make it a vivid reality.

Most of all, I wanted a welcoming and celebratory environment. We had the time of our lives, and everyone celebrated with us in that!

From Anita Martin Photography… Anne and Chris both eat, sleep, and breathe golf, so their Golf Club wedding fit them perfectly.  They were surrounded by their family and friends, who laughed and cried with them all day.  I was swept up in the simple elegance of their wedding, and loved how they incorporated personal touches to make their guests feel at home. The perk of their delicious desert table was a hot chocolate bar, where guests could enjoy the cool winter evening with something warm and sweet.  

This couple has a deep and tender love for each other, evidence by the way they were able to be in the moment throughout their day.  Anne proclaimed she was not nervous, only excited to be married.  After watching Anne with all of her bridesmaids, I told Anne’s mother you can tell a lot about a person by the quality of their friends and that her daughter really was such an amazing woman. To be surrounded by people that love you so unconditionally is very special. Anne and Chris radiate love and happiness, and their relationship is both refreshing and inspiring. It was truly an honor to be present during their wedding day.

Wedding Photography: Anita Martin Photography | Wedding Venue + Catering: Morgan Creek Gold Club in Roseville, California | Event Planning: Kim Lantz from AlphaLee Events | Wedding Cinematography: Christian DaCosta | Floral Design: Rodarte Floral Design | Wedding Cake: Sweet Stuff Cakery | DJ: Desi Productions | Wedding Dress: Galina Signature Gown via David’s Bridal | Bride’s Shoes: Nine West | Bridesmaids’ Attire: Bloomingdale’s | Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

There are garden parties, and then there are garden parties hosted by Julia Lake Parties, who just so also happens to be the floral-crowned Bride gracing the gorgeous images of Lauren Ross in this I can’t believe it’s real, wedding. Because this garden party brings such fêtes to an entirely new detail-filled level. With a all white dress code for their guests, handmade floral crowns for all the ladies and guests that dined under twinkling lights on the family heirloom china – it’s safe to say, this wedding is a stunner. See it all here.

 

From the Bride… Because I throw parties as a profession, my wedding day was like my tour de force. People always tell you not to get lost in the details but I ignored them and put all my focus into the details.

I wanted the day to feel sacred & intimate so I asked guests to wear all white, head to toe. Even I didn’t realize how ethereal it would look and it really set the tone so that the overall vibe was untouchable. It was as if we were all part of the ceremony. The actual ceremony took place in a circle made up of guests sitting on hay bales arranged in a circle with old linens thrown over them. It was incredibly intimate.

We had a few different DIY projects that we did Which Included bundled love letters. I color photocopied some love letters that my husband and I had written to each other in the last 5 years, cut them out in their original shapes & sizes and tied them together with ribbon. Each person had the stack of love letters waiting for them on their pillow when they arrived to read through before bed the night before the wedding. it was incredibly intimate but i thought a nice way of sharing our love with our loved ones.

Flower crowns: The day before the wedding all of the ladies came to my house and sat on blankets on the lawn and weaved flowers crowns together to wear at the wedding- so on the wedding day each woman had a flower crown of her own.

Wedding programs: I made the wedding program cards on the back of vintage wedding photograph postcards and my bridesmaids looked edwardian- even though we found all of their dresses in my mothers closet 2 nights before the wedding in an epic dress up session.

Downton Abbey: Because I wanted to use all of my mother’s passed down family silver, antique china and old european linens, it ended up looking like an outdoor garden party in a scene from downton abbey. In the end I only rented the glassware and tables. I kept the color palate clean and only used white aside from splashes of pink because my dress was made of Czech linen with hand embroidered pink flowers on it so every now and then you’d have an accent of pink.

Wedding Photography: Lauren Ross | Wedding Venue: Family Residence- Esser Vineyards in Napa, California | Wedding Cinematography: Thomas Hughes Films | Event  Planning + Design: Julia Lake Parties | Floral Design: DIY by the Bride via SF Flower Market | Wedding Invitations: The Bride | Wedding Dress: Custom via The Cotton Bride | Bride’s Shoes: Badgely Mishka “Zowie”