Style Me Pretty

Windsor Wedding at the Homestead Estate by Brandon Chesbro, Wedding Photographer

Closing up shop for the evening with a totally serene, breathtakingly gorgeous wedding is just how we like to end a day. It’s simplicity at its best as seen through the lens of Brandon Chesbro. And you wouldn’t think that rustic outdoor details could work so well with a dash of art deco but they do. Oh how they do. See it all right here.

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From the Bride… When Zach and I got engaged, we were living in San Francisco and knew wherever we got married, we wanted it to be a serene. outdoor location. With our families scattered across the country and our future place of residence uncertain, we decided that no matter what the future held, getting married in wine country would be the perfect spot as we’d spent many weekends there as a couple. We came across Homestead Estate, owned by Jim and Janet Sampietro. Not only was their vineyard property breathtaking, the couple was a joy to be around and they also owned a great catering company. We were sold.

Once the location was picked, we began developing our vision: an intimate, Art Deco-inspired garden party. This was a challenge as Art Deco can get kitschy fast, so we focused our inspiration to make sure it still felt classic and timeless. Since we had the garden part down with our vineyard location, we chose we black, ivory, and champagne as our color palette. Zach and I designed all the printed elements together. Centerpieces were made by me and my sister, Kyle, with sculptural succulents planted inside matte gold planters. Since we loved the area so much and most our guests were from out of town, we paid homage to the region by selecting food that was sourced from local vendors, as well as wines picked from Sonoma County.

In the end, we wanted our wedding to an intimate celebration that would also be a true reflection of us as a couple. In writing our vows, Zach and I dug deep into what marriage means to us, and standing up there next to him reciting those words was most definitely my favorite part of the day.  It’s truly overwhelming to be surrounded by those who you love so much and who have been a part of your life for so long. They’ve come together in one spot, on one day, to support you — and that is an amazing feeling!

Wedding Photography: Brandon Chesbro, Wedding Photographer / Wedding Venue: Homestead Estate in Windsor, California (Owned by Jim and Janet Sampietro) / Day-Of Coordination: Sugar Pop Events / Ceremony Flowers + Cocktail Table Centerpieces: Bonnie Black / Dinner Table Centerpieces + Wedding Decor: DIY / Other Floral Design: Studio Choo / Catering: St. Peter’s Fare (Owned by Jim and Janet Sampietro — 707-838-6847) / Wedding Cake: Your Sweet Expectations / Groom’s Cake: Nancy Anderson / Graphic Design: Lindsay Calev / Printing: La Bonne Vie Studio / Speaker Rentals: Breeze Party / Guitarist: Chris Chesbro / Wedding Dress: Casablanca Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Cole Haan / Jewelry: From Family / Hair: Stella Stevens Hair Designs / Makeup: Meagan Milano

Los Gatos Wedding at Radonich Ranch by One True Love Vintage Rentals + Lili Durkin Photographer

There are detail-filled weddings, and then there is this wedding. A wedding where the Bride just happens to be the owner of One True Love Vintage Rentals, and one where details were taken to an entirely new level. Lili Durkin Photographer was behind the lens to capture every perfect little touch, and I’m going to go ahead and just say it – the full gallery is be-YOND.

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And because it’s always fabulous to see all those details come to life on film, sit back and enjoy this gorgeous work of art from Seaglass Cinema…

From the Bride, Owner of One True Love Vintage Rentals… I’ll admit it, despite working in the wedding industry and understanding the importance of having great vendors, I thought I could plan and execute my wedding all by myself. I’m a very independent person, have a serious type-A personality and know what I like in terms of design so I figured, “Why get help? I can totally pull this off!” Famous last words! A few months before my big day, I realized I was in way over my head! We had booked all of our vendors but the DIY projects were piling up, and the time was passing by faster than I ever could have imagined. I knew if I didn’t start whipping out DIY projects and finalizing day-of details soon, our wedding just wasn’t going to come together in time. So my husband and I took a leap and did what we said we wouldn’t do — hire wedding coordinators. We ended up hiring the amazingly talented Emily and Megan of Enjoy Events Co. to pull together all those last minute details and bring our vision to life. It was, without a doubt, the best decision we made during the planning process. Not only did Emily and Megan sift through all of the ideas we had swimming around in our heads, but they also custom made some amazing pieces for us, such as our lovely escort card door, all of the hanging wooden signs, and our ceremony backdrop, just to name a few. But the best part of hiring a planning/design duo? The fact that I got to spend our wedding morning getting pampered and sipping mimosas with my bridesmaids instead of waking up at the crack of dawn to do set-up. 

Though there were parts of the journey that were stressful, our wedding day turned out to be better than we ever could have imagined! Some of my favorite wedding day memories? Well aside from saying “I do”, which clearly tops my list, the fact that Taylor Swift was mentioned by both me and my husband during our vows was pretty epic. It was totally unplanned and absolutely hilarious. Our ceremony music was also a really important part of our day. We wanted it to reflect our personalities so we started by having our string trio play Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” as our guests arrived at the ceremony. Yes, we rick-rolled our guests! Then, my husband entered the ceremony to “The Final Countdown” by Europe. Our guests and my husband both got a huge kick out of that. For the processional, I chose Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child of Mine.” Guns N’ Roses was one of my favorite band when I was young, and when I heard Sweet Child of Mine played by a string quartet, I was hooked! Finally, for the recessional, my husband and I chose “Measure 3″ from our favorite band, Matt Pond PA. It was a song that we listened to over and over when we first met so it was kind of surreal to be listening to it again but this time walking down the aisle as husband and wife!

Radonich Ranch, a rustic fruit-packing ranch nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, really set the tone for our laid-back, whimsical celebration. We really hit the venue jack-pot there! Not only was it gorgeous but, Marky Carr, the on-site coordinator was an absolutely joy to work with. The fact that I got to outfit our entire wedding with furniture and decor from my company, One True Love Vintage Rentals, was also pretty amazing. It was a very proud moment for me to be able to show my friends and family what I do day in and day out.  There was a lot of “Ohhhhh, I get it now!” and “Wow, you haul this furniture around every weekend?” My husband and I definitely got a good laugh out of guests’ comments when they realized what owning a boutique rental company really entails! And my favorite piece that we used from our collection? Our red vintage school locker. Since my husband and I met when we were in school, we thought it would be cute to have guests write us “love notes” and stick them in the locker. We also used the locker as a place to store photo booth props. It was such a fun, versatile piece! 

Wedding Photography: Lili Durkin Photographer / Wedding Venue: Radonich Ranch via Vignette Events in Los Gatos, California / Event Coordination, Escort Card Display, Hanging Wooden Signs + Ceremony Backdrop: Enjoy Events Co. / Event Design: The Bride + Enjoy Events Co. / Bouquets + Boutonnieres: Studio Choo / Centerpieces + Catering: Marky Carr of Vignette Events / Furniture + Decor: One True Love Vintage Rentals (Owned by the Bride) / Wedding Cinematography: Seaglass Cinema / Desserts: Susie Cakes / Wedding Invitations + Paper Design: The Bride / Officiant: Cynthia Gregory / DJ: Tommy Fullove of Entire Productions / Wedding Dress: Watters / Sash: Black Grosgain / Hair: That Girl Beautique / Makeup: Natasha Burwell / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew

Los Angeles Wedding at Cliff’s Edge by Fondly Forever Photography

The Cliff’s Edge is the epitome of casual elegance. And we wouldn’t mind spending every meal at those beautiful tables, passing the vino with friends and family amongst the gorgeous flowers of Holly Flora. This couple indeed knows how to pick just the right venue for a knock-out, dinner party-esque affair captured beautifully by Fondly Forever Photography. See the full day in the gallery, right here.

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From Jen of Fondly Forever Photography… Jessica and Peter’s vision for their wedding was an intimate dinner party surrounded by their close family and friends. Cliff’s Edge in Los Angeles is a well-known restaurant, and they saw the potential and made the space their perfect wedding venue. The ceremony was held on the patio under a giant tree with hanging lights and was so beautiful and emotional. Afterwards, guests remained on the patio for a beautiful cocktail hour and were then invited into the main dining area for the reception. The tables were set up banquet style and were simply but beautifully dressed with candles and amazing flowers from Holly Flora.

We choose to do their first look surrounded by nature in Griffith Park to contrast the wedding and reception location. Their day, which was shot with a combination of film and digital, could have not been more beautiful, and I am so happy I get to share it with you! 

Wedding Photography: Fondly Forever Photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: Cliff’s Edge in Los Angeles, California / Floral Design: Holly Flora / Day-Of Coordination: Mad Love Events / Violinist: Jennifer Visick / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier + Modifications (Changed Shape from A-Line to Mermaid, Added French Lace + Beading) / Silver Clutch Purse: Vintage + Borrowed from a Friend’s Mother / Earrings: Nadri / Makeup: Becky Tash