***

Because April brings unpredictable weather, cocktails were held in a clear tent on the grounds of the winery.  Guests were treated to a variety of specialty hors d’oeuvres such as lobster cones with caviar, chilled pea soup with crab stuffed green peas and cheve wine country wontons with apricot dipping sauce – they also indulged on cheese, antipasto and other delicacies on a station.  Escort cards were arranged on custom made picks gleaming with crystals and set in moss.

The dinner tent popped with color – shades of blue and green accented with white flowers.  The carpet in the tent was custom dyed to match the invitation envelopes – just a little detail.  Each of the guests’ place settings featured a crystal bead wire chargers and menus with the pattern of Brooke’s dress & the couple’s new monogram.  We decided to use a pole tent so we could forgo a liner and instead project amazing pattern on the ceiling.  Crystal beaded chandeliers, moss poles with ribbons of roses in tones of white and green and handcrafted garland were used to create the finishing details in the tent.  We also used several tones of linen ranging from a light pear green to a deep ocean blue to create excitement among the 20+ tables!  Dark chiavari chairs were sweetly tied with aqua toned ribbons.

A few years ago, we found a gate in an abandoned lot – it’s been painted about 20 different colors and is featured in quite a few of our weddings …it was  one of the bride’s favorite décor details we do, so it was incorporated into the cocktail tent to lead guests into the dinner.  It’s true that no wine country wedding would be complete without photos of the couple in the vineyard – even in April, the buds were breaking.  The couple also chose a magnum wine bottle for their guest book instead of the traditional paper book (what’s better than great wine you can drink later?)

The same pattern on the invitations is projected on the ceiling using color changing LED lighting – over the course of dancing, the tones changed from deep blue to teal and back again.  The four tier cake made of fondant and handmade flowers featured crystal accents and also had a pattern reminiscent of the bride’s gown.  Being from the south, a groom’s cake was inevitable.  Mark was an avid fly fisherman, so brook surprised him with a tackle box and pole and fish for his cake – even the fly’s on the board were made from edible modeling chocolate.  To end the evening, guests were treated to a port and chocolate table where they cut their own chocolate from large slabs and enjoyed a variety of port.  (note…I’ve never in my life seen 200 people drink 12 bottles of port – they devoured it!)

It’s always an honor to be introduced into our couples lives by creating one of the most important days of their lives.  (note I said…one of the most important).  While each event we plan provides unique challenges, we never miss the fact that brides and grooms have a lot of options now when planning their parties and it’s a great feeling to think that they trust us with the monumental task.  I make it a point to thank my couples and the mothers/fathers after the wedding is over – because I am thankful that they entrusted us…so, thank you, again…Brooke & Mark.

Vendor info:
Location: Chateau St. Jean / Invitation: Dauphine Press / Photos:  Sherman Chu for Sasha Souza Events / Décor and Design, Floral: Sasha Souza Events / Cakes: Fleur De Lisa Cakes / Bride’s Gown: Vera Wang / Catering: Alex’s Catering / Lighting: Got Light

Thank you so much to Sasha for entertaining us here on SMP today!

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Post tags: Alex Catering, Dauphine Press, Fleur De Lisa Cakes, Got Light, Napa, Sasha Souza Events, Sherman Chu, Spring Wedding, Vera Wang
Post categories: Real Weddings

The bride’s gown is couture Vera Wang with hand sewn crystals accented under the first layer of tulle and along the waist. It was a traditional a-line gown but the crystals underneath gave it just the right amount of sizzle. The flower girls wore petite garlands of baby spray roses and carried kissing balls to match but the mother’s carried very petite nosegays down the aisle with pin accents.

In honor of Brooke and Mark’s faith, they were married in a quaint church in nearby Santa Rosa, California. They combined their own minister with the minister from the church for the ceremony which brought a little bit of home with them. The aisle was lined in tall candle stands draped with handcrafted garland of eucalyptus, lemon leaf and finished with sea spray toned ribbons and clusters of coordinating flowers.

More to come…stay tuned!

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Post tags: Napa, Sasha Souza Events, Spring Wedding, Vera Wang
Post categories: Real Weddings

* * *

I am so thrilled to be guest posting on Style Me Pretty! Thanks Abby! On our own blog, Sparkliatti, we showcase many real weddings but wanted to showcase the gorgeous wedding of Brooke & Mark on Style Me Pretty! *yippee*

At Sasha Souza Events, we are known for our use of color in weddings and this party is no exception…we utilized a palette of three tones of blue mixed with green to create a fresh spring wedding for Brooke and Mark. In our business, we work mainly with destination wedding couples – those either going some place in the world to get married or those who come to our corner of the world in Napa Valley. Brooke & Mark were the second type of destination wedding couple who traveled from Dallas, Texas for their wedding last April.

We all know that in Texas, they do it big. In Wine Country; however, most locations max out at around 100 – 150 guests and although Brooke and Mark didn’t want to have a traditional Texas wedding – they did want to invite more than 200 of their closest friends and family so we really wanted to find a venue where we could spread out in the tents and where we could throw the kind of over the top event the couple’s family wanted. Brooke is a TV reporter and Mark’s a restaurateur and former sportscaster, they know a lot of people!

One of the first things I noticed about Brooke was that she was a perfect combination of traditional and modern in her choices. She was rather traditional in her choice of bouquet opting for a mix of peonies, roses and calla lilies but wanted to update it with crystals and beautiful accents. Their invitation suite showcased a monogram created by the mother of the bride and a pattern found on the bride’s gown. In order to make all the guests feel welcome, they received luxurious picnic baskets in their hotel rooms filled with wine country goodies. It was so fun to see the bride and groom’s wedding announcement featured in the New York Times on the morning of the wedding…

More to come from Sasha and this GORGEOUS real wedding!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Napa, Sasha Souza Events, Sparkliatti, Spring Wedding
Post categories: Real Weddings

One of our readers, Nole, emailed me back in January with questions about her upcoming wedding. It turns out that Nole’s wedding went off without a hitch and she has generously offered to share some pictures and details with us!

photography by Punam Bean Photography

Details from Nole…

My husband and I met in grad school while working on our M.A. degrees in international affairs (me) and security policy (him). Given our mutual background in international affairs, as well as my love of all things vintage and my husband’s love of history (he was a history major in undergrad), we knew that we wanted a wedding that was inspired by both vintage and global elements. I’ve always wanted a Spring wedding just because of the flower choices in the spring, and we both knew that we wanted to have an outdoor wedding if at all possible. We also wanted a really informal and intimate wedding — essentially a fun dinner party with all of our family and friends. We chose our venue, Woodlawn Manor, because it had the perfect historic feel (it was part of the underground railroad in the 1800s) as well as beautiful outdoor lawns for outdoor ceremony and reception.

And thus, we set out with the goal of pulling off our perfect wedding with an initial budget of $10,000….

We have so much more from Nole coming, so stay tuned!

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Post tags: Nole and Andrew, Punam Bean Photography, Spring Wedding, Washington DC, Woodlawn Manor
Post categories: All Real Weddings, Budget Beautiful, Real Weddings