Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From the Bride… We chose wine country because summer days in Napa are nice and hot.  We knew we wanted to have an outdoor wedding with a beautiful, natural backdrop. But because it tends to get quite chilly in the evenings, we wanted to find a venue that offered an indoor-outdoor option.  We also wanted our wedding to be completely private. We love clean, fresh-feeling spaces and Durham Ranch fit the bill. We loved the rustic, yet refined style.

We wanted our day to feel intimate.  Our parents were wonderful in collaborating with us on the guest list, so that each and every guest was somebody special that we truly were excited to have be a part of our special day.  Remind yourself that this is the only time in your life in which every single one of these people will be gathered together in one place at one time and make the most of your time together.

I grew up attending Quaker Meeting for Worship.  To incorporate elements of the Quaker tradition, we had every guest sign our Marriage Certificate, which was hand-calligraphied by Michele Papineau.  We will frame it and hang it in our home as a reminder of the promises we made to each other and the witnesses present that day.  Our officiant and Maid of Honor showered us with flower petals after the pronouncement.  We were pleasantly surprised and it added to the celebratory feel of the moment.

DIY elements included guest welcome bags – canvas bags printed with an oak tree from our save-the-date cards with homemade tags with each guest’s name.  We filled each with our favorite cookies, almonds, oranges, chips, and chocolates from local vendors.  Our favors were jars of Tupelo Honey from Florida (in honor of our first-dance song, “Tupelo Honey” by Van Morrison) with custom labels made at home.

The weather was perfect, nice and warm during the day and into the evening. We were fortunate to be able to rent the venue from Thursday until Sunday.  This was special because it allowed us time in this special location both before and after the wedding.  Sunday morning, following the wedding, we woke up to a beautiful sunny day.  We could hear the birds chirping and the breeze blowing through the trees, a poignant contrast to the excitement of the previous night and a wonderful way to bring the weekend to a close.

Wedding Photography: Sylvie Gil Photography / Event Design & Planning: Annena & Co. / Wedding Venue: Durham Ranch / Flowers: Tapestry / Catering: Paula LeDuc Fine Catering / Cupcakes: Perfect Endings / Photo Booth: Magnolia Photo Booth Co. / Wedding Cinematography: Thomas Hughes Films / Event Lighting: Twilight Design / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Linens: La Tavola / Wedding Invitations: Hello!Lucky / Wedding Dress: Anne Barge / Bride’s Shoes: Banana Republic / Bride’s Earrings: Borrowed from Mother of the Groom / Groom’s Suit: Custom / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Bridesmaid Earrings: Catherine Popesco of La Vie Parisienne / Groomsmen Ties: Thomas Pink / Hair & Makeup: Julie Morgan / Calligraphy: Michele Papineau / Ceremony Music: Paul Binkley / Reception Music: Busta-Groove / Hair & Makeup: The Makeup Dolls

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Anne Barge, Annena & Co., Banana Republic, Barn Reception, Blue, Busta Groove, CA, Catherine Popesco, Classic Party Rentals, Cupcake Tower, Durham Ranch, Hello! Lucky, J. Crew, Julie Morgan, La Tavola, La Vie Parisienne, Magnolia Photo Booth Co., Michele Papineau, Napa Valley, Outdoor Ceremony, Paul Binkley, Paula LeDuc Fine Catering, Perfect Endings, Ranch Wedding, St. Helena, Sylvie Gil Photography, Tapestry, Thomas Hughes Films, Thomas Pink, Twilight Design, Wine Country Wedding, Yellow
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Napa Valley Weddings

To see all of the wedding images, click here.

{click here to see the full wedding by Jamie Grenough}

Our wedding was all about rustic, raw beauty. Durham Ranch is a stunning property that is so well-suited to the rolling hills and farms of that part of Napa, and we wanted our wedding decor to integrate seamlessly. We picked a fairly neutral palette — mostly white, natural beige, gray and sage — to match the surroundings, with a few pops of red to mimic some of Durham Ranch’s own red accents.

We had a number of DIY projects — the biggest of which was making the chandeliers for the barn. We bought wood planks from a reclaimed barn, had a woodworker saw holes into them, glued mason jars in, dropped candles into the jars and strung them up with sailor’s rope. We also bought vintage grain sacks from a seller in Austria via Etsy and turned them into table runners. We used Ikea curtains to make pillows for the outdoor furniture. We stuck flip cams on the tables and asked our guests to serve as videographers. (And I want to note that, while we executed them, the ideas for the chandeliers and table runners came from our amazing designers at Atelier Joya).

We also integrated a few of our local favorite things into the event. My husband’s a pizza chef in San Francisco and has a lot of strong relationships in the city. His friends at Humphrey Slocombe created a custom Muscat-Peach sorbet for us and his friend Kiri Mah, the pastry chef at Pizzaiolo (where he used to work), made us an incredible coconut-passionfruit-blackberry cake. My husband also spent months meeting up with small wine makers before we settled on Peay Vineyard’s Scallop Shelf Pinot Noir, Stony Hill’s Chardonnay, Volker-Eisele’s Gemini White Wine and Robert Sinksy’s Vin Gris. And, lastly, because my husband is also a candy freak, we gave guests’ San Francisco’s Sweet Revolution caramels (a big hit).

During the cocktail hour, people milled around the pool and we served a full bar including a signature drink of “Lavender Mojitos.” The flower girl, my adorable niece, also tossed lavender when she walked down the aisle and we included it in all the bouquets and boutonnieres. We also used a lot of gardenias in the bouquets and table arrangements and, between them and the lavender, the place smelled amazing. We also set out picnic blankets and pillows during the cocktail hour so people could relax on the grass and watch the sun start to set (and pass out later in the evening!).

We also DIY-ed our huppah. The tallis belonged to my husband’s father, who passed away a little over 10 years ago. We tied it to birch branches we bought at the SF Flower Market. We also bought cheap fake birch flower pots, which Lisa Boone, at Atelier Joya, painted white for us. We then bought PVC pipe from our local hardware store, stuck it in the middle of the pots and poured cement around the pipe to make it stand straight. We then stuck the birch branches into the pipes. We did this all in our apartment’s breezeway.

The entire wedding was inspired by the book “The Giving Tree,” which was one of my favorites growing up and something my stepfather referenced in a toast shortly after we got engaged. Our invitations, which I must say were absolutely beautiful, had the light imprint of tree bark, which carried through all the paper pieces, and a sketch of a tree with our initials carved in a heart (you see that logo on a lot of things) designed by our friend, Michelle Beilner for Jot Creates. Part of what we loved about the symbolism of a tree is how old their roots are, how gracefully they mark the passing of time, how seemingly permanent they are and so on. We really wanted to pay respect to our own roots at our wedding, hence being married by our parents, being married under Jon’s father’s tallis and the family photos, going back generations, in the barn.

There’s so much more I can share — like dancing to She & Him’s phenomenal version of “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” walking down the aisle to Goh Nakamura (a local musician who I discovered via YouTube, where I work) singing his incredible rendition of “Just Like Heaven” (available on YouTube!) — but I’ll stop for now. Here are the vendors who helped make our day so beautiful…

Wedding Flowers & Design: Lisa Boone and Priska Kaspar of Atelier Joya / Venue: The Durham Ranch, Mint Locations / Catering: Living Room Events / Wedding Photography: Jamie Grenough / Wedding Cake: Kiri Mah / Coordinating: Elissa Thorp of Delysium / Lighting: Ben Davis of Refraction / Ceremony Music: Goh Nakamura /  DJ: Thomas Golubic (a great friend, former KCRW DJ in LA, music supervisor extraordinaire) / Wedding Hair: Ashley Smith from Oxenrose / Wedding Make-up: Alexia Ogle of Shu Uemura / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Wedding Invitations ad Paper Goods by Michelle Beilner for Jot Creates

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 60 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Atelier Joya, California Weddings, Delysium, Durham Ranch, Goh Nakamura, Jamie Grenough, Jot Creates, Kiri Mah, Living Room Events, Monique Lhuillier, Napa Valley, Oxenrose, refraction, Shu Uemura, St. Helena, thomas Golubic
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

A few more details from Lisa Lefkowitz…

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the lawn as the sun dipped behind the hills. Kings tables were draped with creamy beige linens and topped with glass chargers. Lauren Godshell of Branch Floral Design created a natural white and green palette and played off the natural surroundings by bringing in wood pedestals and platforms. Guests picked up their escort cards from wooden trays filled with dried green peas.  The tables were labeled with aged wooden table numbers which were staked into the flower arrangements.

And here is a little peak at their menu (so that we can be even more jealous than we already are)…

First Course:  Salad of organic greens, grilled garden peaches, candied walnuts, and prosciutto
Second Course:  Pan roasted halibut, dungeness crab, sweet corn soubise
Third Course: Grilled tenderloin of beef, heirloom zucchini croquettes, and cabernet sauvignon jus

Guests danced the night away inside the Vintner Room under a cluster of Chinese lanterns and enjoyed chocolate cake with raspberry sauce from Perfect Endings.  The event came to an end with the last dance to “Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong and guests were whisked away on shuttles to continue their celebration in downtown Yountville.

Thank you so much to Lisa Lefkowitz and Alison Hotchkiss for sending us today’s GORGEOUS affair. We are in love!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alison Hotchkiss, Branch Floral Design, California Weddings, Lisa Lefkowitz, Meadowood, St. Helena
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance

Here are a few notes from Lisa…

Amanda and Buck were married at the beautiful Meadowood resort on Labor Day weekend of 2008.  100 friends and family joined them in the celebration.  The ceremony and dinner took place outdoors surrounded by lush vegetation. The bride walked down the aisle to “First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes, which was played on guitar. Wooden pedestals at different heights were topped with white arrangements, creating an altar for the ceremony.

So much more from this ridiculoulsy lovely wedding on the way!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alison Hotchkiss, branch, California Weddings, Lisa Lefkowitz, Meadowood, St. Helena, Traditional
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

The wedding was held at Meadowood in St. Helena, California on labor day weekend, with 100 friends and family who joined the beautiful bride and groom in the celebration. The surroundings were PERFECT for the sophisticated, forever elegant style that the couple was going for and yet the modern touches that Alison added to the look…well, it was perfection!

We have so much more from this gorgeous wedding on the way!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alison Hotchkiss, California Weddings, Lisa Lefkowitz, Meadowood, St. Helena
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, Lisa Lefkowitz, St. Helena
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

I mean, come on! How beautiful is all of this? From that insanely perfect cake, which was crafted by Patisserie Angelica to the rather unbelievably beautiful centerpieces by Julie’s Flowers, I am basically in heaven. The affair is totally girly, but in such a chic way that your fiance might actually love it too…with every detail being so thoughtfully designed and executed. Thanks to planner Hope Garbo, the event is flawless!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, Hope Garbo, Julie's Flowers, Lisa Lefkowitz, Patisserie Angelica, St. Helena
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

So much more to come, stay tuned! Oh and the gown is by Lazaro, the suit by Hugo Boss.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 1 comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, Lisa Lefkowitz, St. Helena
Post categories: Traditional Elegance