I first fell in love with Kate Webber’s work when we featured Erin and Ted’s incredible wedding right here on SMP. Her style is clean, crisp and utterly gorgeous. So when she sent me this particular Napa Valley affair, I swooned. Kiera and Axel tied the knot in an unbelievably elegant wedding with a celebration to follow that was as understated as it was completely warm and intimate. And completely gorgeous.
From the gorgeous bride…
When Axel and I got engaged we knew, right away, that the celebration would have to be in wine country. Our favorite trips have always been in Napa, so we decided it was the perfect location for a Texas girl and New York boy to say I do. While we searched for a location, we knew it had to be unique and private. Our favorite thing about Napa is the understated elegance that you can find throughout the valley. It has a casual, but sophisticated feel. This is the overall feeling we wanted to convey at our wedding and the way we want to live our lives. We live in NYC, but have a lake house in Virginia. Whether it be a hot night in the city or a casual boat ride to the local watering hole at the Lake – we love both sides of our life. This is what Napa offers on a daily basis. In order to ensure our guests had the same experience, we created booklets in lieu of welcome gifts that acted a guide book for the way we see Napa. This booklet included our favorite vineyards, restaurants, activities, maps and was designed by our friend Kristi Head (vendor links below).
Napa’s understated elegance translated to a beautiful ceremony that just had to be near the vines on the property. We wanted the full view of the valley and we found the most perfect spot right in front of the cabernet vines. We also made sure that we incorporated our favorite beverage by having a wine ceremony in lieu of a unity candle. We also incorporated his family’s Jewish heritage by standing under a gorgeous chuppah (thanks to Jennifer French at Lush Floral) and partaking in the ceremonious breaking of the glass. But, my favorite part was the non-traditional decision of walking into the vines instead of back down the aisle once the ceremony was over. This gave us some time to reflect on an amazing moment and have a delicious glass of our favorite wine!
While we were enjoying our moment, our guests were enjoying a chilled martini as our signature cocktail. This martini comes from a family recipe that is dear to
us as my Great Uncle passed it down before he passed away. During the time, the guests were also able to view old wedding photos of family members that were displayed on a reclaimed wood frame that was created by my wedding planner, Joellen Pope.
When deciding what kind of wedding we wanted, we focused on 3 things: the location, the food, and the wine. And, we were lucky enough to get to work with Paula Le Duc Catering. They helped us choose a fabulous menu that included our favorite element, truffles – the pasta course was to die for! Plus they passed late night snacks of truffled fries along with some sweet treats that were amazing.
It was important to us to have a seating arrangement that included everyone instead of breaking guests up into tables. As a result we went with Kings tables and had 2 long tables. Each section was labeled (so guests could find their seat) as names of places we visited in Ireland where he proposed. We sat in the section called the Scilly Walk which is an area in Kinsale where Axel popped the question. A hand written note was placed on each guest’s chair.
In order to highlight my Texas roots, we had to have a country band! Our guests loved this element and even got to take home a straw cowboy hat to remember the event. Most of them even learned how to 2-step!
Vendor List: Catering by Paula Le Duc Fine Catering / Coordination by Pronupto / Flowers by Lush Floral / Beauty by It’s a Date / Officiant Kimberly Thompson / Dessert by Karaʼs Cupcakes / Eco-friendly, Letterpress Invitations by Julie Holcomb / Guest Guide to Napa booklet design by Kristi Head