Kenwood Wedding with Total Style

The first post of the New Year is a bit like the first day of school. A little bit of nerves, a little bit of excitement, a little bit of a lazy hangover still lingering. We had a blissful week off (and by blissful I really mean totally insane with little spurts of relaxation that you can read about over on backstage) and managed to not only spend some much needed QT with our family, but also to spend some much needed time deciding what 2010 will be all about for Style Me Pretty.

Anyway! I thought that we could kick off the new year with what I have decided is my official favorite new thing in weddings. Inspired by the Day and Max wedding that we featured way back when, I am totally and completely smitten with the different hued bridesmaids dresses in this super cute wedding. The dresses along with just about everything else.

all images by Ashley Forrett

I had always envisioned a late spring, early summer wedding but after getting engaged in December ’08 I changed my mind. I didn’t want to rush our engagement and have our wedding the following spring, but I also didn’t want to wait until spring 2010. My fiance and I knew we wanted to have our wedding somewhere in Sonoma County, as I grew up there and we both love the area. After thinking about it we realized that early October was the perfect time, giving us enough time to plan, great weather in San Francisco (where we live) and providing quintessential “wine country” conditions for the wedding, especially for our out-of-town guests.

all images by Ashley Forrett

We found our venue by chance (I stumbled upon it on the internet late one night after hours of searching) and knew immediately upon seeing it and meeting the owners that it was perfect for our Big Day! Casa Vecchia is just minutes from my parents’ house and is surrounded by vineyards. The grounds are beautiful, with an old barn, an original water tower, a bocce court… and the most AMAZING oak tree I’ve ever seen!!! So, even though they were a new venue (we were only their 2nd wedding!) everything felt right.

We wanted a casual, rustic, yet elegant feel to everything… and hoped that by doing many of the details ourselves, elements of our personalities would come through.The oak tree sort of became the focal point of our wedding, and we used that image on our invitations (hello! lucky) and programs (that we made ourselves). We tried to borrow, reuse or make many of the decor elements.

all images by Ashley Forrett

The ceremony was set on a large lawn with the oak tree behind us, and vineyards and mountains opposite. We used the same chuppa canopy that my mother had made for my sister’s wedding and lined the aisle with pots of lavender (which my mom and sister now have in their yards).  The guest book was placed on a small wooden desk from my parents house with black and white photos of our parents and grandparents.  I found a beautiful vintage green wire basket that we used for wedding cards.


Lars’ Norwegian relatives came dressed in their traditional bunad while my bridemaids each chose their own dress in a different color.  My mom made the sashes for the flower girls, as well as the bell “bracelets” they rang down the aisle (a nod to a Norwegian custom believed to drive away evil spirits).  I wore my dream dress, a Monique Lhuillier Monet sample that I had altered, and accessorized it with a jcrew belt I found on ebay, my grandmother’s pendant, and dark red satin heels that I found at a used clothing store (Cris) in San Francisco.  We gave all the groomsmen fedoras (from Goorin Bros) for their gift and all the bridesmaids received clutches (from via bella on Etsy) that I had lined to match their dress.