Wow, wow, wow. I don’t even know how to start this post to prepare you enough for the absolute gorgeousness you are about to see from this wedding by Nicole Paulson Photography. What to start with first? The Trentadue Winery? Yes. The groom’s first look? Yes (plus a few giggles). The cake from SusieCakes that’s got my jaw on the ground? Yes. Ah! There’s just too much. Peruse this gallery for some guaranteed lovely and literally stunning inspiration from this vineyard wedding.
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From the Bride… Luke and I got engaged on a weeknight in San Francisco when I least expected it. We had been to Bali, New York and Half Moon Bay all within the previous six weeks, any of which would have been perfect locations, however he thought they were too predictable. Luke decided to do it on a random Wednesday night — the night before we were leaving for Tahoe to see friends and family and celebrate my sister’s birthday. The day of the engagement, Luke had my brother in-law, Adam, call me and say he was surprising my sister with a hotel room for her 30th birthday and wanted help decorating the room with champagne, flowers and a gift. Adam called me at work that day and asked if could pick me up and drop me off at the hotel to decorate while he picked my sister up at the airport. He dropped me off at the Ritz-Carlton in Nob Hill, I walked to the front desk of the hotel (they knew what was going on), they gave me a key to a suite, and I went upstairs to put the gifts in the room, all the while thinking it was for my sister.
When I opened the door to the suite, the lights were off, and there were candles lit everywhere and rose petals filling the entire room. I thought the Ritz-Carlton just went above and beyond for birthdays. A few seconds later, I saw Luke standing in the corner, wearing a suit and looking very nervous. I still had no idea what was going on until he asked me to sit down and pulled out his guitar. He played me a cute song that he wrote and after got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was still in shock but so excited! It was perfect that we had the hotel suite to ourselves for the night, and the next day we got to go to Tahoe to celebrate with my family and friends.
Our wedding inspiration was romantic yet rustic. Because Luke is from Texas, I wanted to incorporate a rustic theme into the wedding, and he is also very much a romantic. From the beginning of our relationship, we often made trips to Healdsburg for weekend getaways to get out of the San Francisco fog and into warm weather and be surrounded by great wine and food. We knew it was the perfect place to have our wedding. We picked Trentadue Winery because it was nearby, and it was a perfect setting with grape vines and huge redwood trees with a romantic feel. The wedding was in April, so I wanted spring colors: bright coral peonies, peach roses, green accents and a strawberry lemonade signature drink. My mom’s best friend did all the flowers for the wedding, she and my mom both helped with the planning and decorating. There were several DIY projects my mom created: the programs, table numbers, escort cards, thank you s’mores gifts and dyeing all the mason jars a light blue. I don’t know what I would have done without her help! SusieCakes did our wedding cake — they’re my favorite cake/cupcake place in San Francisco and only a couple blocks from our house. We love that we can go get a slice of the cake we had at our wedding at any time, and we can always drive to Healdsburg and visit the place we got married. We’ve already decided that will be our annual tradition: Susie Cakes and Healdsburg on our anniversary.
Wedding Photography: Nicole Paulson Photography / Wedding Venue: Trentadue Winery in Healdsburg, California / Floral Design: Rose Parr (A Family Friend) / Catering: Park Avenue Catering / Bakery: SusieCakes / Chalkboard, S’mores Stickers, LOVE Banner + Wine Corks for Escort Cards: Etsy / Programs, Table Numbers, Escort Cards, Favors + Mason Jar Dyeing: DIY by the Bride’s Mother / Wedding Dress: Jinza Couture Bridal (415-351-1588) / Bride’s Shoes: Manolo Blahnik / Hair + Makeup: Brush Salon / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alice & Olivia / Men’s Suits: DKNY