Oh Emily Scannell, I could hug you for sending this next little number our way. Because this wedding? It’s perfection. Wine Country, flowers that will make you squeal, is that real light? – perfection. And the icing on the cake is that this couple outshines even the prettiest touches of this party, which isn’t easy to do. But with each look, each twirl they somehow do just that – making this wedding a new favorite. See even more here.
And to top it all off, there’s a video from Justin Fone Productions that shows all of the gorgeousness in motion:
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From the Bride… Chris and I met in Washington DC in the fall of 2005, just after I graduated from college. After dating for just over a year, we drove across the country and set up shop in Berkeley, California. We spent four years in the San Francisco Bay Area and were living in San Francisco when we got engaged. We love wine country – if only we could spend every weekend strolling through Healdsburg, tasting the finest red wines California has to offer and taking in the breathtaking beauty of the region! So a vineyard wedding was a no-brainer for us, and when we first found ourselves on the mountaintop site at Kunde Family Estate, we knew this was the place we had to be married. I got chills when I first saw the view from what would be our ceremony site. And the fact that we could hold the reception dinner in a real working wine cave was icing on the cake.
It was very important to us to include as many local elements as possible, not necessarily because we are do-gooders concerned about our carbon footprint (although that was quite a perk), but because we really wanted our out of town guests to be exposed to all of the amazing food, wine and natural beauty that northern California has to offer. I hand-picked local cheeses for guests to sample during cocktail hour, and Alex’s Catering did a great job creating a meal that reflected our tastes and took advantage of amazing local ingredients – the caprese salad was so delicious, it inspired a friend to reconsider her stance on heirloom tomatoes! Instead of cake, we had our favorite cupcakery, Kara’s, make our three most loved flavors – vanilla, s’mores and key lime. And Susie Nadler of Flora Grubb used all local flowers. She did an unbelievable job mixing the most beautiful dahlias I have ever seen into our floral arrangements.
Like every other engaged couple, we also really wanted our wedding day to be a reflection of us. I made programs that included a few quick facts about us (our first date, who said I love you first, what we do for fun, etc). During the ceremony, we used rather nontraditional readings that had personal meaning for us, including Edward Monkton’s “A Lovely Love Story.” We also wrote our own vows, which had both of us, and a few guests, in tears. After dinner, we played a trivia game to see how much our friends and family really knew about us: “Who always squeezes the toothpaste onto our toothbrushes?” and “What is one of our labradoodle’s many nicknames?” Our moms made the favors — my mom made fudge, and Chris’s mom made spiced pecans (my favorite), and I got a little crafty with the packaging. For dessert, the cupcakes were decorated with old-school, 8-bit Mario figures and set atop a Mario-inspired cupcake table, which was made by a friend. Mario holds a special place in our hearts because Chris is a huge fan and his past few jobs have been in the gaming industry. It was so unexpected, and yet so “Chris” — everyone loved it. The day went by incredibly fast, and I know everyone says that, but really, it was over in a blink. I’m not going to lie and say that everything went off without a hitch, because it certainly didn’t. But it was the perfect day for us. Truly unforgettable!
Wedding Photography: Emily Scannell Photography / Wedding Venue: Kunde Family Estate in Kenwood, California / Event Planning: Melissa Harper of Kunde Family Estate / Floral Design: Flora Grubb Gardens / Officiant: Rev. Peadar Dalton / Wedding Cinematography: Justin Fone Productions / Catering: Amy Meadows of Alex’s Catering / Cupcakes: Kara’s Cupcakes / Cupcake Toppers: StudioSweets / Calligraphy: LetterBeOnEtsy / Ceremony Musicians: Peggy Brady of Eloquence String Quartet / Ring Bearer Bowl: Paloma’s Nest / Cufflinks: Beaujangles / Bouquet Token + Collar Stays: Lisa Leonard Designs / Vintage Stamps: Verde Studio / Wedding Dress + Veil: Priscilla of Boston (Now Closed) / Bride’s Shoes: MagicBeanBuyer / Bride’s Jewelry: Debra Moreland via BHLDN / Hair + Makeup: Jenni of It’s A Date at The Powder Room