I would like to make a toast. To these tables and chairs. To the fabulously modern florals. To the knock-out color palette. To the dreamy ceremony decor. To this whole. entire. wedding. Thank you for being jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Thank you Nancy Liu Chin Designs and A Savvy Event for designing a contemporary wine-country fête that has us feeling totally inspired. It’s utterly chic and still feels completely organic. Photographed by Allyson Wiley, this chic Sonoma celebration is home to more pretty images than I can fit into one post so make sure to swing by the gallery for even more.
From Nancy Liu Chin… This was a destination wedding as both Liz and Patrick reside in Arizona. Since Liz is in the wine industry it seemed fitting that they pick a Wine Country venue. What I love most about this wedding is that from the very beginning, Kelly, the wedding planner, mentioned that the bride wanted her wedding not to look like a typical wine country wedding. Though they picked Sonoma, Liz and Patrick had very modern and contemporary sensibility. One of her favorite places for home decor was West Elm, so I took that idea and ran with it.
From the ceremony backdrop, aisle and ceiling decor to the dinner reception on the Cornerstone lawn, I wanted it to feel more like it was Liz and Patrick’s summer home, than a Barn and Wine feel. We transformed the barn with a magnificent white pattern backdrop that was both refreshingly modern and perfect for the barn’s indoor space. Hanging beautiful lighting fixtures and having a mixed variety of glass and candles down the aisle made for a romantic feel which was exactly what the couple wanted.
For the reception, the dinner tables were left without a linen which is a big trend right now. We wanted the guests to feel like it was one cozy dinner party. The elements had to be modern and not too feminine so that it matched the West Elm feel. The West Elm style is about stylish, modern decor that ties into natural elements. We used sandblasted grapevine with deep eggplant mini callas in thin narrow test tube like glass and orchids in beakers. Orchids submerged in glass with floating candles together with mixed purple, lilac, green hues looked so natural in this winery setting. The table numbers had hand-painted colors on a dinner plate. All these elements used together lent a rustic relaxed modern feeling.
We asked Nancy to educate us a little bit on the specific floral element choices:
Backdrop flowers were all phalaenopsis orchids in white. The dinner table had a combination of flowers plus grapewood (also known as grapewood branch or grapewood vine). Glass beakers contained mini-phalaenopsis orchids plus dark eggplant + black mini-calla lilies. The centerpieces were glass cylinders with ti leaf wrap filled with purple dahlias, white stock, purple lisianthus, scabiosa pods, thin smoke leaves and plum tulips. The bride’s bouquet had cymbidium orchids, mini calla lilies and white ruffled lisianthus. The bridesmaids’ bouquets had purple stock, plum tulips, purple dahlias, white mini callas lilies and eggplant mini callas.
Photography: Allyson Wiley / Floral Design: Nancy Liu Chin Designs / Wedding Planner: Kelly McLeskey -Dolata of A Savvy Event / Venue: Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma / Invitations + Menus: The Paper Place (Scottsdale, AZ) / Cake: Inticing Creations / Catering: Sage Catering / White Tables + Chairs + Light Fixtures + Backdrop: Hartmann Studios / Lighting: Got Light / Wedding Dress: Amsale / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale / Hair + Makeup: It’s a Date at The Powder Room / DJ: Boutique DJs / Chairs: Blueprint Studios