In the land of weddings, this Sonoma edition is the total definition of classic elegance. I promise if you look that up you’ll see a picture of that rose petal aisle captured by Briana Marie Photography staring right back at you. And with a layer of all white florals by Fleurs de France and a dash of plum to give it some oomph, this is a gallery worth spending a good long break in. P.S. the bridal brunch behind this pretty affair is up on SMP Living right now. Be sure to stop by and have a look!
And we have the film by Aaron Lee Films that is a definite must see. Carve out a little time and push that play button…
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From the Bride…James and I both live in Atlanta. While I am a native, James moved to Atlanta three years ago to complete his residency. James and I met through mutual friends. The first night James and I met, we made a friendly bet that would be the competitive start for our future together. I bet him that I could definitely beat him in a round of Golf…and he called my bluff! Two days later I found myself on the golf course with him, but neither of us were interested in keeping score. After a year of dating, James arranged for us to go to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens for their Concert in the Park series, an event that I had been dying to go to. As we were touring the grounds, he took my breath away by asking me to marry him! I truly felt like the luckiest girl in the world, it was simply perfect.
Almost immediately after getting engaged, James and I decided to we wanted to get married in Wine Country. Since most of the guests were traveling across the country, James and I wanted to create an experience for all of our guests that was not only reflective of us but highlighted all of the great local food, unique wines, and beautiful scenery. In addition to the wedding, our families planned a weekend of events to include vineyard tours, golf outings, a welcome dinner, bridesmaid brunch, rehearsal dinner, and a farewell brunch. While the itinerary was quite full, it was so special to have James’ family and friends bond with mine while in one of our favorite places. By the time of the big day, it seemed as if our families and friends had become one cohesive group who had known each other much longer than just three days. When planning the wedding, I struggled to create a cohesive vision for the day. I was consistently attracted to bold Moroccan inspired pieces, modern elements, and glamorous accents; however, I was afraid my preference for ikat patterns, clean lines, and mirrored pieces would fight the natural beauty and the rustic elegance of Sonoma. Finding the perfect balance was a definite challenge; however, I was determined to make decisions that truly reflected my style while enhancing the inherent beauty of the Tuscan inspired venue, The Jacuzzi Family Vineyards.
I absolutely love the “mixed metal look” and I thought a muted gold and silver metallic color palette would be the best way to introduce a modern Moroccan theme without fighting the natural beauty of the vineyard. While all of the décor had elements of both gold and silver, I selected aubergine Lula Kate bridesmaid dresses to complement the metallic color palate and to provide a pop of color. To complement the venue, we had 30 large vine spheres with twinkle lights made to be suspended at varying heights from the ceiling of the barrel room. The spheres were one of my favorite design elements and definitely took my breath away when I walked into the reception for the first time.
One of my favorite parts of the planning process was designing the wedding cake with the experts at Perfect Endings. While we initially planned on having a traditional ivory cake, we ended up creating a cake that truly reflected our modern Moroccan theme. The cake was compiled of three layers that were adorned with silver Moroccan tiles and a striking gold, heavily textured pattern.
By far my favorite part of the day was when James’ fraternity brother, Andrew Albert, acoustically played “I Wont Give Up” for our first dance. In that moment, I was overwhelmed with not only the love James and I share for one another, but the love and warmth that filled the room. It was truly the wedding of my dreams.
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Photography: Briana Marie Photography | Floral Design: Fleurs de France | Event Planning: Robbin Montero of A Dream Wedding | Invitations: Ceci New York | Hotel: Carneros Inn | Ceremony + Reception Venue: Jacuzzi Winery | Catering: Park Avenue Catering | Cinematography: Aaron Lee Films | Cake: Perfect Endings | Music: Wine Country Entertainment | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals + Hartmann Studios | Linens: La Tavaola + Wild Flower Linens | Makeup: It’s a Date at the Powder Room | Wedding Dresses: Lazao (Ceremony) Anna Maier (Reception) | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: LulaKate