Napa Valley is the land of gorgeous weddings, and we have another beauty to add to that list of lovely today. And trust me when I say, this one is a beaut. Lauri Levenfeld captured every picture perfect moment at this stunning soirée hosted at The Vintage Estate, and you can see it all right here.
From the Bride…We both love spending as much time as possible outdoors so there was no doubt that we wanted to have an outdoor wedding. Spending most of our time in the Bay Area, we knew that the San Francisco fog was a force we couldn’t control. So, naturally we focused our eyes on Napa as the weather during the summer months provides beautiful weather, sunshine and greenery. We’ve left every trip to Napa with a sense of relaxation and stomachs full of remarkable food and wine. We wanted our wedding to evoke these same feelings and felt that The Vintage Estate did just that. The exposed brick, exquisite greenery, stunning flowers, candlelit chandeliers, and indulgent cuisine provided everything we desired for our wedding day.
Neutrals. We didn’t want to distract from the natural beauty of the grounds so we chose white, green and champagne colors to complement the backdrop.We wanted our wedding day to depict “us” and our relationship. This meant choosing details along the way that evoked simplicity, romance, and fun. Nothing says romance better than candlelight so we had our venue lined with Italian string lights with a pathway of candlelit jars guiding our guests to The barrel room for dancing and dessert. Prior to our ceremony, we wanted our guests to feel welcomed so we had a waiter greet each guest with champagne as they arrived. As the ceremony started, my three year old nephew literally ran down the aisle carrying “last chance to run” which ultimately commenced the laughter that would continue throughout the rest of the evening. I walked up the aisle to a Beatles favorite, “Here Comes the Sun” on the harp. During the ceremony, our wedding was officiated by Brett’s cousin and readings were completed by each of our brothers. We wrote our own vows and then walked down the aisle to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” We kept décor simple and natural by using wood table numbers, wood chivari chairs, burlap runners, cork table holders and white linens accented with white and green roses, calla lilies, peonies, hydrangeas and orchids. Brett and I created the table signs using old newspaper as a backdrop in vintage frames. Our guest sign in table included a bottle of wine to be opened on our 10-year anniversary and wooden box full of well wishes by our guests to be read on our first year anniversary. For dessert, we hand stained an old wine crate to hold our cake. After the dancing, we were picked up in a white 1949 Packard.
Besides the amazing unplanned supermoon? Brett and I knew we wanted to take most of our pictures before the ceremony. We wanted to enjoy all the hard work we put into the wedding planning by enjoying the party as soon as we could! That meant taking most of the pictures before the ceremony, which coincidently turned out to be part of our favorite and more unique photographed moments. We sauntered around Yountville in dress and tux, enjoying the sun and the calm before the celebration. One of our favorite parts of the stroll was stopping by the mouth-watering Bouchon Bakery. We couldn’t ask for a better pre-wedding snack!
It was important to us that our photographer captured our vision but was also someone organized and someone we were comfortable having around on our wedding day. Coming from someone that does not like being photographed, Lauri put us at ease and her energy is so contagious that it’s hard not to have a fun time. We wanted photographs that were unique yet timeless, romantic but with an urban twist. Lauri did that and more. She exceeded all of our expectations and we walked away with photographs capturing all of the wonderful moments of our wedding day. We’re still in awe of her creativity and the ability to capture light and emotion in all of the photographs. Lauri and her team are an absolute joy to work with. Extremely reliable, organized with ingenious vision!
Our wedding day was everything we wanted so Brett and I were really stumped trying to pick just one moment. But some of our favorites were walking towards one another and seeing each other for the first time; meandering around Yountville and stopping at Bouchon before the wedding; hearing each other’s vows; dancing and playing under the moonlight as our car arrived.
Photographer: Zoom Photography | Planner: Elizabeth Naylor | Florist: Tesoro Flowers | Dress: Marisa Bridals | Cupcakes: Kara's Cupcakes | Calligrapher: Hyegraph | Furniture Rental: Hartmann | Macaroons: Bouchon Bakery | Packard car: Napa Valley Tours & Transportation | Photo Booth: Flying Camera | Second Photographer: Zoom Photography | Site: The Vintage Inn | Wedding: The Vintage Estate | Wedding Programs: Papyrus | music: Wine Country Entertainment