We’ve always known California weddings to be some of the most lovely, most romantic, most take-your-breath-away “I dos” around. So when we saw this garden beauty took place in Healdsburg, let’s just say we weren’t all too surprised. It’s the kind of wedding that happens when you round up vendors like The Great Romance, La Fleuriste and Kale Fitch Films, and there’s sooooo much more waiting right here.
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From the Bride… Kalpesh and I have always shared a love of adventure and travel. Having lived apart in different cities, we dated long distance for several years and visited many cities throughout the world before finally settling down in California. It was important that our wedding day be a reflection of the journey we shared not only with each but with our closest friends and family, and that our new life together as a married couple would be…our best trip yet.
Keep it local. The moment we stepped foot on the grassy lawn overlooking the huge oak tree with panoramic views of rolling vineyards, we had our heart set on getting married at the Healdsburg Country Gardens. Kalpesh’s side was flying in from Minnesota and other parts of the country, so it was important to make it “California” and “bay area” focused, which is why we chose a Sonoma vineyard setting as something unique to the region that family and friends could experience. We worked with local caterers from the restaurant The Girl and The Fig who grow their own vegetables and even customized an all vegetarian menu at our request. I met the owner of a dahlia farm at the local farmers market where I purchased all the flowers for the table settings and even got to pick them up fresh on the morning of the wedding! In lieu of a cake, we served delicious cupcakes from the bakery downtown that sourced their seasonal ingredients from neighboring farms.
Make it personal. One of the biggest projects we collaborated on for our wedding was individual mini prints of each guest used as escort cards. We spent months ‘facebook stalking’ and finding favorite photos of each friend and family member. Many elements of the wedding were hand-crafted and hand-written, such as the programs, menu & bar signs and favors. We both loved putting time and effort into our craft projects since the day reminded us of all the creations we had partnered on together. One of my other favorite creative projects included working with Michele from If An Hour in designing my simple and timeless wedding gown.
Recruit friends and family. Our close friend, Steve, married us and did a great job of bringing in elements of both our Vietnamese and Indian traditions, our love of traveling, and our amazing family and friends into the union. Our talented friend Julianne of Prettyologie, did my bridal makeup and my bridesmaids all pitched in to help with my hair. Having chosen to forego a wedding planner, so many of our friends and family stepped in to help us set up decorations, put together programs, coordinate the ceremony and even MC our reception. It truly was a team effort!
Leave it to the experts. We did a tremendous amount of research before booking each and every one of our vendors. So when the time came, there was no question that we would love all of the creative genius, attention to detail and thoughtfulness that went into making our wedding so amazing. We could not thank our vendors enough and would recommend all of them in a heartbeat! They are phenomenal!
From the Groom… My favorite moment was before the wedding started when we had our first look. I had recently seen an article of “first look” reactions so I thought I would have one picked out, but I think I went thru several emotions of amazement since Cindy looked so beautiful. We had this great shared moment of just the two of us talking, laughing and holding hands before the wedding festivities kicked off.
Photography: The Great Romance Photo | Videography: Kale Fitch Films | Floral Design: La Fleuriste | Cupcakes: Moustache Baked Goods | Bride's shoes: Kate Spade | Bridesmaids Dresses: Topshop | Catering: The Girl & The Fig | Makeup: PRETTYOLOGIE | Groom's Attire: H&M | Groomsmen Attire: H&M | Transportation: Pure Luxury | Venue: Healdsburg Country Gardens | Bride's gown: Michele Woodford/If An Hour | Henna/Mehndi Artist: Ritual By Design | Music: Verducci Event Productions | Photobooth: Gary Sexton