Of all the places to grow up, I would imagine Healdsburg to be one of the most picturesque. Plus, with it’s wine country allure, it probably makes picking a wedding location like Gustafson Family Vineyards a total no-brainer. Now enter this gorgeous Bride and her hometown wedding to her love. It’s simple, rustic elegance at its best with planning by Quintana Events, lots of orange blooms crafted by Floralisa and all captured so beautifully by Wildflowers Photography. Click right here for more.
From the Bride… I was born and raised in Healdsburg, Ca and I’ve seen it change from a quaint little agricultural town into a wine country hot spot. There are so many weddings in the area, at the same beautiful places – all places I could have chosen from, but I wanted something different. I wanted to get married somewhere people had never been (even the locals) and I wanted everyone’s breath to be taken away upon arrival. When I discovered Gustafson (new to the venue scene) I knew it was it! I knew my now husband would love it and all of our family and friends would be in awe and I was right.
Gustafson felt right for both of us. It was the perfect place to start our journey together as husband and wife. One of our best friends married us atop mountains of vineyards, over looking Lake Sonoma, surrounded by our best friends. It was like a dream, being there with Chris, in my beautiful hometown, declaring our love for all of our most cherished friends and family members to see.
We decided that we want our wedding theme to be simple, rustic elegance. The venue itself was stunning so we didn’t want to add a lot of decor as it wasn’t needed. Our colors were Navy and anything on the orange spectrum – think anything from sherbert to rust. My Dad made all of our centerpieces, our escort card holders and various other wood pieces out of 100 year old barn wood, which added the rustic element. My florist was amazing and created beautiful centerpieces with magnificent colors and truly captured our theme. We added a few fun elements that we felt were very “us” like snap bracelets and smore kits for everyone to take home and had late night sausages and burgers from the Wurst. It was a beautiful, warm summer evening and many of our guest chose to utilize the outside space. We had lounge chairs set up through the night and a cigar and bourbon bar. Our venue also had a ton of deck space and along with dancing and an inside lounge, there really was something for everyone!
Both Chris and I were very excited about our photographer, Joy Prouty from Wildflower’s Photography. She is insanely talented and we knew our wedding photos were going to be amazing. She also has amazing energy and is so comfortable to be around – she’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. It was such an honor to be photographed by her! I knew she would love the Madrone tree at our venue. It’s called the Heritage Tree and it’s huge! It’s thought to be the oldest Madrone in Sonoma County and is protected. As you can see in the photos, it’s just stunning. Before our wedding, I was hoping she would want us to climb up to a branch to take photos and sure enough we did! The photos are just amazing, like a fairytale, and I continue to be in awe by them.
The Monday after the wedding we jetted off to Italy for the most amazing and romantic honeymoon that Chris planned (seriously, the entire thing!) I’m such a luck girl in so many ways!
Photography: Wildflowers Photography | Event Planning: Quintana Events | Floral Design: Floralisa | Wedding Dress: Novella Bridal | Cake: Moustache Baked Goods | Catering: Baci Cafe and Wine Bar | Hair & Makeup: Brush Salon | String Quartet: Bellarosa String Quartet | Bridesmaids\' Dresses: Weddington Way | Late night food: The Wurst | Winery: Gustafson Family Vineyards