Our couple might have had their first date on Zoom, but their Napa wedding was live and in color. Every Elegant Detail planned the dreamiest of days, with bright hues leading the inspiration for the design. From an endlessly pretty flower-filled seating chart to a wedding cake on a bed of bold blooms, every inch of this celebration is overflowing with inspiration. Larissa Cleveland Photography elegantly captured every carefully curated detail, be sure to see it all inside the full gallery.
From Larissa Cleveland Photography… Their love story: Old-fashioned matchmaking brought them together, with a silicon valley twist. Brendan and Sarah were set up and introduced based on their values, hopes, and dreams for a family. They were supposed to meet in early March, but due to Sarah’s travel schedule in early 2020 followed by covid delaying their in-person lunch date, they decided to meet on Zoom, at the end of March 2020. When Sarah was skeptical of their ‘first date’ being on Zoom more than just because it was meeting virtually but also because she’s a loyal Googler and preferred Google Meet. When their 45-minute free first Zoom date was about to expire, Brendan asked for Sarah’s # and they continued to chat for hours. Before their second Zoom date, Brendan suggested a prompt: “Share our favorite photo and why?” It was a sweet conversation starter and a daunting task for Sarah since she could only pick one! For the months to come they spent hours on Zoom calls, Sarah in San Francisco and Brendan in Monterey. Sarah felt she won Brendan’s heart when she made him a home-cooked meal with scallops. Little did he know he won her heart by bringing her roses and caramels. A special week in the news was in April 2020 when Brendan was featured in Forbes for his work at Zoom, and Sarah was featured on the Google Keyword blog for the family photography series and article she wrote. It was then when their Covid love story was officially established, and a match made in technology heaven was reaffirmed.
The details: Sarah’s love for flowers and bright colors were the inspiration for their wedding design. With such bright floral accents, the bridesmaids wore various shades of blue creating a beautiful contrast. Heidi from The Wedding Detailor hand stitched “I love you dearly Sweet B” in Sarah’s handwriting on her veil. 1960 Convertible Vintage MG was borrowed from a family friend for photos. Since Brendan is the Chief Technology Officer of Zoom, it only seemed fitting to broadcast their wedding over Zoom as well. 150 guests from around the world watched their ceremony, first dance, and toasts on Zoom followed by Sarah and Brendan interacting with them on screen during the reception. This was quite a production given that we had four extra video cameras on sight at the ceremony to capture all the angles for Zoom guests.
Brendan programmed a rotary phone so that guests could pick up the phone and leave well wishes to the couple. A phone number was also given to all of the guests that could not attend in person so they could leave warm wishes as well. A brass second-line band escorted guests from the ceremony to cocktail hour with Sarah and Brendan. A custom escort board was created with a card for each guest’s name and table number on one side, the other side was designed as a postcard to write a note to drop in a mail slot in the board for Brendan and Sarah to read later. Brendan has a love for citrus, so Sarah wanted to incorporate lemons into the design at the ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner as well as lemon-inspired desserts at the dessert table. Sarah’s Galia Lahav wedding dress was customized, adding floral lace embellishments. Sarah purchased her dress at the Galia Lahav flagship store in Los Angeles.
Photography: Larissa Cleveland Photography | florals: Amy Burke Designs | dress: Galia Lahav | Cake: Studio Cake | Invitations: The Bridal Press | Reception Venue: Carneros Resort and Spa | makeup: karla olivares | hair: Kimberlee Rold | lighting: Got Light | entertainment: Wine Country Entertainment | band: Notorious | grooms suit: Franco Uomo | Groomsmen's Attire: Calvin Klein Tuxedo | Dance instructor: Cynthia Glinka | Planning: Every Elegant Detail | Rentals: Theoni Collection | cold sparklers: Dynamic Sounds | day of paper: Aerialist Press | detailor: The Wedding Detailor | escort signage: Craft and Gather | linens: BBJ La Tavola | live stream production: Greg Gibson | photo booth: smile City Photo Booth | speech writer: Christine Kent | tailor: Tailor Maid | video: Reel Eyes Media
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