I’ll never forget the first wedding that we featured from photographer, Yvonne Wong. That wedding has become one of SMP’s most loved affairs and I’m pretty sure that this next one will creep high up on your list of favs too. Sent to us by the beautiful bride and her equally dreamy hubs, it’s Napa Valley at its finest, with pretty pops of color and details for days. This wedding, if you can’t tell already, is definitely one for the books. Click here to see so much more.
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Planning was challenging as we both had just started full time jobs after graduating from business school and were on the East Coast. We decided to have the wedding in California, and specifically Napa, because we wanted to be close to family, and wanted an outdoor wedding. I found Beaulieu Garden after searching online a week after the proposal, and fell in love immediately! I made plans to fly out 3 weeks later to visit the venue. I also found my dress 8 days after the proposal – my college gf’s flew in to visit me and we ended up at the Amsale sample sale. The 1st gown I tried on blew me away, and after trying on 20 other dresses that day, I pulled the trigger and bought the gown! My fiance thought I was crazy… but it worked out so well – the dress was my size, only needed bustling, and was half the price of retail!
For the wedding itself, the colors we chose were coral, peach, white and gray. I love the fresh look of coral, and thought it would go well with an outdoor wedding. The overall look I was going for was classic, but with modern touches. I wanted chandeliers hanging over each dining table, and decided on square-shaped dining tables that fit 8 people, with low floral arrangements – I wanted my guests to be able to sit closely and actually talk to one another!
I also decided to take on a lot of DIY projects… all of which were time consuming, but so worth it! I made all the paper products – invitations, programs, menus, signs – wedding-this-way and reception/fun-this-way wooden signs, candy buffet bags and signs, pom poms hanging in the walkway between the cocktails and reception, and lastly the escort cards and display (display from Martha Stewart!). My maid of honor was a huge help and worked on the “Just Married” sign above the sweetheart table, the “K” and “J” letters on the bride/groom reception chairs, and arranged the candy buffet table.
To make sure the guests were warm enough in the evening, we provided pashminas for the ladies in gray, white, ivory and coral. We also wanted guests to have fun and take away with them something they could remember for the night, and brought in a photobooth with props. Everyone loved it!
Overall, our wedding was more than we could have asked for. We look back at the pictures and our same-day-edit video over and over again and remember how much fun we had and how special our day turned out. My advice to brides who feel overwhelmed… the research process can be laborious, but allot yourself only a certain amount of time to research and then make a decision. There are hundreds of options and you can’t research ALL of them! Also, be realistic when it comes to DIY projects – most of the time, the projects take twice as long as you’d expect, so make sure you allot enough time and don’t unnecessarily stress yourself out. The process should be memorable and enjoyable… so make sure you’re having fun, and keeping stress to a minimum!
Wedding Photography: Yvonne Wong Photography / Wedding Venue: Beaulieu Garden / Caterer: Paula LeDuc Fine Catering / Event Lighting: Got Light? / Event Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / DJ: DJ Ryan Li / Flowers: Poppy’s Petalworks / Wedding Cinematography: Aria Studios / Wedding Dress: Kenneth Pool / Reception Dress: Custom / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaid Dresses: J Crew / Event Planning: Alicia K. Designs