Can I just say that Michael + Anna Costa Photographers Ltd. and Firestone Vineyard just might be my new favorite combination? The mix of stunning images and a crazy gorgeous Los Olivos backdrop is about as perfect as it gets. And that perfection is woven throughout this affair from unique, show-stopping florals to so many lovely, personalized details and a bride and groom that are so totally in love it will melt your heart. Any of those details on their own would be heavenly but all together, they knock this gem right out of the Stunning Wedding Ballpark. See it all here!
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From the Bride… My husband and I met our freshman year at USC and quickly became close friends. We didn’t start dating until a few years after college — I was working in Northern California, and he had just been accepted to law school on the East Coast. We are a testament to the fact that long distance relationships can work! During his trips back to California, we would often visit the wine country, and we knew that a beautiful vineyard would be an ideal setting for our wedding. After much deliberation and many wine tasting scouting trips, we decided that the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley would be the perfect mini-destination wedding spot for us. It was not too far from Los Angeles, where we had moved, and it offered the perfect California summer getaway for our friends and family from out of state. Firestone Vineyards provided a gorgeous backdrop to have an outdoor ceremony and reception. The weather did not disappoint on our big day. Filled with our family and friends, the setting could not have been more perfect.
It was my goal to have every detail of our wedding have a touch of us that we could share with our guests. Our wonderful bridesmaids and friends helped us make many of the DIY items for the wedding. We made personalized napkins and coasters, wine bottle menus, escort table tags for seating assignments, a ceramic plate for guests to sign, specially designed labels for the bottles of sodas, an oil painting of the tree we were married under, and personalized matchboxes for the sparkler send-off. My family also was intimately involved in wedding preparations and played such an important part of our special day. I am so blessed to have such talented sisters who made our wedding cake and the French macaron favors. My mom sewed all the burlap runners for the tables and made the flower girl dresses for our nieces. Our brothers-in-law played the guitar and officiated our wedding ceremony. We wanted a wedding that was special and unique to us, and we got a celebration that we will never forget.
My husband’s only requests were fulfilled by providing our guests with unlimited wine and beer, and a McConnell’s ice cream sundae bar to accompany cake for dessert. Dinner was served family style because we wanted a more relaxed and intimate meal experience. Our vendors were the best! Carol and the great staff at Rincon made our meal not only beautiful, but delicious. Michael was so easy to hang out with that we were totally at ease, and he captured such beautiful shots of our wedding. Tonya is such an experienced pro, that we did not have to worry about a single thing. Anna, from Crazy Daisy, executed my vision for the florals with amazing style and color.
Wedding Photography: Michael + Anna Costa Photographers Ltd. / Wedding Venue: Firestone Vineyard in Los Olivos, California / Event Planning: Tonya Szele of Soigne Productions / Floral Design: Anna of Crazy Daisy (craigerxx@gmail.com) / Venue Catering Manager: Rachel Korrey of Firestone Vineyards (Rkorrey@Firestonewine.com) / Catering: Rincon Events / Wedding Cake: Jennifer Gee (A Sister of the Bride) / Macaron Favors: A Sister of the Bride / Table Runners + Flower Girl Dresses: The Mother of the Bride / Ceremony Music: DJ Bryan Davidson (Bryan_Davidson@att.net) + Brother-in-Law Matthew on Guitar / Music for Cocktail Hour, Reception + Dancing: DJ Bryan Davidson (Bryan_Davidson@att.net) / Officiant: Brian Gee, Brother of the Bride (brian.geefamily@gmail.com) / Personalized Napkins, Coasters, Menus, Escort Table Tags, Ceramic Tree Plate, Soda Bottle Labels, Tree Oil Painting + Personalized Matchboxes: DIY / Transportation: Limousine Link + Classic Motoring Car Rentals / Hair & Makeup: Susan