I have to admit, I’ve spent the majority of my day swooning over the gorgeous details + the beautiful story behind this Vine Hill House wedding. The sweet couple chose a muted color palette to let the beautiful Sonoma surroundings shine and they infused their big day with seemingly effortless details + personal touches to honor the groom’s late brother. Click here to see the rest of the images by the amazing Janae Shields Photography and don’t miss the beautiful film from Philip Alan Films right here!
From the Bride… Coming up with a wedding location was easy, as we both immediately thought back to our first visit together to Sonoma and knew Wine Country was the place. It was a place with meaning, based on our story, and a place we were very excited to share with family and friends, many of whom would be traveling here for the very first time from the East Coast. Researching potential venues was an overwhelming task, but we were lucky in that our research ended at the Vine Hill House, only the second stop on a long list of options. We were in awe of the the amazing views of rolling hills and vines and we just loved the dance floor – lit only by the stars and lights strung through the long overhanging tree branches.
We were inspired by the beautiful scenery at Vine Hill and chose pale, soft hues in shades of peach, pink, gray and green to complement the grounds and gardens. We didn’t want to choose a color scheme that would distract from the lovely surroundings. Our wedding day also included a lot of special touches that had personal meaning to us. For instance, we chose to serve pie for dessert to honor each of our beloved grandmothers who were wonderful pie makers in their day. We also hand made our wedding favors. We both love being in the kitchen and wanted to create something edible to thank our guests for sharing the day with us. We decided on jam because we could add wine to the recipes and therefore tie the favor to our wedding taking place in Wine Country. Further touching upon the wine theme, we also incorporated a guestbook that prompted our guests to leave a note for us in a wine bottle marked with a certain year anniversary. Now, with each anniversary we celebrate, we will crack open the wine bottle of that year and enjoy our guests wishes and sentiments from our wedding day. Our wedding bands were also a special consideration. Mine, handcrafted to match my antique engagement ring, dated from 1895 and Jonathan’s belonged to his brother, who sadly passed in 2011. When our sister-in-law gave us the ring, it had 8 diamonds in it. We had the diamonds removed and made into earrings for our nieces (Jonathan’s brother’s daughters), also our flower girls, and a pendant for his mother. These were presented as gifts just before the wedding and as a means for them to keep Jonathan’s brother close by on our special day. Jonathan, his groomsmen and his father, also honored his memory by pinning a small picture of him to the inside of their suit jackets.
Looking back, it is hard to pin point just a few favorite moments. There were so many! From our first look to our ceremony officiated by my witty cousin to dancing under the stars with an assortment of crazy props; it was the perfect mix of sentiment and fun. We feel truly blessed to have been able to have the wedding of our dreams. We worked with so many amazing vendors who embraced our vision and helped bring it to life. We are so grateful. We are also grateful that so many of our family and friends were willing to travel to share our special day and this special place with us. We hope our wedding will provide cherished memories for all of them, as it always will for us.
Wedding Photography: Janae Shields Photography / Wedding Venue: Vine Hill House in Sebastopol, California / Floral Design: Poppystone Floral Couture / Wedding Cinematography: Phillip Alan Films / Event Planning + Design: The Bride / Catering: Park Avenue Catering / Wedding Cake: Fleur De Lisa / Pies: Mom’s Apple Pie / Decor + Prop Set Up: Elsa Vera / Wedding Invitations: Wiley Valentine via New England Invitations / Favor Labels: Tipsey Graphics / Chalkboard + Seating Card Lettering: GreenVine Lettering / Wedding Dress: Blush by Jim Hjelm / Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bride’s Jewelry: Janene’s Bridal Boutique / Wedding Rings: Seelenbacher Jewelers / Bridesmaids’ Attire: J.Crew / Flower Girls Attire: Seahorse by Watters / Groom’s Attire: Perry Ellis