Ponte Winery Wedding from We Heart Photography
One thing I know for certain? The talented team over at We Heart Photography knows a thing or two about filling our days with pretty. They happen to be behind some of my all-time favorite SMP weddings and when I saw their sweet name linked to this Ponte Family Estate Winery soiree, I knew we were in for a serious treat. One that combines the gorgeous California countryside, some fab DIY details and a bride and groom who couldn't be cuter if they tried. (Seriously.) It's a downright gorgeous affair filled with sooo much inspiration, you'll be pinning for days. Get a head start in the full gallery.
From the Bride... Our love story is unconventional turned traditional. With almost three years of long-distance dating, our love, commitment and wonderful families got us through thousands of miles driven, thousands of dollars spent on gas and one entire month of our lives spent sitting in traffic! We actually did the math!
As a marketing professional, I knew I wanted our wedding to tie into a meaningful message. What originated as my idea for an "Old California" wedding, celebrating our families' California heritages, incorporating citrus into the florals and taking place at a vineyard, slowly turned into a theme that centered on the saying, "love is kind" from first Corinthians. Ultimately. our wedding celebrated love and kindness with a combination of vintage charms, romantic colors and old California influences - not to mention, delicious food, wine and a Spanish guitarist!
Creativity has been a large part of my life, so I knew I had to have some unique touches that were my own for our wedding. I designed, printed and assembled all the wedding marketing materials (invites, response cards, menus, programs, etc.) for consistency to tie into "love is kind." My mom Claudia, cousin Katie and I created the main "love is kind" banner that hung from Ponte Vineyard's arbor with flowers. Mom also created the "I do" handheld signs we used in our pictures and helped me in creating my one-of-a-kind wedding shoes. I purchased silver glittered heels, added gold glitter to tone down the silver, then glued layers of cut-out lace applique to the shoes. To top it all off, I added little charms to each toe that I deconstructed from an old pair of shoe clips. My mom was my creative partner in crime! My wedding dress was another arts and crafts project, but I left that to a professional seamstress to help create the vision I had drawn for my gown.
The whole wedding was so effortless and a great time, but there were two main moments for me. First, I loved taking 95% of our pictures before the wedding and seeing Michael for the first time during "the reveal." That moment was so private and so special. I will never forget the look in his eyes and how wonderful I felt. My second favorite moment was how the sky and clouds opened up around Ponte Vineyards just in time for our ceremony. It was projected to rain and HAD been raining the last two days. I seriously believe it was divine intervention, thanks to our grandparents who were smiling down on us in spirit. Also, the weather created a dramatic backdrop for all of our pictures.
My advice for future brides and grooms... I was easy going throughout the wedding planning process and could see the big picture of things when making decisions, but I admit I got overly involved in the details of the music. On the actual wedding day, I didn't even hear our guitarist - not because he wasn't playing loud enough, but because I was so focused on the moment and the man I was walking toward. All of my worrying and planning in that department went totally in vain! So, don't get so wrapped up in the minute details of things because you most likely won't notice or care when the actual day comes! Oh, and please take a moment to look at your wedding cake in all its glory. A few weeks later, you will have a mangled, cut-up piece of it in your freezer and it will only be preserved by pictures.
All our ceremony music was performed by Tavi Jinariu, classical guitarist. Our processional began with Ave Maria then transitioned to Claire De Lune for me and my father's walk down the aisle - we both love the song. Our recessional was "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles, which was very timely as the sun was actually out, finally! Michael and I both love The Beatles. For our first dance, we had a really hard time agreeing on the perfect song because we both come from musical backgrounds. However, we finally settled on La Vie en Rose by Louis Armstrong. It was romantic, charming and sweet - and we probably would never regret it a few years later!
Photography: We Heart Photography | Wedding Venue: Ponte Family Estate Winery | Floral Design: Carol’s Secret Garden, Upland, California | Cake: Cakes to Celebrate! by Debbie McLaughlin | Ceremony Entertainment: Tavi Jinariu, Classical Guitarist | DJ: Ryan Damron with Just Dance Events | Hair: Torrie Dixon of Amica Mia Salon | Wedding Dress: Alfred Angelo + Custom Alteration by Shelly Van-Boyer | Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Late Night Ice Cream Cart: Sweet Lucie’s | Printed Materials: Cuatro Creative (Bride's Company) | Banners: Mother of the Bride + Jessica Ferguson | Homemade Toffee: Mother of the Bride + Friends
As a marketing professional, I knew I wanted our wedding to tie into a meaningful message. What originated as my idea for an "Old California" wedding, celebrating our families' California heritages, incorporating citrus into the florals and taking place at a vineyard, slowly turned into a theme that centered on the saying, "love is kind" from first Corinthians. Ultimately. our wedding celebrated love and kindness with a combination of vintage charms, romantic colors and old California influences - not to mention, delicious food, wine and a Spanish guitarist!
Creativity has been a large part of my life, so I knew I had to have some unique touches that were my own for our wedding. I designed, printed and assembled all the wedding marketing materials (invites, response cards, menus, programs, etc.) for consistency to tie into "love is kind." My mom Claudia, cousin Katie and I created the main "love is kind" banner that hung from Ponte Vineyard's arbor with flowers. Mom also created the "I do" handheld signs we used in our pictures and helped me in creating my one-of-a-kind wedding shoes. I purchased silver glittered heels, added gold glitter to tone down the silver, then glued layers of cut-out lace applique to the shoes. To top it all off, I added little charms to each toe that I deconstructed from an old pair of shoe clips. My mom was my creative partner in crime! My wedding dress was another arts and crafts project, but I left that to a professional seamstress to help create the vision I had drawn for my gown.
The whole wedding was so effortless and a great time, but there were two main moments for me. First, I loved taking 95% of our pictures before the wedding and seeing Michael for the first time during "the reveal." That moment was so private and so special. I will never forget the look in his eyes and how wonderful I felt. My second favorite moment was how the sky and clouds opened up around Ponte Vineyards just in time for our ceremony. It was projected to rain and HAD been raining the last two days. I seriously believe it was divine intervention, thanks to our grandparents who were smiling down on us in spirit. Also, the weather created a dramatic backdrop for all of our pictures.
My advice for future brides and grooms... I was easy going throughout the wedding planning process and could see the big picture of things when making decisions, but I admit I got overly involved in the details of the music. On the actual wedding day, I didn't even hear our guitarist - not because he wasn't playing loud enough, but because I was so focused on the moment and the man I was walking toward. All of my worrying and planning in that department went totally in vain! So, don't get so wrapped up in the minute details of things because you most likely won't notice or care when the actual day comes! Oh, and please take a moment to look at your wedding cake in all its glory. A few weeks later, you will have a mangled, cut-up piece of it in your freezer and it will only be preserved by pictures.
All our ceremony music was performed by Tavi Jinariu, classical guitarist. Our processional began with Ave Maria then transitioned to Claire De Lune for me and my father's walk down the aisle - we both love the song. Our recessional was "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles, which was very timely as the sun was actually out, finally! Michael and I both love The Beatles. For our first dance, we had a really hard time agreeing on the perfect song because we both come from musical backgrounds. However, we finally settled on La Vie en Rose by Louis Armstrong. It was romantic, charming and sweet - and we probably would never regret it a few years later!
Photography: We Heart Photography | Wedding Venue: Ponte Family Estate Winery | Floral Design: Carol’s Secret Garden, Upland, California | Cake: Cakes to Celebrate! by Debbie McLaughlin | Ceremony Entertainment: Tavi Jinariu, Classical Guitarist | DJ: Ryan Damron with Just Dance Events | Hair: Torrie Dixon of Amica Mia Salon | Wedding Dress: Alfred Angelo + Custom Alteration by Shelly Van-Boyer | Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Late Night Ice Cream Cart: Sweet Lucie’s | Printed Materials: Cuatro Creative (Bride's Company) | Banners: Mother of the Bride + Jessica Ferguson | Homemade Toffee: Mother of the Bride + Friends