Casual St. Helena Farm-to-Table Wedding
Have I mentioned how much I love California weddings? Especially when they involve a gathering of loved ones feasting on fresh and delicious food surrounded by an idyllic landscape. This more than perfect affair was topped off with the perfect amount of elegant rustic details like Alicia K Designs arrangements and the gallery from Matt Edge is too good to miss. See it all here.
From The Bride...Our friends and family were dispersed across the country, and our new home of Chicago couldn’t be counted on to cooperate for a July outdoors wedding. In considering destinations, we settled on picturesque Northern California. Not only would we be surrounded by natural beauty, but Morgan had spent her childhood in nearby Santa Rosa and has fond memories of days spent enjoying the outdoors there.
We knew we wanted two things at the reception – great food and a fun party that wouldn’t be shut down at 10:00 pm. We were drawn to Farmstead because of their fantastic cuisine, especially their ribs, which we ended up having cooked over an open fire for the wedding. We could enjoy dinner outside under twinkling bistro lights plus take advantage of a perfectly sized indoor space that let us dance well into the morning.
We wanted a more intimate setting for the ceremony, closer to nature and away from the “hustle and bustle” of St. Helena. After much research, we came across the beautiful Rust Ridge Ranch, a horse ranch and winery in the mountains. The venue houses a lovely bed and breakfast, allowing our closest friends to stay on site with us, maximizing time amongst far-flung guests. While remote (no need to warn guests to turn off their cell phones), the idyllic setting was a perfect match for our vision of the ceremony.
We asked our friend Tom to officiate, whom we met in DC the same night we met each other – introduced by our future maid of honor and best man. Guests kept (somewhat) cool by picturesque parasols while a fiddle-cello duet played folk songs and bluegrass in the background. The stumps lining the aisle came from the Rust Ridge property. The overall design of the events emphasized an organic and rustic aesthetic, focused more on the beautiful surroundings than on a overly-styled theme. It was a truly magical day in our lives spent with people we love.
We knew we wanted two things at the reception – great food and a fun party that wouldn’t be shut down at 10:00 pm. We were drawn to Farmstead because of their fantastic cuisine, especially their ribs, which we ended up having cooked over an open fire for the wedding. We could enjoy dinner outside under twinkling bistro lights plus take advantage of a perfectly sized indoor space that let us dance well into the morning.
We wanted a more intimate setting for the ceremony, closer to nature and away from the “hustle and bustle” of St. Helena. After much research, we came across the beautiful Rust Ridge Ranch, a horse ranch and winery in the mountains. The venue houses a lovely bed and breakfast, allowing our closest friends to stay on site with us, maximizing time amongst far-flung guests. While remote (no need to warn guests to turn off their cell phones), the idyllic setting was a perfect match for our vision of the ceremony.
We asked our friend Tom to officiate, whom we met in DC the same night we met each other – introduced by our future maid of honor and best man. Guests kept (somewhat) cool by picturesque parasols while a fiddle-cello duet played folk songs and bluegrass in the background. The stumps lining the aisle came from the Rust Ridge property. The overall design of the events emphasized an organic and rustic aesthetic, focused more on the beautiful surroundings than on a overly-styled theme. It was a truly magical day in our lives spent with people we love.