You know her as the lifestyle blogger behind What Sarah Knows, but today she’s stepping into the role of blushing bride. Following a proposal in Maine, Sarah and James settled on a destination wedding in Napa Valley, and brought on Kathy Higgins, Kathleen Deery and Paula LeDuc to make their dream happen. Settle into the The Vault where Sylvie Gil captured each and every moment to perfection.
From The Bride…Let me introduce myself, I am Sarah Johnson from What Sarah Knows. I am so excited to be sharing the details from our wedding with Style Me Pretty, which was such an inspiration during the planning process of our wedding.
James and I met in New York City a little over five years ago, got engaged last August and married this May! The nine months of planning were a blast and a time full of fun and excitement. As soon as we got engaged, within the hour, everyone was already asking where and when? James popped the question on the second day of a week long trip to Northeast Harbor, Maine which is one of my favorite places in the world and where I have spent my Summers growing up. This turned out to be ideal because we had the whole week there to figure out exactly what kind of wedding we wanted. Before other people get involved, I think it’s very important to figure out exactly what the two of you want and what your top priorities are. We decided we wanted an intimate affair and our goal, even with our big families, was to have a smaller wedding – our perfect number was 120. The next big question was “Where?” and we quickly decided on a destination wedding in Napa Valley!
I can say that one of the best things that happened to James and I (and our wedding) was our amazing wedding planner Kathy Higgins. With just a phone call and a quick glance at my blog – Kathy was able to understand exactly what James and I were looking for on our perfect day. She got us our venue, Spring Mountain Estate which exceeded any expectations I could have ever had – it was stunning! Kathy is also responsible for assembling the most incredibly talented group of people that made our wedding perfect. Kathleen Deery created the most beautiful setting, Syvlie Gil our photographer captured the day more perfectly than I could have imagined was possible and our caterer Paula Le Duc needs to open up a restaurant in NYC, ASAP. The incredible team took the stress off of us, so that we could relax and enjoy the day.
Of course what made the day special was being surrounded by people we love. I think our calmness was infectious and all our guests, all 122 of them, danced the night away and had a blast! A great piece of advice I was told and would love to share is to find a few minutes in the middle of the night to walk to the side and take it all in. I did it twice, once during dinner and once when everyone was rocking out on the dance floor and it was so special to see all these people you love together. A crazy fact (that our celebrant pointed out!) is that this exact group of people will never be together again, which is something I never thought of that was very cool and special.
Photography: Sylvie Gil Photography | Event Planning: Kathy Higgins Weddings | Floral Design: Kathleen Deery Design | Wedding Dress: Carolina Herrera | Cake: Perfect Endings | Invitations: Dulles Designs | Bride's Shoes: Manolo Blahnik | Bridesmaid's Dresses: Amsale | Catering: Paula LeDuc Fine Catering & Events | Hair And Makeup: Sarah Hyde | Lighting: Illusions Lighting | Band: The Hudson Project | Ties: Hermes | Groom's Attire: Paul Stuart | Groomsmen Attire: Suitsupply | Ceremony Music: Ever Music Group | Venue: Spring Mountain Estate | Groom's Shoes: John Lobb | Linen Rentals: BBJ La Tavola | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals