Modern-Meets-Romantic Napa Valley Wedding
With the blend of romantic and natural elements set against the modern Solage Calistoga, this Napa Valley wedding is definitely pretty, thanks to incredible vendors such as Bella Figura, Plum Pretty Sugar and Bella Bridal. But this gorgeous day is also full of sentimental details like the grandmother's butterfly pin adorning the Bride's bouquet and the piece of her mother's dress and grandfather's shirt sewn into her wedding dress. See every detail, captured by Honey Honey Photography, in The Vault!
From The Bride…“...for nearly a decade.” This became a running theme through the speeches at our wedding, but to me, it’s perfect. Ethan and I met during my freshman year at the University of Richmond and after years of long distance dating, we made a move to Atlanta for graduate school. As we fell hard for southern cooking, we fell more in love with each other.
But after three years down south, a career change for Ethan guided us west to sunny California. The prospective move was initially hard on both of us and “in true Jordan fashion” I had to throw one last party. Little did I know that the farewell picnic we had planned was a proposal in disguise! Ethan had spent months meticulously coordinating schedules to fly our families to Atlanta, surreptitiously emailing friends from a secret account and picking up the ring, mere blocks from my office! What began as a shock when Ethan got down on one knee, quickly brought me to tears as I realized our friends and family were waiting to celebrate the special moment with us!
We knew we wanted our wedding day to be true to us. We envisioned a blend of romantic and natural elements set amidst a more modern venue, unique, flavorful dishes featuring seasonal ingredients and an all-star band! Sarah Drake with Cole Drake Events and Kristen Seaholm with Solage Calistoga, truly brought our romantic, Napa Valley wedding to life. We knew we wanted to have an outdoor ceremony and we fell in love with the Solage lawn with a breathtaking view of the Palisades Mountains. We wanted a soft palette, a mix of antique whites, soft sage greens, and blush juxtaposed with a glamorous gold to portray an elegant and timeless feeling. Natural elements came to life through a farm wood chuppah, wood tables and bistro chairs.
From the beginning, I knew I wanted there to be meaning and family reflected in every element of the day. My bouquet, comprised of seasonal cafe au lait dahlias, hydrangeas, garden roses, succulents and dusty miller, was adorned with my great-grandmother’s butterfly pin.
For my dress, an absolutely stunning Romona Keveza gown with an illusion neckline. We sewed a piece of my mom’s wedding dress with a sentimental message and a patch of my grandfather’s shirt (my something blue!) to the underside. My jewelry for the day came from family, including my mother-in-law’s diamond tennis bracelet and the same necklace my mom wore on her wedding day! Ethan wore my dad’s yarlmuke, a gift we brought back following a trip to Israel.
It was extremely special to have these family heirlooms woven throughout the space and serve as the thread that connected our families and the generations before us.
While our ceremony was painted in a soft palette, our reception was bold, from the peacock blue linens to the “LOVE” gold lettered balloons to our rockstar band. We ended the night with nonstop dancing and truly created a celebration that will be forever remembered in the minds of our guests.
I never dreamed there would be a day filled with so much love. There were so many magical moments, but my favorite memories are of exchanging personal vows with Ethan in front of all our loved ones and a special first look with my dad.
The day would not have been captured in all its glory if it weren’t for the talented Emma McGowan with Honey Honey Photography. Ethan and I quickly became attracted to her charisma, passion and fun-loving nature and knew we not only wanted her to be our best friend, but to help bring out wedding story to life.
My advice to brides would be to compromise; as many dreams as I had, I realized the day was not only about me but the union of two families. In the same vein, be true to yourselves. There will be many opinions, but your wedding day should represent you as a couple - your interests, hobbies and values. And remember, that through the ups and downs of planning, the day will be one of the happiest of your lives, so take a few moments to look around, cherish the moments and say “I love you.”
But after three years down south, a career change for Ethan guided us west to sunny California. The prospective move was initially hard on both of us and “in true Jordan fashion” I had to throw one last party. Little did I know that the farewell picnic we had planned was a proposal in disguise! Ethan had spent months meticulously coordinating schedules to fly our families to Atlanta, surreptitiously emailing friends from a secret account and picking up the ring, mere blocks from my office! What began as a shock when Ethan got down on one knee, quickly brought me to tears as I realized our friends and family were waiting to celebrate the special moment with us!
We knew we wanted our wedding day to be true to us. We envisioned a blend of romantic and natural elements set amidst a more modern venue, unique, flavorful dishes featuring seasonal ingredients and an all-star band! Sarah Drake with Cole Drake Events and Kristen Seaholm with Solage Calistoga, truly brought our romantic, Napa Valley wedding to life. We knew we wanted to have an outdoor ceremony and we fell in love with the Solage lawn with a breathtaking view of the Palisades Mountains. We wanted a soft palette, a mix of antique whites, soft sage greens, and blush juxtaposed with a glamorous gold to portray an elegant and timeless feeling. Natural elements came to life through a farm wood chuppah, wood tables and bistro chairs.
From the beginning, I knew I wanted there to be meaning and family reflected in every element of the day. My bouquet, comprised of seasonal cafe au lait dahlias, hydrangeas, garden roses, succulents and dusty miller, was adorned with my great-grandmother’s butterfly pin.
For my dress, an absolutely stunning Romona Keveza gown with an illusion neckline. We sewed a piece of my mom’s wedding dress with a sentimental message and a patch of my grandfather’s shirt (my something blue!) to the underside. My jewelry for the day came from family, including my mother-in-law’s diamond tennis bracelet and the same necklace my mom wore on her wedding day! Ethan wore my dad’s yarlmuke, a gift we brought back following a trip to Israel.
It was extremely special to have these family heirlooms woven throughout the space and serve as the thread that connected our families and the generations before us.
While our ceremony was painted in a soft palette, our reception was bold, from the peacock blue linens to the “LOVE” gold lettered balloons to our rockstar band. We ended the night with nonstop dancing and truly created a celebration that will be forever remembered in the minds of our guests.
I never dreamed there would be a day filled with so much love. There were so many magical moments, but my favorite memories are of exchanging personal vows with Ethan in front of all our loved ones and a special first look with my dad.
The day would not have been captured in all its glory if it weren’t for the talented Emma McGowan with Honey Honey Photography. Ethan and I quickly became attracted to her charisma, passion and fun-loving nature and knew we not only wanted her to be our best friend, but to help bring out wedding story to life.
My advice to brides would be to compromise; as many dreams as I had, I realized the day was not only about me but the union of two families. In the same vein, be true to yourselves. There will be many opinions, but your wedding day should represent you as a couple - your interests, hobbies and values. And remember, that through the ups and downs of planning, the day will be one of the happiest of your lives, so take a few moments to look around, cherish the moments and say “I love you.”