When I read that this bride worked for the Visual Merchandising team at Pottery Barn, I was certain this wedding would be one of aesthetic perfection…. and I was right! Located at the bride’s childhood home in the gorgeous Napa Valley, this couples’ day was the perfect curation of their love story full of artistic details, delicious food, and plenty of good wine! Get inspired by all the stunning details in The Vault!
From the bride… We fell in love in the Fall, so it was never a question that we would tie the knot and make it official in October. We choose my childhood home, as we had spent many weekends coming up from San Francisco to the Napa Valley where we made lasting memories in the small town where I grew up. Our relationship is built on food, friends, good wine, music and laughter. Whether we were making pizzas in the outdoor oven that my father built, helping my parents rack homemade wine, or throwing a “Quattro Formaggi” on the rammed earth bocce ball court in the backyard, we always ended the night watching the sunset over the vines with a glass of wine.
I work for Pottery Barn on the Visual Merchandising Team and was lucky enough to have a few co-workers on-hand to help pull together our dream wedding. From inspiration and design, to decorating and dancing, and even my wedding makeup, the PB visual team can do it all!
When you get to work with incredible product everyday, you tend to become some what of a pack rat and over time, I have slowly curated collections of accessories. Quite a few years ago I bought 100 hanging votive holders from Pottery Barn in the hopes to someday use them at my wedding… And I finally got my wish! The team created a floating wall of light, hanging the votives with invisible fishing line along the full length of the bocce ball court in the backyard. I bought flameless remote-operated votive candles, so as the night turned dark, you pressed the remote and the whole wall flickered, it was pure magic.
For the inside of the tent, I asked my best friend, who works in a local stained glass shop, to cut the bottom off of over 60 magnum wine bottles to create candle hurricanes. We layered in lots of flickering candlelight and fresh eucalyptus for the dining table centerpieces. My boss found an artist in Guerneville who re-purposes the bands from used wine barrels to create large galvanized spheres. The team hung over 20 of them down the center of the tent, placing flickering flameless candles in each one, and hanging olive branches and eucalyptus from the spheres.
My parents have an antique outdoor swing, that has been passed down through generations on my father’s side. The team repainted it, draped it in a found kantha throw and oversized pillows, and adorned it with eucalyptus and spray roses, creating a romantic lounge where guests could relax during the wedding.
For months, I collected pieces of cut glass; large and small plates, bowls and glasses, to make customized glass display stands for the pie and cheese tables. All of the wedding signs were designed and hand painted by Lindsay, my talented co-worker from the Visual Team. We used wood scavenged from around my parents property…. There was more than enough!
Doug and I wanted the food at the wedding to be as much a part of who we are as it was delicious. One of our first weekend trips together was to Tomales Bay where we shucked and ate dozens of oysters. In that spirit, we hired The Oyster Girls from Tomales Bay to shuck oysters for our guests during cocktail hour. Our favorite spot to stop for a pint is the Russian River Brewing Company, and we could not have our wedding without enough of the local Pliny the Elder IPA during cocktail hour. The cheese table included our favorite cheeses from the nearby Cowgirl Creamery, dried figs from the tree in my parents yard, and my mother’s homemade quince jelly. We served special wine during dinner, homemade by my father in the garage, that was decanted into glass milk bottles from the local grocery store. It was his best vintage yet!
The suit and shoes Doug wore were designed and handmade at Al’s Attire in San Francisco. The jacket, pants and even the shoes, have a label with his name hand-sewn into it. My something blue was a label with my new married name on it, hand sewn into my gown by the designers that made Doug’s suit. For something old and something borrowed, I wore a black velvet belt, given to me by my mother, that had been passed down from her grandmother.
Every time a member of my family gets married, my very large group of cousins choreographs a surprise song and dance. They performed a rousing rendition of “Gimme Some Lovin” by the Blues Brothers before the dancing started.
Doug and I love to cook together and use glass canning jars for our leftovers. We wanted a unique escort card/wedding favor, so we filled small glass Weck jars from Williams Sonoma with our favorite Castelvetrano Olives, so guests could snack while waiting for dinner. We figured most kids probably wouldn’t like olives, so we filled their jars with goldfish crackers.
We love collecting art for our home. Every trip we take, whether it be a quick weekend in Mendocino or a longer stay in Mexico, we try to collect unique pieces of art from our travels. We asked our guests to create a piece of art that would capture the emotion and love of our wedding day. We set up an art station with a large canvas, paint brushes and paints. The piece started with the younger guests in the beginning and as the night progressed, was layered and completed by the older guests. The art piece is one of the most cherished and special memories from our wedding. It hangs in our kitchen and we love having a daily reminder of our amazing day.
Our photographer is a close family friend, who also photographed my sisters wedding at my parents house, so when the day came for us to chose our wedding photographer there was no question who we thought could best capture the moments of our day.
Our wedding planner, Lindsey, was the best decision we ever made. At first we wanted to try and pull the wedding off on our own but as the day neared we realized we were in way over our heads. I reached out to her, late one night, and thankfully she was able to fit us into her busy schedule. She was literally a life saver and the sole reason the day went off without a hitch.
The wedding was a true labor of love with help from our families, friends, our incredible vendors and the very talented Pottery Barn Visual Team, Dean, Jaush, Deanne & Lindsay, who were all there to bring our vision to life.
Photography: Suzanne Karp Photography | Videography: Suzanne Karp Photography | Event Planning: Lovely Day Events | Floral Design: Revel Floral | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Invitations: bride DIY | Bride's Shoes: Kate Spade | Rings: Brilliant Earth | Bridesmaids' Dresses: J.Crew | Catering: The Oyster Girls | Catering: Grapevine Catering | Makeup: Jaush Way, friend of bride | Hair: Heaven and Earth Salon | Groom's Attire: Al's Attire | Officiant: bride's aunt | Transportation: Beau Wine Tours | Bathrooms: M & M Sanitation | Event Design and Decor: Pottery Barn | Music: DIY | Napkins: West Elm | Rentals: Encore Events Rentals | Rentals: Peak Productions