Australian meets American at this Napa Valley celebration of love. With the groom’s family coming all the way from the land down under, this Fall evening at Beaulieu Garden was bound to be full of classic American favorites, like farm to table food, cornhole, smores, and of course, high-quality wine. The couple turned to Shannon Leahy Events to put together a color palette that spoke to the season and Flour & Bloom to create an adorable cake that stole the show. The night culminated with a dinner under the vines and guests rejoicing on the dance floor. Rebecca Yale Photography captured each and every detail oh-so-perfectly. If you fancy harmonious color coordination, you don’t want to miss the full gallery images!
From Rebecca Yale Photography… The bride and groom decided to plan a destination wedding in Napa Valley while living abroad in Australia, entrusting Shannon to plan and design the day. Madeline is originally from the states, but moved to Australia for what was supposed to be just a short period of time to play waterpolo, but met Clayton and decided to stay for years. They moved to America together along with their adorable fur baby, a frenchie named Winnie who served as their flower girl, just weeks before their wedding. Half of their guests traveled in from Australia so they wanted to be sure to show them a great time with all that Napa has to offer. The weekend kicked off with an elevated version of a classic American BBQ with farm to table eats and wonderful wine at Farmstead. Guests played lifesize jenga, cornhole and made s’mores as they enjoyed the warm Fall evening.
The majority of the guests stayed at Indian Springs Resort in Calistoga where they were welcomed to their rooms with a beautiful custom printed tote and some of the bride and groom’s favorite snacks and a blanket printed with their wedding logo. Shannon embraced the beauty of Fall in Napa with a rich color palette of navy blue and maroon woven into the day- from the invitation, to the bridesmaids pajamas, to the bouquets and full reception design. The rich tones of the bouquets popped especially well against the bridesmaids all white attire, Each bridesmaid selected their own flattering silhouette of a classic white dress, while the bride stood out in her beautifully embellished V-Neck gown with delicate embroidery reminiscent of grape vines. The ceremony took place in a beautiful European inspired courtyard around a central fountain, feeling both grand and intimate at the same time because of the sectional placement of the chairs. The front row was full of their family who sat together in one unit rather than the traditional “his” and “her” sides without a center aisle. The bride and groom are both lucky enough to have had grandparents in attendance, the bride’s grandmother and the groom’s grandmother and grandfather who adorably sat holding hands throughout the ceremony in the front row, except for the moments when they wiped away tears and when the groom’s grandmother gave a reading.
Their dog, Winnie, made quite the entrance down the aisle with a floral wreath around her collar, and in one of my favorite moments of the day, let out the cutest little whine when she watched her mom walk by her towards Clayton. Knowing that the tears would be flowing, the groom gifted his parents with custom embroidered handkerchiefs right before the ceremony thanking them both for making him the man he is today. The bride and groom broke tradition with Ketubah and instead of signing it privately before the ceremony, they integrated it into the ceremony, inviting their friends up to sign it under their gorgeous chuppah and their Rabbi read a passage from it as they both signed themselves.
In a very special moment post ring exchange, the couples parents were invited up to bless the couple and wrapped them in the bride’s grandfather’s tallit, a beautiful way to honor his presence in their ceremony. Post ceremony guests enjoyed two signature drinks (displayed on a bar sign with a beautiful drawing of Winnie) and delicious hors d’oeuvres from Paula le Duc in the garden. The couple snuck away for some golden hour photos along the famous driveway into the winery as their guests walked over from the cocktail hour to the reception under the vines, stopping along the way for some photos in the vines and to grab their escort cards which were calligraphed cards with a wax seal featuring the couples monogram. The reception carried through the blue and maroon colors of the day, with richly saturated navy tablecloths on a mix of round and square tables with patterned blue runners, which was echoed on the rectangular wooden head table. Each guest’s navy menu was wrapped with a maroon ribbon with a marble hanging tag that served as place cards for the guests, and a fun keepsake. Flour and Bloom created a beautiful cake, painted blue on the bottom tiers with gold foil and the most delicate and realistic sugar flowers in maroon and white. Guests enjoyed a fantastic dinner by PLD under the vines and twinkle lights before making their way over to the dance floor next to the pool, where they danced the night away, including some raucous table surfing when the guests hoisted the bride and groom into the air atop a round table!
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Photography: Rebecca Yale Photography | Videography: Reel Eyes Media | Event Planning: Shannon Leahy Events | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Cake: Flour & Bloom | Invitations: Elsa Madeline | Engagement Ring: A.G. Designer Jeweler | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Amsale | Catering: Paula LeDuc Fine Catering & Events | Groom's Attire: The Black Tux | Beauty: Marisa Perel | Location: Beaulieu Garden | Music: Starlite Strings | Music: Ever Music Group | Pajamas: Masini Sleepwear | Rentals: Bright Event Rentals | Rentals: BBJ La Tavola | Rentals: Found Rental Co. | Rentals: BBJ La Tavola | Rentals: Casa de Perrin