Spring Wedding at Holman Ranch with Sweet and Sophisticated Details
When designing Sara and Joe’s wedding day we were going for a classic and timeless, Italian dinner party feel - with a guest-focused experience. With the whole venue being outside, Holman Ranch architecture and landscaping really transported you to the Italian countryside. We leaned into this in the design with lots of neutral colors, lush greenery and linen textures. All of the signage was either printed on linen or handmade paper. We coupled these design elements with small experiences that also transported you to an Italian dinner party feel. Guests were greeted upon arrival with a Hugo spritz, at cocktail hour the couple had a separate martini bar (a nod to Sara and Joe's favorite drink), the alfresco dinner was served family style and featured small bowls of assorted olives at each table for guests to pick on as they mingled and enjoyed dinner.
Sara and Joe had been traveling through Mexico on vacation, and ended the trip in Chicago for Christmas with Sara's family. She was sure Joe wouldn't be careless enough to carry an engagement ring in his backpack for two weeks in Mexico, so she hadn't been suspecting anything. The day after they arrived in Chicago, Joe told Sara he wanted to take her family to "lunch" as a thank you for hosting the couple. That morning, Sara’s whole family was sitting in the living room watching Love Actually (including Sara and Joe), when a text popped up on Sara's phone: "hey - you busy later, or do you want to come with me when I propose?" -- a text that was intended for Sara’s brother, Sean (also a 4 letter "S" name). Sara looked at Joe, and said "You texted me." He swore to himself, and then Sara cried. All the while Sara’s family was looking at them trying to figure out what was happening. He discretely explained his error to Sara's family, while she got ready for the "lunch" that she now knew was much more important that she had previously understood. They drove to a beautiful park in Chicago where he, very sweetly, proposed.
Sara opted for a chic, understated, and timeless style in the Sarah Seven Viviana gown with an extended train. The Sarah Seven team's excellent tailoring staff made sure the dress fit like a glove, while being comfortable enough to dance in all night! Sara paired the gown with jewelry from both her and Joe's maternal grandmothers - a "something" old to bring luck from both sides of their newly minted family.
Sara's wedding party--including her best friend of 25 years, and many more she's picked up along the way. The ladies wore sage satin crepe gowns by Jenny Yoo, in a variety of shapes and styles to complement the Tuscan-themed backdrop.
The groomsman opted for black rental suits from the The Black Tux, paired with ties Joe gifted to them on the wedding day. Joe and Sara gifted their dads custom tailored suits to wear for the wedding from Bespoke by Chase. Joe also wore a custom black suit, simple satin bow tie, and the long sought after watch Sara gave him the morning of their wedding day.
Food and drink are two details that were very important to Sara and Joe in creating a memorable experience for their guests on their wedding day. From the very start guests were greeted with a Hugo spritz to sip on prior to the ceremony. At cocktail hour they had an oyster bar coupled with passed hors d’oeuvres. Along with their main bar, they also had a separate martini bar offering a dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives, espresso martini and a gin martini with a lemon twist. As guests were invited to dinner, the tables were set with bread, seasoned oil, and an assortment of olives to enjoy as the family style dinner began. Paradise Catering provided a beautiful spread of family style dishes featuring ingredients from their garden. After dinner, the couple shared tins of Garret popcorn, from Sara's hometown Chicago, and Winston pies from Joe's native LA.
We worked with Paeonina for all the florals and she really brought the vision to life! The ceremony spot at Holman Ranch has the most breathtaking mountain backdrop, so we opted out of having a traditional arch and instead had a lush growing aisle with lots of greenery + neutral florals. The seating chart display featuring an antique Theoni Hutch was tucked in amongst a sea of florals. The whimsical reception florals were a mix of greens and neutrals with pops of peachy oranges to complement the existing wildflowers and greenery. While guests were enjoying dinner, the ceremony florals were then repurposed to the dance floor in front of the band stage coupled with an incredible disco ball and greenery installation above the dance floor. A perfect spot to dance the night away! All of the wedding rentals and decor were specifically picked to complement the existing scenery at Holman. We had textured linens, natural wood chairs, wood bars and wood and linen lounge furniture. The dinner napkins were a beautiful stone colored textured linen sitting on top of a timeliness white ceramic plate with a beautiful border. The plates were rented from Theoni, named Antico Doccia, designed in Italy...of course!
Sara and Joe opted for a small cake and decided to have a private cake cutting moment after taking sunset photos. Their intimate cake cutting moment ended with the groom stabbing the cake knife right into the center of the cake (a favorite moment for sure!!).
