Classic Yet Contemporary at Meadowood Napa Valley

Lauren Megerdichian
November 1, 2023
Categories: Contemporary, Real Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

[section title=”The Planning”]

[field title=”Wedding Colors”]Black, White, Neutrals, minimal green[/field]

[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]Classic and chic were at the core of the design. “We wanted a clear delineation between the ceremony/cocktail hour and dinner aesthetics. Because the ceremony and cocktail hour were held on Meadowood’s Vitners Green, we wanted to compliment the natural colors/textures of the outdoors by using furniture and accessories with brown, cream, and grey tones. The ceremony included wood cross back chairs and large, organically styled arrangements. Soft vintage furnishings, wood pieces and leather added to the casual feel for cocktail hour. For me, a daytime event should always have a more relaxed, easy feel. As we transitioned into night, the mood then becomes more formal once guests enter the tent for dinner. Every decor item supported this transition, with some spanning both to keep everything cohesive. Under the tent, we then incorporated crystal, silver, acrylic, black dining chairs, contemporary chandeliers, and candlelight to elevate the experience of a formal dinner party.”

“I sent Kaella an image of a Restoration Hardware living room and said, “Let’s start here.” I didn’t want to look back at any part of the wedding and think that I went with the trend of the time. I really wanted timeless elegance – classic yet contemporary. For example, we chose black tapered candles in place of white, and paired very contemporary flatware with traditional crystal stemware.”

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]My family has been going to Indian Springs in Calistoga since I was a young girl. We typically go for a couple weeks in both the summer and winter months. Mark and I had been dating for over a year (and had just discovered we were expecting our first child) when we headed up to Indian Springs in December 2017. It was the evening of the 31st. We were in our room – me in bed while Mark was getting ready for dinner. Mark dressed quickly, even putting on his jacket, which I thought was strange as I hadn’t even gotten out of my robe yet. As he began to walk towards me, I noticed he was fidgeting with something inside of his jacket pocket. He looked nervous and immediately I knew what was coming. He sat down beside me on the bed, pulled out the small dark grey box, and started talking about this past year of our lives and how he never wanted to be apart again. I think he said something like, “Do you think you’d want to marry me?” to which I responded with an “Of course!” I had always told him that I didn’t want some grand proposal because I wanted to remember every moment and not get caught up in the distractions of a big production. It was just us and it was just perfect.[/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]

[field title=”Wedding Gown”]Barbara wore two dresses. For the ceremony, she wore an Ines Di Santo long sleeve crepe gown with illusion back and satin buttons, a simple white veil with thin satin trim, Jimmy Choo Romy 100 White Satin Pointy Toe Pumps, diamond studs. For the reception, the Naeem Khan “Aberdeen” beaded gown (sleeved removed), simple veil (also Naeem Khan), Saint Laurent Amber Ankle Strap Sandals in Nude Rose, Jennifer Behr Jardinia Hairpins (L/S), diamond studs.[/field]

[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]Barbara’s Sisters wore their choice of neutral dress. Matron of Honor wore Naeem Khan Plunging Beaded Gown in Silver and Sophia Webster Nicole Patent Leather Sandals in Neutral, one Bridesmaid wore Galvan Phoebe Satin Bustier Gown and Jimmy Choo Romy Flat Platinum Ice Dusty Glitter Pointy Toe Flats, other Bridesmaid wore Galvan Sequined Georgette Mini Dress and Gianvito Rossi Portofino 105 Suede Sandals in Neutral.[/field]

[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]Mark wore a custom J.Hilburn navy tux with black satin details, white mini diamond shirt, black satin self-tied bowtie, onyx stud set (w/ cufflinks), and Magnanni for Neiman Marcus black velvet loafers. Best WOMAN wore Adrianna Papell Scoop Back Sequin Gown in Champagne. Groomsmen wore Tan Suits, white shirts and Platinum Silk Neckties, all by The Black Tux

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]

[field title=”Food & Drink”]At cocktail hour, the couple create 5 signature drinks…each one was named after a friend group or individual close to the couple. Huge hit! We had passed hors d’oeuvres, along with a large charcuterie display inspired by 17th century still life paintings.

“The Restaurant at Meadowood is three Michelin-starred so we were confident that all courses would be delicious. We both love Italian food and chose dishes based on those flavors. Although a bit out of order from a traditional Italian meal, we started with a butter lettuce salad with heirloom tomatoes and burrata, followed by a butternut squash agnolotti, and finally guests had a choice between king salmon, beef short ribs or vegetable risotto. Also, each course had a wine pairing.”

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]Bouquet: White peonies and baby rose buds

Centerpieces: Large arrangements – large headed roses, Mondial(creamy) large roses, majolica spray roses, white ranunculus, white lisianthus, white double tulips, Veronica, sage foliage, dusty miller, white stock, dainty euc, grey green foliage. Smaller arrangements (scattered between large arrangements) – white lisianthus and white ranunculus OR sage OR white stock OR white roses. When it came to flowers, the couple wanted soft, rounded shapes. They favor classic design because it never goes out of style – pretty, elegant, simple, sometimes monochromatic. Whites and creams, green only coming from leaves and stems. Again, too much color or the use of certain colors can sometimes date an event and the bride wanted to make sure that wasn’t the case with their wedding.

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]”We had a simple 3-tiered white buttercream cake with large white peony sugar flowers (peonies are my favorite flower). The layers alternated between vanilla bean cake with mascarpone cream and fresh strawberries and lemon poppy seed cake with classic cream cheese.”[/field]

[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]The couple enjoyed a beautiful outdoor ceremony. The bride was escorted down the aisle by both her mother and father. This was a very special moment for them as they chose to forego a first look, and see each other for the first time at that moment. The couple wrote their own vows, with these being their favorite part of each other’s vows

Mark: “A relationship in many ways is just an ongoing conversation and there’s no one else I’d rather spend my life talking to. Here we are three years and one Ruth later after that first conversation getting married just as I predicted that night.”

Me: “Love is a commitment you choose and I choose you. I will protect your heart with mine always…. When it’s all said and done, my hope is that you will look back and know that I loved you completely every day of our lives.”

Music: Throughout the entire wedding (except dance party) music was played by an all-female string quartet. During cocktail hour they played contemporary hits (as opposed to the reception where only classical music was played).

For the first dance: “The string quartet played Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love. It is a beautiful song and we both felt it spoke to how our relationship developed relatively quickly but neither of us wanted to slow down.”[/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #1″]”Mark is an avid reader, with a collection of books in the hundreds. Because of this, I really wanted to honor that in some way. We thought having a bookshelf displaying individually wrapped journals would be an interesting way to create escort cards. The journals were wrapped in black paper with white block script, finished with a white olive branch seal (an ode to Napa Valley). From the signature cocktails curated and named for special family members/friends to the custom neon sign “You Had Me At Blogger” (before teaching, Mark was a freelance writer/blogger) hung over the dance floor, to the chalkboard outside the dinner tent (Mark is now a teacher), it was important to us to add these personal touches to an otherwise very formal and traditional affair.”[/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #2″]Favorite Parts of the day:

Mark: As we walked into the tent and were announced as husband and wife because the anxiety of the ceremony was finally gone and we could just have fun.

Me: Hearing Mark’s vows. Men can sometimes be shy when it comes to expressing their feelings, but in that moment, he spoke from his heart and told me everything a girl wants to hear on her wedding day.

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]The couple put together “Hangover Kits” (chapstick, eye drops, electrolyte powder, altoids, gum, tylenol, pepto bismol) and had custom glass bottled water (Premier Label Water Company, Beverly Hills) with our monogram for guests to take on their way out.[/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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