A New Take on Garden Party Elegance at Hacienda de Las Flores

Sidney and Conor envisioned an elevated, vintage-esque garden party hidden in the hills of Northern California. The Italian inspired villa was a perfect setting for the romantic vibe they were going for. Intention in every aspect was important to the Bride. From the soft, whimsical linens, custom cohesive signage, vintage photo booth, and an emphasis on a natural color palette and complementary textures, it felt like a page out of a story book!

Conor surprised Sidney with a date to a winery as a “late birthday celebration”. She could sense his nerves the minute we got in the car. He took her to the winery, and said about three words the whole time they were there, telling her they had to hurry and finish their glass of wine because they had to go somewhere else. As they were leaving, Conor stopped them on a secluded path, got down on one knee and popped the question! Of course Sidney said yes! After, he surprised her with a party with their closest family and friends at their favorite outdoor restaurant.. When they walked up, the band was singing “My Girl” to Sidney which was so special to her!

Sidney described her wedding gown as "an absolute dream!" It was designed by Martina Liana. Sidney actually wasn’t immediately sold on her gown. She loved it, but knew there were some things she wanted to alter and add to make it more “her”. She ordered extra Chantilly lace taken from the bodice and created the most beautiful, intricate soft sleeves to emphasize the timeless fabric on a more modern dress. The pearl sleeves were her favorite addition though, as they were a stand out and a crowd favorite. She really wanted her walk down the aisle to be a moment. The drama of her cathedral length veil flowing behind and pearls glistening was breathtaking. She said she had never felt more beautiful and like herself. Sidney is a big fan of creating your dream dress if you don't find exactly what you are looking for!

Sidney encouraged her bridesmaids to treat the aisle as their runway and really have fun with the dress design. They followed a flexible neutral palette and picked their own dresses that complimented their figures, skin tone, style preference completely personal to them. From sparkle, to frill, to floral, and silk– all of them were individual and different but so extremely cohesive. They walked with a few posies down the aisle, to enhance the daintiness of their gowns but not take away from the showstoppers that they are.

Though the girls got to have some fun picking their attire, the men wore classic black tuxes. Sidney loved the timeless approach of having a black tux and bow tie.

Sidney and Conor spent time with the venue refining their meal choices as food and beverage were two things they wanted to nail for their guests. Instead of a champagne toast, they did a champagne welcome. When guests entered the venue they were handed a glass of champagne right next to a cute selfie mirror that the Bride made so they could take a photo before sitting down. They also chose two specialty cocktails that were reflective of their personalities -- a spicy margarita and an an old fashioned.

Sidney opted for a non-traditional altar, consisting of large mismatched, muted terracotta pots filled with carefully curated wildflowers. She wanted it to feel natural to the robust space, creating an almost natural yet intentional, dreamy space to say “I Do’. Her bridesmaids held singular posies tied together with velvet ribbon. Her bridal bouquet, unkept and wild, filled with cosmos, posies all held together by a beautiful velvet bow. This theme continued into dinner, where terracotta bud vases and stone vase arrangements filled with wildflowers, were sprinkled throughout each table. She chose a patterned, vintage 1920’s-esque rouge toned linen to create a statement tablescape. The seating chart table numbers, menus, and name tags were intentional and designed by Sidney herself to create a cohesive, romantic look throughout.

Sidney and Conor wanted to go bit and traditional for their wedding cake moment. They went with a classic 4 tiered, white cake detailed with real flowers throughout. Sidney did a dress change before cutting the cake to make for a cute photo moment.

Sidney and Conor included a vintage style photo booth from Photomatica. They both love vintage photo booths and have handfuls of them from over the years. Sidney even designed a custom graphic that fit on the outside of the booth, detailed with a photo strip from the day they first said “I Love You”! With her graphic design background, she also designed custom matchboxes to match the photo booth as well as all other signage seen around the venue! She really loved having her personal touch sprinkled through small details throughout the day.

Another personal favorite was Sidney's second look! It was a surprise to her husband and included custom gloves that read “I love you, Mr. Green!”