I posted two photos of Sharlyn & Jim’s adorable wedding guests last week and several of their wedding images have appeared in other planning posts, so I started thinking maybe I’d share some more images from their wedding (which I thought was wonderful). I loved the personal touches and the way that Sharlyn and Jim took advantage of a wonderful venue. Cay Lemon, the darling genius behind Zest Productions planned the event and made sure it went off happily and without a hitch.

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The decór worked perfectly with the location (a design principle that is not to be underestimated).  They wed at Healdsburg Country Gardens which is just as you might imagine—complete with a barn, a dreamy oak tree, and full of gorgeous flowers.  I came home wanting to grow dahlias myself.  Sharlyn & Jim’s centerpieces reflected that just-picked-from-the-garden-feel, but with just a little more structure.  Sharlyn made the lemonade sign herself—but no, of course the guests didn’t have to pay for it!

We took a few minutes with Sharlyn and Jim after the ceremony for portraits under this pergola, and a few more moments later in the evening. Shar & Jim have big personalities and I have a (secret) soft spot for a little hamminess in photographs (where appropriate, of course—and I don’t know if I made up that word!), so it was great to get some funny portraits, too.

Evening began to fall as guests moved from dinner into dancing.  A grapevine trellis with twinkle lights hung over the whole cocktail area.

Evening portraits included some general happy-couple shots, a funny one by their getaway car—a Mini!—and one from one of my marvelously mischievous toy cameras.

Their first dance photos appeared in a post last week, but we couldn’t show the wedding without these photos!  They were so sweet with each other.

Some ideas to steal from Shar & Jim’s wedding:

1. Choose a gorgeous location and design around it.  The location will need little embellishment.  And it’ll be the background for all the photographs. Plus, if you’ve designed around the location, the overall look will be cohesive.
2. Make things personal. I love the little d.i.y. touches, especially the “lemonade” and “just married” signs.
3. Have fun!

photo credit: Gia Canali