We’re thrilled that Gabrielle & Chris’s wedding is up on Martha Stewart Weddings! {Click here} to see the feature!
photo: Gia Canali
pursuing the picture perfect wedding
We’re thrilled that Gabrielle & Chris’s wedding is up on Martha Stewart Weddings! {Click here} to see the feature!
photo: Gia Canali
We loved so many things about this wedding, not the least of which was the couple’s dog, Lola, who was a total show-stopper with her sweet and spunky personality. Rare is a wedding as thoughtfully and soulfully planned out as this one. The couple considered every single detail, and Amy Kaneko designed their extraordinary lush, natural ceremony “altar,” the olive tree “guest book” (aka wishing tree) and the escort card tree, which was hung with mica “fairies,” crystals, and quotes from the bride’s brother’s poetry, as a memorial to him. The escort cards were hand-wrapped with wire and attached to gemstones that matched the gemstone table names.
The bride planned a ton of extra time for getting ready and for pre-ceremony photographs, so that no matter what, they wouldn’t be rushed or stressed out as they prepared themselves for their ceremony. This kind of foresight had great pay-off, not just for the couple, but also for their photographs. They look well-composed, relaxed, happy, and excited because they are well-composed, relaxed, happy, and excited. (What a good trick, huh?!).
photos: Gia Canali
design & planning: Amy Kaneko Events; venue: Meadowood; videography: LoveSpun Films; florals: Cherries Flowers; officiant: Dr. Judith Caldwell; Linens: La Tavola Linens; Rentals: Hartmann Studios; Hair & makeup: Sarah Hyde; On-Site Dressing/Pressing: SewHeidi Wedding De-Tailor (707.479.0790); Paper goods, Gemstone escort cards, Table numbers: Amy Kaneko Events
To reiterate (because I say let’s hear it again):
“No matter how many times people warn you about how fast it will feel, it feels faster”
Victoria & Nick, June 18, 2011
photo: Gia Canali
With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, I thought I’d share a tear from Brides magazine, which just came in the mail. It offers some great ideas for honoring your mother on your wedding day. I, for one, certainly wish that I’d walked down the aisle with both my father and my mother. (Honestly, my husband and I agree that if we had one thing to do over, we would have honored all of our parents more at our wedding. It seems sometimes like the father of the bride is the only one who comes with “built in” moments in the spotlight.) And I love this mother-daughter dance tradition (suggestion #15), though I’ve seen it only once … at the wedding pictured above.
If you’d like to see more photos from this wedding, we featured it awhile back {here}.
photo: Gia Canali
I don’t know if anything will ever be better than seven of them, but even just one is pretty spectacular. Kids can take to their wedding duties with such very adult seriousness. Or not.
photo: Gia Canali
S & E’s wedding embodied all the most elegant and magical things about wine country and we were thrilled that it was featured in this year’s C Weddings. So we thought we should offer a closer look at the wedding in its intricate and well-designed detail. Below: the bride’s ceremony-ready updo; bouquet of peonies and garden roses by Sharla Flock (complete with mint and dusty miller Sharla plucked from her own garden!); ceremony set in the ruins of an old winery. During the recessional, the bride and groom were followed out by a New Orlean’s style jazz band (!).
A ceremony design note: wide aisles are wonderful, and afford excellent vantage points for photographers and guests alike. If you have the space, make a wide aisle.
During cocktails, Stacy McCain and her crew oversaw the transformation of the ruins area into a dining area. We love the centerpiece design by Sharla Flock. (I also worked with her on this inventive wedding last spring). Meanwhile, the bride was transforming her look, too. The bride and groom had a busy schedule, but we were happy to catch them here and there, in between the various parts of the day.
Dessert, dancing, and self-portrait-taking in the barn followed dinner. If you look closely above and below, you’ll see some of the many musical ensembles that contributed to the festive mood of the wedding from beginning to end. One thing we loved about the wedding was how very different each part of the day looked and felt. Musical cues were as important as visual ones. We also loved how personal the food felt. The groom’s family contributed produce from their farm, including almonds for badam kheer, a traditional Indian dessert drink (that I am now mildly obsessed with … and have started making regularly on my own!). The couple departed the reception in a vintage Packard. I love the grand exit as a photo op (even if I am, as I was here, the only one there to witness it).
photos: Gia Canali; planning & design: Stacy McCain Events; floral design: Sharla Flock; music (!!): Ed Ivey, Bay Area Booking; bride’s gown, Vera Wang; stationery, Hello!Lucky; lighting, Got Light; venue: Annadel Estate; catering: Paula LeDuc Fine Catering