As Seen In: C Weddings

C Weddings is quickly becoming one of my favorite wedding publications, so I was thrilled when they wanted to feature two of my weddings from 2012. Both were photographed by the always-flawless Jose Villa, so its no surprise how beautiful these images look in the pages of the magazine.

First was Ruthie & Ian's designer dream wedding at my exclusive venue Z Modern Estate in Napa. Ruthie's modern style, love of color, out-of-the box creativity and impeccable taste opened the door for such innovation when planning their event. We took inspiration from high fashion, interior design and fine art to craft a truly unique wedding. It's an experience I'll never forget.

Later the magazine features Stephanie & Tyler's black tie affair at Durham Ranch in St. Helena. This couple also comes from the fashion world ~ their careers in the industry brought them together and Tyler now owns and manages Wilkes Bashford in San Francisco. Prepare yourself for the stunning Oscar de la Renta Stephanie chose for her wedding day - a gown as beautiful as the bride herself.

As Seen In: Style Me Pretty

Thanks so much to Abby and the team at Style Me Pretty for the wonderful feature on Jenny & Jordan's September wedding at Durham Ranch. There is so much I love about this wedding, from the beautiful couple to the breezy yet elegant design to the mouth-watering fried chicken served up by Tyler Florence for the wedding dinner.

Meg Smith and her associates captured this special wedding perfectly; I'm so glad Style Me Pretty shared so many wonderful images from the day.

Olive Branches + Modern Touches

My clients looked all over the globe for their wedding location before ultimately realizing there was no place more perfect for them than Napa Valley. They chose my newest exclusive property Z Modern Estate in St. Helena for its sweeping views and clean modern lines.

The bride loved a look that was simple and elegant, so we selected Napa's second most popular plant, the olive tree, to carry as a theme throughout the wedding. Upon a fresh palette of white, Kathleen Deery Design incorporated delicate olive branches and green succulents into the arrangements. I brainstormed with Kathleen and Illusions Lighting to devise a unique lighting fixture for their dinner under the stars. Illusions erected long white poles and draped beautiful string lights wrapped in garlands of olive branches. As the sun went down, the glow from the dinner area was simply magical.

Guests danced the night away to the Durell Coleman Band before moving into a late night after party tent where DJ Dojah spun the groom's favorite music. 

Photography by Meg Smith. Catering by Paula LeDuc Fine Catering. Cake by Perfect Endings. Tabletop and tenting by Classic Party Rentals.

Laurie + Barry: A Look Back at My Wedding Day

This past weekend, my husband and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary (we've been celebrating all month actually, but this weekend marked the official anniversary). The beautiful weekend of weather we just had is the exact same weather we had five years ago. A perfect October day in the Napa Valley. I couldn't have asked for anything better. 

We had such an amazing weekend surrounded by lots of family and friends. My husband Barry and I decided to have a big wedding to include all the special people from different parts of our lives. We just couldn't imagine not having them all with us to celebrate. It was especially fun for me to share my work life with my family and friends, many of whom had only seen pictures of my weddings but never experienced one in person. 

Our venue was a beautiful estate called Oak Knoll Ranch, modeled after a famous New Orleans manor. It is so pretty in pale pink, with white wrap-around porches and old wisteria vines. I designed the style of the wedding after the surroundings - we built upon the southern feel and the color palette to create an elegant yet relaxed affair with pale pink throughout. 

The whole day was a bit surreal, but being the bride and not the planner was an easier transition than I thought. In fact, everyone kept remarking how calm I was - I owe that to my amazing staff, who took care of every detail so I could enjoy the day.

It was so special to me to have an incredible team of vendors, people I have known and worked with for years, help make the wedding so beautiful, so simple and so me. Additionally, Barry and I both treasure our parents dearly, and that we both got to walk into our wedding ceremony on their arms is a priceless moment we'll cherish all our lives. And I must mention another special guest of honor, Roscoe. Roscoe was my dog before Barry and I met, but Barry fell quickly in love with the little guy and insisted he be part of our big day too. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank the incredible vendors who made the day so special:

Elaine Bell Catering  ~ all of the delicious southern food, the raw oyster bar at cocktails, all of the passed hors d'oeuvres, the mint juleps in pewter cups and especially the mouth-watering fried chicken dinner

Stanlee Gatti Designs ~ the gardenia chuppah that people still talk about - the smell carried throughout the garden, the largest most beautiful lily of the valley bridal bouquet ever and the pale pink delicate reception flowers

Zephyr Tents ~ the sail cloth dining tent and kids tent

Illusions Lighting ~ spectacular lighting in the tents and on the property to highlight the beautiful trees and architecture

Innovative Entertainment ~ romantic music by the Tim Hockenberry Band

KLC Music ~ elegant string music by her talented string quintet for the ceremony

Johnson Edwards Entertainment ~ a packed dance floor, courtesy of Durell Coleman Band

Perfect Endings ~ the sweetest of endings to the evening - my wedding cake, dessert buffet and mini boxed southern pecan pie favors

A Day in May ~ lovely letterpress custom designed printed materials

Barbara Callow ~ the beautiful calligraphy on my save the dates, invitations and day of materials

Jim Avila and Wallet Luburich ~ flawless wedding day hair and makeup

Joan Gilbert ~ for my wedding gown I felt so wonderful in

Thread ~ for the adorable flower girls dresses

Robert Talbott ~ for the dapper men's and boy's ties

Photography by Thayer Gowdy, Eliot Holtzman and Miguel Fairbanks ~ I still can't believe I was so lucky to have three amazing photographers cover my day. Truly a dream come true!

{photography by Eliot Holtzman}

Engagement Shoots: Jose Villa

The last couple weeks have been all about inspiration for me. I've been traveling in Europe, reveling in the beauty of Paris, Portofino, Florence and Rome. After a very busy fall event season, it's just what I needed to replenish my energy, both physically and creatively. From the food, to the scenery, to the service, I've found so many wonderful sources of inspiration for next year's weddings and events.

One place I continuously find inspiration is in the work of Jose Villa - wedding photographer extraordinaire. His work is filled with so much ethereal beauty, it's heavenly.  Jose recently shot two of our wedding couples for next year in their engagement sessions. An engagement shoot is not only a wonderful opportunity to bond with your photographer, but when you work with someone as talented as Jose, it leaves you with photos you will treasure throughout your married life.

Just look at these two beautiful couples - so in love and picture perfect. I can't wait to share their wedding photos with you next year.

Ruthie + Ian

Jenet + Chris

Meadowood Croquet Lunch: Joanne + Daniel

Joanne and Daniel planned a weekend of events in the Napa Valley for their friends and family from all over the U.S. and U.K. (you may remember their Black Swan Lake wedding). The three days of fun culminated with a sunny Sunday lunch on the croquet lawn at Meadowood resort.

Guests sipped Schramsberg sparkling wine poured by Meadowood's master sommelier and enjoyed a lunch of gourmet sandwiches and fresh summer salads. Following lunch, the resort's croquet pro took guests {dressed entirely in white and khaki as the rules of croquet require} onto the lawn to start some friendly games.

Joanne and Daniel then treated everyone to an ice cream sundae bar and carrot cake from Perfect Endings - a sweet conclusion to the weekend.

Photography by Meg Smith.