Real Wedding: Sara and Jonathan

Sunday, November 7, 2010
































It's a jaw dropper, isn't it? From the amazing DIY mason jar chandeliers to the organic flowers, the perfect Monique Lhuillier gown to the world's loveliest home, this Napa wedding represents effortless elegance in every imaginable way.

Durham Ranch is a truly spectacular property, and bride Sara wanted to enhance the natural beauty of such a wonderful space with a neutral palette of whites, soft greens and beige (with occasional pops of red for interest). There was practically nothing these two didn't do themselves, including their beautiful huppah. They tied the groom's father's tallis to birch branches they found at the San Francisco Flower Market, adding PVC piping for support-and they did it all in their apartment's breezeway! But the birch tree huppah was just one of the beautiful details inspired by "The Giving Tree", one of Sara's favorite books and something her stepfather referenced during a toast he gave shortly after their engagement. Their invitations, designed by Michelle Beilner for Jot Creates, featured the light imprint of tree bark (which made its way onto all the paper pieces) and a sketch of a tree with their initials carved in a heart-does it get any sweeter than that?

Sara wore a classic Monique Lhuillier gown and a divine pair of strappy blue sandals, while the rest of the bridal party wore a muted palette of soft grey. After the bride and groom were married by their parents, guests milled around the pool during the cocktail hour, sipping lavender mojitos. Lavender was also sprinkled down the aisle by Sara's niece and flower girl, tucked into bouquets and boutonnieres, and nestled into floral arrangements, along with gardenias. Blankets and pillows (make from IKEA curtains) set out on the lawn made the perfect place to relax and watch the sun set.

When guests entered the main barn where the reception was held, they were no doubt as blown away by the incredible chandeliers as I was. Can you believe these two made them? The bought wood planks from a reclaimed barn, then had a woodworker saw holes into them, glued the mason jars in and then strung them up with sailor's rope. They also bought vintage grain sacks which became table runners, which were both ideas suggested by their designers and florists, Lisa Boone and Priska Trikke of Atelier Joya.

If the amazing chandeliers and stunning floral arrangements were enough, the food was a labor of love for the groom, who is a pizza chef in San Francisco (his bride works for YouTube). The couple enlisted pals at Humphrey Slocombe Ice Cream to create a Muscat-Peach sorbet, Kiri Mah, the pastry chef at Oakland's Pizzaiolo to bake a coconut-passion fruit-blackberry cake and meet with small wine makers for months to chose exactly which wines would be served (in the end, Peay Vineyard's Scallop Shelf Pinot Noir, Stony Hill's Chardonnay, Volker Eisele's Gemini White Wine and Robert Sinskey's Vin Gris). The meal was created by Living Room Events, which put the focus on local and seasonal ingredients, and guests each went home with a box of Sweet Revolution caramels, quite the San Francisco treat! And to give perhaps the most important credit where it is due, this gorgeous wedding was coordinated by Elyssa Thorp of Delysium Events, and beautifully photographed by Jamie Grenough.

20 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh these are amazing! I love that they had picnic blankets set up. And her dress and shoes!

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  2. You just made my Sunday! This wedding is perfect!

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  3. So pretty! I especially love the reception setup with those cute chairs!

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  4. Deep sigh! Really - if you keep this up I am going to want to get married one day!

    And this may sound weird but that sounds just like you - being done with almost all your Christmas shopping already :)

    Have a great sunday!

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  5. wow. i had to stop and pause at every photo. these pictures are so beautiful! what a fairytale wedding - the blue shoes are such a perfect twist! i love it all... im only 18 - but right now all i feel like doing is making a huge inspiration for my wedding - haha. planning ahead! :) lovely post - and great blog! drop by and visit mine sometime: http://improcrastinate.blogspot.com

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  6. Wow! What a breath-taking wedding! Esp love the peacock blue shoes and wispy cake!

    xx Vivian @ http://diamondsandtulle.blogspot.com

    P.S. I LOVE the look of bangs on other people too! It always makes me want to get mine cut. But the reality is I can't handle them in my face. I get all itchy and bothered. But yes, your photo with bangs does make me want to get mine cut too!

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  7. Love love love. This wedding is soo amazingly gorgeous.

    Last week while I was "off" I visited an old Lady that lives in my building, who fell down and hurt her back (poor thing). I brought my 7 mo daughter along and the old Lady called her "Coquin" so I thought about you. Awww.

    Love, speak soon :)

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  8. what is not to love here. I really like to see some green tossed in there and not just all flowers all the time. I think it adds so much.

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  9. LOVE everything about this! So, so beautiful. I want to go to a wedding like this!

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  10. Ahhh I cannot believe they made those mason jar chandeliers! LOVE their style - it's the perfect balance between rustic and elegant

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  11. It all looks so amazing! So beautiful! The dress, the cake, the venue! I love it! So fresh, flirty and cute!

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  12. There are so many things about this that I just love, but I'll be honest, I lost track after coconut cake :)

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  13. WOW those mason jar "chandeliers" are AWESOME!!! Love love love!

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  14. Lovely pics! I will talk to my husband tonite, we should consider about getting married again! At that time, we did not have shuch nice pics! and the decoration... and all those things...

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  15. ok so the wedding was a fairytale, but i honestly saw the blue shoes and got stuck. i have no idea why i didnt do this on my wedding day.... i was barefoot, but at least for the reception i should have put on some pretty blues! :) shooooot

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  16. THis is perfect, I have a friend who owns a catering company. I will show him your blog to gather new ideas.This is definitely the perfect blog to find new ideas and as a source of inspiration, definitely the right one!!!P:S lovely cake with rosemary!

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  17. amazing wedding. I LOVE her blue shoes, and her earrings are so beautiful!

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  18. Wow, what a stunning wedding! As an aside, I'm pretty obsessed with how their cake looks furry.

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  19. I lost track of the things I love about this, too. A.Ma.Zing.

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