When Drew started at a model new engineering agency in June 2015, he was assigned a desk all through from Megan, who was to help collectively along with his teaching. Nonetheless the 2 obtained better than they bargained for: A extreme friendship bloomed. “We had been mates immediately and stayed meaning for the first six months or so,” Megan remembers. Later that 12 months, they started courting—and 5 years after that, they labored collectively to design an engagement ring using a stone from Drew’s great-grandmother’s ring.
Even so, “we really didn’t know if we would ever get married or have a wedding; for years, it didn’t actually really feel like a necessity to us,” Megan shares. “After the early days of the pandemic, though, we modified our tune and beloved the considered getting an opportunity to assemble and have enjoyable our love with our household and associates.” Nonetheless they didn’t want the usual blowout affair. “Our imaginative and prescient was to have the simplest feast of our lives—gorgeous surroundings and delicious meals—with all of our favorite people.” The Canadian couple pegged Napa Valley as a result of the holiday spot and saved the customer document to easily 50 members of the family. They actually hosted not one nevertheless two dinner occasions: a welcome dinner and a wedding reception, each with its private distinctive aesthetic.
Their best priority? “It was important to us that the entire weekend felt relaxed and welcoming whereas nonetheless being elevated and explicit,” Megan says. “It was moreover important that every one the issues felt joyful. We have every seen weddings before now that are very extreme and even borderline somber. We knew we would have liked to keep up all of the issues feeling celebratory!”
A Robust Color Palette
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Letter-pressed invitations tied in all the numerous hues from the couple’s coloration palette. “We knew we would have liked one factor vibrant and joyful and didn’t want to restrict all of the issues to a set few colors,” Megan says. They built-in inexperienced, beige, pink, yellow, orange, and blue. “The stationery was truly gorgeous and explicit whereas setting the tone that the weekend wasn’t going to be large typical or formal.”
The To-Be-Weds
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For the welcome dinner at hip restaurant The Structure Oak in St. Helena, Megan wore an ethereal white robe by Chicago-based designer Azeeza, and Drew wore a gray plaid jacket and suede loafers.
An Impressed Accent
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Megan’s look was all regarding the styling. She paired her Azeeza robe with pink Amina Muaddi sandals, Jennifer Behr earrings, and an Olympia Le-Tan clutch that features a William Morris design. “I fell in love with William Morris’ prints whereas studying inside design, so it felt like a cool various to include one factor I’m passionate about into one amongst my seems,” she says. “Whole, I wanted this look to actually really feel a bit additional modern and playful than the wedding-day look.”
The Setting
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“We fell in love with the brick courtyard, bushes, and vine-covered buildings at The Structure Oak,” Megan says. They knew the meals might be good—it’s one amongst their favorite spots from earlier journeys—nevertheless there was one other excuse they chose it. “It was important to us that the welcome dinner and following wedding ceremony day didn’t actually really feel like repeats of one another. The Structure Oak equipped a additional casual meal and a particular aesthetic that complemented the wedding day with out giving freely exactly what to anticipate.”
Pops of Marigold
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To keep up the events cohesive, they pulled one coloration from the wedding-day palette and blew it out for the welcome dinner. The hue? Vibrant marigold, which appeared in florals, stationery, and additional. “We beloved the monochrome however textural impression it created in The Structure Oak courtyard. It felt a bit additional modern and edgy than the wedding day design, nevertheless saved with the pure and simple vibes we would have liked.”
A Family-Mannequin Meal
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“To really differentiate between the two meals, we chosen to have a family-style welcome dinner,” Megan says. They picked their favorite devices from the menu: raw greens with fermented soy dip, salads, pastas, trout, and additional. Pavlovas with olive oil custard and up to date berries had been served for dessert.
A Yard Venue
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“We beloved the attractive exterior yard setting at Beaulieu Yard,” Megan says. As well as they valued the privateness the venue equipped. “After seeing quite a few areas that appeared gorgeous in photos, we realized many had been very public, and we didn’t just like the considered people passing by and watching our wedding ceremony.”
An Pure Bouquet
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Megan gave her florist free rein with the bouquet. “She knew our vibe and I merely wanted her to run with that,” Megan says. “It adopted the an identical concept as the rest of our florals, being vibrant and barely undone.”
An Ethereal Gown
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Megan didn’t cry when she positioned on Monique Lhuillier’s ethereal Ambrosia gown—nevertheless all people else at her robe appointment did. “I merely knew it was the one,” she says. “I beloved the way in which it draped and the way in which lightweight it was no matter being pretty large. I merely felt good in it.”
A Floral Veil
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It was the matching floral-embroidered veil, however, that sealed the deal on the robe—and have turn out to be a jumping-off stage for the decor. “The color palette tied into all the colors we used all by the wedding weekend,” Megan says. “We included a floral facet inside the envelope liner of the invitation suite as a nod to the floral design on my veil. I appreciated the few eagle-eyed firm who put it collectively and realized the connection after seeing my veil on the wedding ceremony.”
The Dapper Groom
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Drew wore a darkish blue go effectively with and a dotted beige tie. “I added primary pearl cufflinks and a Raymond Weil watch that was an engagement reward from Megan,” he says.
A Private Vow Alternate
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They met for his or her first look in one among many gardens. “It was one amongst my favorite parts of the day,” Megan remembers. “We decided to alternate our private vows privately. Neither of us loves speaking in entrance of a crowd or being the main focus, so preserving this half between the two of us and preserving the ceremony shorter felt like the appropriate combination of personal and private for us.” They laughed and cried all by the alternate and felt their nerves subside.
An Informal Ceremony Web page
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Fairly than use one among many venue’s many manicured gardens, the couple chosen a tree-lined drive for his or her ceremony. “We would have liked the ceremony to actually really feel explicit nevertheless not stiff or formal,” Megan says.
Wild and Free
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“We opted for a floral flooring arch and florals lining both sides of the aisle,” the bride offers. “We requested for the flowers to be vibrant and have a wild top quality and movement to them. [Our florist] Amanda and her group positively delivered!”
Vibrant Refreshments
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Later, firm sipped passionfruit-pineapple margaritas and elderflower-ginger mocktails, “nevertheless we moreover had quite a few nonalcoholic drinks equipped sooner than the ceremony: hibiscus agua fresca, Arnold Palmers, and glowing water,” Megan says. The wedding day was scorching—over 100 ranges!—so refreshments had been key.
A Family Affair
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Megan and Drew each walked down the aisle escorted by their mom and father. “We opted to not have a wedding event; however, we would have liked our family involved in a roundabout method,” Megan says. “Our mom and father walked us down the aisle, and our brothers married us!”
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
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After making it official, the couple recessed out to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” carried out by a string quartet.
A Floral Fantasy
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The second feast of the weekend had a very utterly completely different vibe, as supposed, and it started with the tablescape. “Our desk florals continued the colorful and pure vibes from our ceremony flowers; I beloved how Amanda included utterly completely different sizes and sorts of vessels for a final result that was collected however intentional,” Megan says. “We had been having a troublesome time selecting lighting. Amanda really helpful a dangling floral arrange instead of [a chandelier]and it felt so pure and pure. We felt so lucky to get to have dinner with our members of the family sitting beneath the attractive florals, with twinkly lights woven by the use of the trellis.”
Vibrant Place Settings
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Creamy neutrals and peach hues took coronary heart stage inside the linens and place settings. “It added good dimension and texture to the desk with out distracting from the florals,” Megan says. “The centerpieces had little kumquats tucked all by them, which I beloved!”
Choose Your Private Journey
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They did points in one other method on the subject of timeline, too. “We didn’t have a set program in the midst of the reception—no speeches, no first dance—nevertheless instead, we had the bar, a cushty serve station, and a espresso cart so firm would possibly arise and mingle after dinner and settle proper right into a lounge space with some espresso, ice cream, or a drink. We beloved that this saved points casual and comfortable for firm.”
A Gourmand Meal
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Dinner began with a peach, Parmesan, arugula, and basil salad and a pasta course of cacio e pepe. Guests then chosen between grilled sea bass or beef tenderloin.
After Dinner Drinks
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Guests grabbed espresso drinks served in monogrammed cups on the espresso cart after dinner. “Later inside the night time, we handed sweet and savory snacks: sliders and mini fried hen sandwiches, lemon bars and selfmade chocolate bars.”
A Late-Night Look
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Megan stayed in her wedding ceremony robe all by the reception, nevertheless as all people able to depart the venue, she snuck away to change into an after-party look. “We went to a dive bar in Calistoga after the wedding, so I grew to become a Carolina Herrera white silk minidress with floral beading on the bodice,” she says. She accomplished the look with a floral beaded headband, one remaining nod to her dream yard wedding ceremony. “As so much as potential, plan an event that you simply’re wanting forward to attending,” the bride advises completely different {{couples}}. “Take out the parts that aren’t important to you, or modify traditions so that they be simply best for you. The complete weekend felt truly real on the subject of who we’re as individuals and as a pair.”
Sources
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- Photographer: Rebecca Yale Pictures
- Arrivals: Welcome Dinner: The Structure Oak; Wedding ceremony ceremony Ceremony and Reception: Beaulieu Yard
- Wedding ceremony ceremony Planner and Designer: Bustle Events
- Florals: Amanda Vidmar Floral and Event Design
- Catering: Paula LeDuc Advantageous Catering & Events
- Invitations and Stationery: Aerialist Press
- Calligraphy: Curlicue Designs Calligraphy
- Bridal Gown and Veil: Monique Lhuillier
- Bridal Salon: Blush & Raven Bridal Boutique
- Alterations: Yara the Tailorette
- Bride’s Sneakers: Manolo Blahnik
- Bride’s Hair and Make-up: Group Hair & Make-up
- Groom’s Attire: Atelier Suiting
- Rings: Forest of Jewels
- Music: The Strings by Dart Collective
- Cake: Flour & Bloom
- Leases: Theoni Assortment & BBJ La Tavola
- Transportation: Pure Luxurious Transportation