Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Real Wedding {Ashley & Dave}: Vintage Estates, Yountville, CA


As a wedding planner, I get to work with some of the most amazing people, creative vendors and at some of the most beautiful places, and when all three elements align for one wedding, that's when wedding magic really happens. That magic I'm referring to is exactly the magic that this enchanting wedding at Vintage Estates in Napa's wine country was made of.

It's apparent that this couple is just absolutely gorgeous. It's also apparent how in love this couple is, but it's very rare to find a couple who's inner beauty rivals their external beauty which shines so brightly in Ashley and Dave. Dave is grounded, genuine and adores Ashley. He truly cared about all the details that went into planning the wedding and provided great value and support during the entire process. Most of all, you could tell how important it was for him that Ashley was happy. Ashley, by far, one of my favorite brides of all time, really is the girl that everyone wants to be best friends with. She's self-deprecating, calm, happy, has great sense of style and really truly makes you feel like you are part of her family. As a couple, they were an absolute dream to work with. After meeting them, you know that their upbringing obviously is a big part of who they are and how they became the incredible people they are. Upon meeting Ashley's parents, I knew instantly where she got her loving, caring and grounded personality, values and physical beauty from.

With that said, this wedding was not themed by an era, a style or a trend, it was much more than that, it was themed by Ashley's Italian heritage and family values that she was brought up with. It was about who she was, who her parents are and what she and Dave were building together - family, style, sophistication, class and overall, a beautiful life.

My favorite quote of the evening came from Ashley's father's welcome speech just before the start of dinner when he said, "When Dave came to ask my permission to marry Ashley, I told him, "I might as well knight you now" since he wanted to take my princess away." It was truly a special moment for any wedding.

The color palette for this affair was white, kiwi green and cobalt blue, but most importantly, the symbolic icon of the wedding was the olive branch. To put the theme in motion, an impressive cocktail hour display was created using imported olive oil in custom bottles with custom labels and tags that acted as escort cards and guest favors nestled in rustic wooden crates. Also, the over sized white dinner chargers on the tablescapes had an olive tree branch impressed on the top which added a beautiful touch.

The event design was all about simplicity, clean lines, perfectly manicured floral treatments and personal touches. Classic Party Rentals did an amazing job with providing beautiful white modern furniture in the form of chaise lounges, couches and ottomans that really made all the floral treatments designed in a spectrum of green and ivory stand out. We also loved the pop of cobalt blue that was provided in the wedding party's attire.

One of my favorite elements in the wedding was the Historic Barrel Room for the dancing reception. Over 400 votive candles were used to create an amazingly romantic glow throughout the brick room and the outdoor lawn that we transformed into a cigar lounge equipped with an espresso bar, cigar bar, cordials bar, photo booth and picture screening slideshow of the couple.

In the end, the bride's mother said it best, "All this is just fluff, it's beautiful fluff, but nothing compares to the beautiful smile on my daughter's face when she walked down the aisle."

As I said before, it was pure wedding magic.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Kurpinsky!










































































Vendor Credits:
Wedding Planning: Simone Lennon, Soiree by Simone
Photography: Enluce Photography
Videography: Alex Keyes, Thomas Hughes Films
Floral Design: Karen Baba, Plan Decor
Ceremony Venue: Mt. La Salle Church, Napa
Reception Venue: Vintage Estates at Villagio Inn & Spa, Yountville
Catering: Villagio Inn & Spa
Reception Music: Denon & Doyle
Cocktail Reception Music: Garden String Quartet
Rentals & Linens: Classic Party Rentals
Cake: Forget Me Nots Bakery
Chocolate Fountain: The Chocolate Curtain