jessica & jeff – 10.06.09 {part 1}

It’s HERE!!  I’m delighted to finally share the ultra-fabulous wedding of Jessica Claire & Jeff with all of you!  A million thanks to Abby @ Style Me Pretty, who is featuring the wedding today, and the incomparable Jose Villa for his amazing photography.  I love working with Jose and his images always transport me straight back to the wedding day, feeling and experiencing every moment a 2nd time.  Adore him!  Although this entry began as a MEGA post, I quickly realized you just *can’t* do 100+ images at once.  I’d overwhelm you all with too much beauty!!  Instead, let’s savor this wedding, chock full of delightful details and whimsical touches, in a two-part series.  🙂  Truly, this wedding one I will never, ever forget.  ❤  Enjoy!!!

When Jessica came to me early this year for help planning her fall wedding to Jeff, I was thrilled.  (And flattered, jumping-up-and-down-excited, instantly buzzing with inspiration, etc… LOL)  Jessica is a wonderful friend as well as a peer in the industry, so I was delighted to come on board in putting together what I knew would be an incredible event.  Jessica sees weddings day in and day out, and has photographed some of the most amazing weddings to date.  For this reason we knew that her wedding day had to be extremely unique and special, and a true reflection of her personal style and sensibilities.  She and then-fiancé Jeff sent me an inspiration board that was at once dramatic and whimsical, charming and rustic.  Jessica wanted rich, saturated colors, vintage-inspired details and a true feast for the eyes with over the top details, luscious florals and one-of-a-kind décor.  Once the awe-inspiring Napa Valley venue, 3 Stones, was locked in, the design just poured out.  It was like a flood of inspiration that kept running down until the day itself!

While I was the wedding planner on this event, the design side of the wedding was a collaboration between me and event stylist Kabrel Polak (kabrel@me.com).  She and I spent hours upon hours together creating each and every detail, going over the way guest’s would experience the day, ensuring that every.single.moment. would be accompanied by some stunning visual and sensory experience.  She and I could not have been more thrilled, overwhelmed, moved and affected by the final outcome.  It was incredible……  Recurring design elements and motifs included locks and keys, branches, velvet and burlap, vintage timepieces and cameras, jeweled bugs and tea-stained stationery.  Every single piece of furniture and décor had a sense of history to it – there was the feeling that each treasured item had been carefully picked out of an amazing vintage estate.  These photos by Jose are absolutely breathtaking and actually brought me to tears.  Our incredible vendor team pulled together an intensely styled event and the wedding is instantly one of my all-time favorites!

Anticipation

Crackled copper leather Louboutins!!!  If you know Jess, you wouldn’t expect anything else from this shoe-lover!

my absolute fave pic of jess from that day.  STUNNING.

my.favorite.bouquet.EVER.  this delicious, luscious, wild and slightly crazy bouquet is the stuff dreams are made of.  Gilly outdid himself!

bouts featuring wheat, fiddle ferns, acorns, craspedia (aka billy balls), celosia (aka cockscomb) and hypericum berries.  i loved the nubby yarn adorning these unique lapel adornments…

adoooooored the flower girl outfits.  not gonna lie — i’d wear it.  haha

The bridesmaids wore a unique mix of dresses in various textures and colors that complemented the look of the day.

the dapper groom!

The men wore ensembles that included suspenders and vests… a stylish nod to a bygone era.

Welcome Area…

Guests arrived to 3 Stones through a covered trellis leading into a welcoming courtyard.  A refreshing beverage station greeted guests with southern sweet tea, French pomegranate juice and sparkling berry lemonades, served with twisty straws and fresh fruit garnish.  An old library filing cabinet (an incredible find we discovered at a salvage yard!) was dressed with tufts of moss and floral accents, as well as fresh fruit for ‘picking’ as a pre-ceremony treat.  When the ceremony was about to begin, guests were ushered as a group to the site.  Along the winding path to the ceremony, guests encountered such conversation pieces as a 6’ wrought iron bird cage (another salvage yard treasure!) filled with florals resembling a majestic bird and its plumage.

Ceremony….

The ceremony was held in a beautiful clearing overlooking a lake and the rolling vineyards at 3 Stones.  Florist Neil Gilly of Gilly Flowers created an incredible “outdoor chapel” by defining the space using a series of vintage windows, embellished with lush sprays of branches, leaves and florals in autumnal shades.  Scraps of an old wooden fence lined the back of the ceremony space, and antique locks were strung on lengths of velvet ribbon along various posts for a whimsical touch.  A series of Persian rugs lined the aisle leading up to another dramatic window display.  For guest seating, we used mis-matched wooden chairs (half of which came from an abandoned 1940’s schoolhouse) dressed with turquoise dupioni sashes and vintage brooches, mixed in with mini vignettes of vintage furniture.  Stacks of vintage luggage and antique trunks, overflowing with florals, were also featured throughout the seating area.  Many of these pieces came directly from the personal collection of Jessica’s cousin, event stylist Kabrel Polak (kabrel@me.com).

Cocktail Hour…

Cocktail hour took place under an immense tree with a canopy that almost formed a natural tent.  Golden chandeliers were nestled among the branches for soft light.  Guests noshed on delicious gourmet bites, courtesy of Alex’s Catering, but the highlight of the cocktail hour was a Dwelly Farms Heirloom Tomato Exhibition Bar.  A staff chef was there to slice fresh heirloom tomatoes and dress them with the guest’s choice of oils, balsamic vinegars, artisan sea salts and cheeses, as well as freshly-snipped herbs!  They even put out brioche rolls and crispy pancetta for those who wanted to make a mini-BLT!  It was a fabulous display.  Seating was dispersed among more mini vignettes with fabulous tufted armchairs and low wooden coffee tables, as well as linen-covered cocktail tables with bar stools.  Vintage timepieces swayed in the breeze, suspended from tree branches with lengths of oatmeal-textured twill tape.  A collection of vintage cameras and family portraits, along with unexpected groupings of unique blooms and foliage, adorned tabletops in this area.

Stay tuned for part 2 this afternoon, which will cover the reception & our mega vendor list!  And make sure to swing by Jessica and Jose‘s blogs for their POV posts!  Style Me Pretty will continue to post up eye candy from the wedding all day.  What  fabulous day!!!!!  I am positively giddy to share this with you! xoxo, Angel