Rustic California Vineyard Wedding
Hannah and Joe's Rustic California Vineyard Wedding
With a neutral color palette and a lush green vineyard backdrop, Hannah and Joe's rustic Northern California wedding was the epitome of simple elegance. Bride Hannah gives us insight into her wedding vision:
The vision
"Although we didn't have a concrete theme for our wedding, we wanted the feel to be simple, rustic, and elegant. We knew immediately that we wanted our wedding to be at a winery for it best represented us as a couple. First, we decided on Wente Vineyards for its beautiful lawn terrace surrounded by vineyards. Joe is also a close friend of Karl Wente (the head winemaker at Wente) and we hired his outlaw country band to play during cocktail hour. Our venue provided the perfect aesthetic, comfort, and functionality we were looking for. Since the greenery of Wente was so stunning, I decided to keep the color palette very neutral with white flowers and champagne-colored bridesmaid dresses.
Almost all of our decor was handmade and designed to have a rustic and chic feel to it. My sister handwrote all of our chalkboard signs, which were scrap pieces of wood painted with chalkboard paint; my mother and my aunt folded 1,000 paper cranes for the ceremony (a Japanese wedding tradition believed to bring good luck to the newlyweds); and we used recycled wine and vodka bottles as vases and to display table assignments. Our handmade decorations, live music, and reception under market lights created the romantic and laid-back feel we were trying to create."
Favorite moment
"Our favorite moment of the wedding was right after the ceremony as we walked down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Harden. As we exited the aisle and headed behind the gate separating us from our guests, we had a few seconds to ourselves to take in the ceremony and let our emotions go. Our bridal party was right behind us and it was a massive exchange of hugs, tears, and 'cheers' as we all celebrated together. With the nerves of the ceremony over, we had the rest of the night to enjoy the good food, wine, and company. Joe and I had never felt so much love in that moment for each other, for our beautiful bridesmaids and groomsmen, and for our family."
Advice for other brides
What would Hannah tell other brides about the big day? "Enjoy every moment of it! Your engagement, no matter how long or short, will fly by quickly so make sure you embrace every part of it. Although weddings can be very overwhelming, keep in mind this is a time of celebration for you and your husband-to-be. Weddings are often very stressful as you try to sort through the logistics and try to accommodate others, but remember that this is your day and your guests will be thrilled to celebrate with you."
She added another big tip to remember: "Secondly, be flexible! There are hundreds of moving parts when putting together a wedding and something will go wrong. When this happens, be able to acknowledge the problem, find a solution, and move on. This time in your engagement is too short to dwell on the problems that will come up. Although there were small bumps in the road during our planning process, we were so thrilled to be married in a beautiful setting surrounded by our closest friends that any previous problems were quickly forgotten."
See all the photos now!
Photos by Clane Gessel Photography
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