Cherry Blossoms Wedding in the Wine Country

We work with clients from all over the world that dreams of getting married in Napa Valley. It really is such a gem up there, and I have to remind myself often not to take it for granted that we're just a short drive away from one of the most beautiful destinations in the world!

Christine and Oskar lives in Hong Kong but reached out to us to plan a memorable wedding weekend for 80 of their friends and family from Hong Kong, Sweden, New York, and other parts of the world. One of the best parts about the occasion of a wedding truly is its ability to bring all your loved ones together in one place! Our team was super excited to take Christine and Oskar's vision of a fun, cozy, and comfortable wedding and to turn it into a reality with beautiful and personalized details.

Christine loves blossoms and envisioned an outdoor wedding with a vineyard view. The challenge wasn't in finding the right venue for them. It was to find a venue that could still offer this even if we had to move to a rain plan at the last minute, because the only month that Christine and Oskar could wed was February. With El Nino in the forecast, we had to make sure to find a place where we could erect a clear tent outside to still give a lovely vineyard view even in a downpour, which was our worst case scenario. Auberge du Soleil, nestled in the hills of Rutherford, won the hearts of our clients.

As planners, we're used to scheming up contingency plans. We often have Plan B, C, and even D in place depending on the venue. Such was the case with Christine and Oskar's wedding, but to everyone's delight, their wedding day fell on one of the warmest, and most pleasant days of that month. How lucky was our couple?! 

The wedding weekend began with a welcome dinner for everyone, at a "secret location", as stated on the invites. We shuttled all 80 guests from their respective hotels to the secret location, which was the breathtaking Ram's Gate Winery in Sonoma Valley.

We love arriving on the morning of the wedding day to find our brides relaxed and joyful, and those were the exact words to describe Christine when we saw her in her suite at Auberge. She had enjoyed a nice workout in the morning and was watching her bridesmaids get their makeup and hair done in the suite before it was her turn. Upon arrival, our hospitality team arranged for room service to bring some high protein food for the ladies to give them enough energy for the day, and helped to style everyone's dresses, shoes, and accessories for Kevin Chin to photograph. If you ever wonder what our hospitality team does on the wedding day, you can view this behind the scenes Snapchat video on our Facebook page! 

Christine picked the most feminine and gorgeous dress by Monique Lhuillier, with just the slightest hint of blush. Even before she put the dress on, she looked absolutely radiant!

She chose to have her bridesmaids and her mother present to help her get into her dress....one of the more sentimental moments of the wedding day because as soon as you see yourself in the mirror with the dress on, it all becomes very real!

Auberge is a vast property full of picturesque areas, and Christine chose to have her first look with Oskar in the quaint and quiet olive grove. The moment was simple, yet romantic, just the way they envisioned it to be...

The wedding ceremony was held on the terrace of Auberge, and we created a design that was romantic and lush, full of blooming branches, birch, hydrangeas, garden roses, succulents, moss, and jasmine vines. Some key words we used as inspiration for this wedding were:

Classic modern organic glam

Clean modern vintage

Refined and polished with some hints of whimsy

Simple and understated

Dreamy and ethereal 

Swanky soiree

For colors, we used shades of blush pink and white with neutral tones like warm greys and browns. We played with modern vessels such as cement while focusing on really lush, asymmetrical arrangements to make it classic modern. The results were stunning!

The ring bearers held mini wooden stumps with tiny blooms and jasmine vines spilling out. For their custom stationery, we used a combination of gold foil and laser cut methods to create an intricate design with scallop edges, lace details, and gold accents. 

During cocktail hour, guests were surrounded by beautiful fountains and decor as they enjoyed a spectacular panoramic view of the valley and vineyards, with cocktails and hors d'oeurves by Auberge's Michelin-star restaurant. In lieu of signing a guest book, guests were encouraged to write down their well wishes and best marriage advice for the couple. We designed custom wine bottles for the notes to be dropped into, each one representing a marriage anniversary in which Christine and Oskar would break the bottle to read the notes.

When dinner was ready, guests found their seats from a large custom wooden board that had everyone's names and table numbers beautifully calligraphed in white script.

Dinner was held in Auberge's Vista I. and II. rooms, and we made sure that the design was a continuation of the gorgeousness that the guests already experienced from ceremony and cocktail hour. Long Queens' tables were filled with tall blooming branches, flanked by smaller, modern asymmetrical arrangements. Classic taper candles made the entire room glow, and the rustic-feel of the room itself was completely softened up by white, chiffon fabric all around. 

The menus were a circular die cut menu with lace scalloped edges. The front side had each guest's name calligraphed in gold while the back was a description of the dinner menu, printed in gold foil. 

It is part of the Swedish tradition to have a continuation of toasts during dinner, and that was exactly what we did. Christine's brother was the "Toast Master" and over the course of the 2 hour dinner, he introduced a number of friends and family members that got up to tell stories about the couple and to toast to their new beginnings.

During the wedding planning process, Christine had conveyed to us her desire to create a wow factor at the wedding, and wanted advice on where and when that wow factor should take place. After some collaboration on ideas, we decided that the the dessert bar that Christine and Oskar wanted would be an excellent place to play it up. Auberge's Cedar Room was right across from Vista I. and II. It was a circular room with a thick, large wooden pillar right in the center. When our Creative Director, Gloria Wong, walked into the room during an initial site visit, she immediately saw it as a giant tree. She proposed several really fun, unique ideas and Christine chose her favorite--to use the wooden pillar as a focal point, making it look like a partial snapshot of a tree, filled with white and blush wispy flowers draping from the ceiling. We would scatter cement pedestals and wooden stumps in various heights around the room where the different desserts would be presented. And ofcourse, such an extraordinary dessert room couldn't house just one wedding cake, so we designed 3 different cakes! 

It definitely took a village to transform the Cedar Room that day, but we definitely achieved the wow factor for guests! 

Besides the sumptuous desserts, one of the biggest hit of the evening was the floral wall that acted as the photobooth backdrop, which filled the room up with the most amazing floral scent! 

As mentioned earlier, it truly took a village to produce this wedding, and we're immensely grateful for the teamwork that it took to make it happen for our clients!

Event Design, Planning + Production: Jubilee Lau Events

Venue + Catering: Auberge Du Soleil

Floral Design: Cherries

Photography: Kevin Chin Photo + Cinema

Cinematography: Kevin Chin Photo + Cinema

Lighting + Draping: Impact Lighting

Wedding Cakes: Sweet on Cake

Photobooth: Giggle & Riot

Cake Stands: Francis Lane

Stationery: Aerialist Press

Calligraphy: Curlicue Calligraphy

Makeup + Hair: Jane Kim

Transportation: Pure Luxury Transportation

Ceremony Chairs: Blueprint Studio

Specialty Furniture: One True Love

Tabletop Furniture: Classic Party Rentals

Linens: La Tavola Fine Linens

Votives: Theoni Collection

String Quartet + Live Band: Bay Music Entertainment

All photos above by Kevin Chin Photo + Cinema.

Cheers,

KAREN + ORSON'S WEDDING AT BLACK SWAN LAKE

When Karen and Orson first shared their wedding vision with me, it was clear that a wine country wedding was where their hearts were. They were an incredibly laid-back, fun-loving couple with a sense of humor, so we wanted to plan and design not only a gorgeous wedding for them, but one that would be reflective of their personalities and their desire to bring their closest friends and families together for an amazing celebration! 

Though Karen and Orson loved the idea of a wine country wedding, they wanted to find a venue that felt both private and special. I narrowed the list down to just 2 places for them to visit, and as soon as they stepped foot onto the property of Black Swan Lake, a private estate in Calistoga, they knew they had found "the one."

With a wedding date and wedding venue secured, we were ready and excited to begin the rest of the planning. They envisioned a whimsical and festive event that felt classy, yet cozy. Karen loved the idea of a fresh summer color palette with pops of bright here and there, balanced with muted neutrals. This worked out beautifully within the natural setting of Black Swan Lake.

Being big foodies and wine connoisseurs,  the wedding menu was a top priority for Karen and Orson. We brought in Paula Le Duc Fine Catering to devise an amazing, custom menu with them that included some Asian-inspired hors d'oeurves like peking duck bites, an oyster bar for the cocktail hour, and a sumptuous 3 course menu followed by a dessert station, passed ice cream cones, and mini ramen bowls + mini bubble milk tea shots as late night snacks. To add a personal touch, Karen's family shipped over cases of red wine from their family vineyard in France--a deep, rich Chateau Haut Brisson, St. Emilion 2009 that paired wonderfully with the duck confit entree.

Over the course of 13 months, we worked meticulously to plan every aspect of Karen and Orson's wedding. We love working at private estates, but it does require quite a bit of logistical planning. For one, we were not allowed to disclose the venue's address to any guests, so everyone would have to be shuttled in and out of the property. Fortunately, our team is quite the experts when it comes to logistics and production, so we loved the challenge! Gloria and the design team conceptualized a number of brilliant ideas to bring Karen and Orson's vision to live, and we were all extremely excited to see everything come together on their big day.

On the morning of the wedding, we arranged for a luxurious SUV to bring Karen and the ladies from a nearby hotel to Black Swan Lake, where they enjoyed a relaxing morning in the guest house taking turns to have their makeup and hair done by JBeautique's team.

Karen and Orson's first look took place in the shade, under a weeping willow tree next to the lake. Can't really get more romantic than that!

Thirty minutes prior to the ceremony start time, the shuttle buses began arriving with guests. We staggered the arrival time for each bus to prevent a bottleneck at the entryway, which allowed guests to take their time in absorbing the magnificent view in front of them upon their arrival. They picked up their programs and snapped lots of photos while Paula Le Duc's bistro-attired staff tray passed a refreshing minted ice tea drink to welcome each person.

The short, but sweet, ceremony was officiated by one of Karen's best friends. Once pronounced husband and wife, the giddy couple recessed down the aisle as guests tossed small rosemary sprigs on them to celebrate.

The cocktail hour was where we really played things up to make it cozy and comfortable while maintaining the classiness of the overall wedding. In addition to cocktail tables and some vintage furniture for guest seating, we laid down a variety of large, colorful rugs and pillows underneath the weeping willows for guests to truly kick back and relax.

Karen, a collector of cookware and cookbooks, loves to make elaborate meals herself, so we thought it'd be fun to create a small "marketplace" with an assortment of cookware for guests to take home. To ensure that they had something to hold all the goodies, we made escort "totes" in lieu of escort cards, hand-calligraphed by the talented Bianca of Little Miss Press.

After the cocktail hour, we led guests up a short path amongst the vineyards to the dinner area. Long wooden tables with natural linen runners lined up underneath hanging votives, next to the estate pool. Bright, colorful arrangements adorned each dining table, and to encourage a sense of community, guests passed around a menu that was calligraphed on a slate chalkboard. 

As guests dined al fresco, Karen and Orson sneaked away for some gorgeous sunset shots by the vineyards, in one of the vintage cars from the owners of the property.

That evening, guests rocked the dance floor to the performance of live band Big City Revue, while continuing to feast on desserts, cake, and late night snacks. A Photo Booth was available with colorful wigs and googly glasses amongst other fun props for guests to goof around in, and it was such a fantastic party that nearly every guest stayed until the very end!

Immense gratitude to an amazing team who supported us greatly to make this event as beautiful and successful as it was.....

Event Planning + Production: Jubilee Lau Events
Event Design + Styling: Gloria Wong Design
Venue: Private Estate (aka: Black Swan Lake)
Catering: Paula Le Duc Fine Catering
Floral Design: Cherries
Photography: Lisa Lefkowitz Photography
Lighting: Got Light
Calligraphy: Little Miss Press
Paper Goods: Good on Paper
Makeup/Hair: JBeautique
String Quartet: Eloquence String via Bay Music
Band: Big City Revue via Bay Music
Cake: Studio Cake
Transportation: Pure Luxury
Dining Chairs: Blueprint Studio
Linens and Napkins: La Tavola
Ceremony Chairs: Hartmann Studio
Tabletop Rentals and Dining Tables: Classic Party Rentals (Napa)
Vintage Furniture: One True Love
Photo Booth: Snap Yourself!
Cabanas and Iron Lanterns: Wine Country Party Rentals