A Romantic Backyard Wedding in Wine Country

Meghon & Sam | Napa Valley, California

From the bride: We held our wedding at Sam’s parent’s house in St. Helena, California. Our guests were amazed that a beautiful mountain setting like this existed in the Napa Valley.

THE STYLE

Romantic and nature-inspired with a slate blue and copper color palette.

THE VEIL

I was the second to wear a veil that is being passed down “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” style with my best friends.

THE CEREMONY

The ceremony space was tucked back near the mountain in what used to be a river bed. It is surrounded by hundred-year-old oak trees and the ground is scattered with the most beautiful slivers of obsidian. We knew we wanted our ceremony design to be simple and understated as to not take away from the natural elements.

FAVE MEMORY

Sam’s 91-year-old grandfather is a published author and poet, and he recited a poem he wrote especially for us. It was so special and nearly brought everyone to tears.

THE RECEPTION

The reception took place on the lawn and deck of the backyard. It was the perfect size for our 80 guests.

THE DECOR

We wanted to keep the décor soft and understated so we went with a solid ivory table linen and grey napkins. The florals were light peach, blush, and white to complement the copper chargers.

THE FAVORS

We wanted to give our guests something truly unique to the Napa Valley. A family friend owns Napa Valley Olive Oil Manufacturing, which was founded right in St. Helena, so we knew mini bottles of olive oil would be the perfect gifts for our guests. We included little tags that read “Thank you with olive our hearts”. I’ve been to weddings where dozens of favors get left behind, but we didn’t end up with any extras. They were a huge hit!

THE PLACE CARDS

I had been practicing my hand lettering for months because it was really important to me to make all of the signs and place cards at our wedding. I thought it would be so special to look back and be able to say that I had written them all myself. Our place cards were 2” Carrara marble tiles with guest’s names written in copper ink. It was very tedious, but I’m so happy with how it all turned out!

THE GUEST BOOK

We wanted to do something playful and creative for our guestbook, so we purchased a mini Polaroid camera and let our guests have at it. It was fun looking through all of the photos and notes from our family and friends after the wedding. We even took the camera on our honeymoon to use up the extra film.

THE DESSERT

I knew I wanted something different than traditional wedding cake. We opted for apple and berry pies from a famous local bakery served a la mode. It was the perfect complement to a warm summer night.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

Our favorite part of the reception was the dance floor! Our guests did not leave from the minute it opened to the last song. I’m fairly certain we requested at least eight Drake songs and our DJ played every single one.

ADVICE

The most helpful was asking people what they loved or would have done differently about their own wedding or a wedding they’ve attended. I found that people were incredibly honest and it definitely helped prioritize what was important to us on our big day.

THE WEDDING TEAM

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