Mindy and Brian tied the knot at their destination wedding at the Kenwood Inn and Spa in Sonoma, CA. With beautiful wine country as the backdrop to their nuptials, this darling couples and their nearest and dearest loved ones celebrated at an intimate event with lots of personal details and local touches. Mindy shared with us a bit about their day. “We knew we wanted our wedding to be small (close friends and family), fun, and stress-free. We kept saying that we wanted people to feel like they were on vacation. One night we sat down and started talking about places that we’d like to go to on vacation. We had always wanted to go to California’s wine country, but hadn’t been. We looked at each other and said “Napa?” We did some research and fell in love with Kenwood, CA. That’s how it started…”
During the ceremony, the couple recited a few words of their own. “The ‘bride’ and ‘groom’ books were our vow books. We each wrote our own vows and read them from the books during the ceremony.”
“My favorite moment of the day was the ceremony. We had written our own vows and hadn’t shared them with one another (or anyone for that matter). I think I was most excited to hear what Brian had written. We had one of our good friends perform the ceremony. It was so special and so personal. It was perfect!”
“For the guest book, we didn’t want something “typical” or something that we would put away and never look at again. I came across the idea of a dictionary guest book online. Brian (my husband) and I went to a small bookstore near campus (we both work at Clemson University) and found vintage dictionaries and thesauruses. I think we bought 4 (for a total of like $10). We put them out during the cocktail hour and asked guests to circle a word that reminded them of our day and to leave a note with their signature. We have the books out on a shelf in our living room and look at them from time to time.” What a great idea! Though that’s a lot of dictionary reading to find all your loved ones’ notes!
“For the décor, we wanted colors that were very simple and clean. We chose a neutral palette with light pink, blush, cream, and gold/silver metallic. Overall, we wanted to keep the feeling soft and romantic, which I think is reflected in the billowing peonies and the ruffled layered cake.”
“The lavender details actually didn’t happen until we were in California. On Wednesday, two days before our wedding, we took a wine trolley tour with our friends and family. At the last vineyard, in one of the tasting rooms, there were piles of dried lavender. I made a comment about the lovely smell and the lady facilitating the tasting told me to take as much as I’d like. I took one bushel and thought about how to incorporate the lavender into our wedding. During our walk through at Kenwood Inn and Spa on Thursday, we decided that the lavender would be a nice addition to the place settings.”
No matter how small this gathering may have been, clearly a party was created for all in attendance!
Pink cotton candy and sparklers helped send the newlyweds and guests off with a bang!
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Beautiful Day Photography
Wedding Vendors: Wedding Location: Kenwood Inn and Spa, Ceremony/Reception Music: Taylor Brown, Hair/Makeup: The Powder Room, Wedding Coordination: Honey Darling Events, Flowers: The Monkey Flower Group, Event Rentals: Wine Country Party & Events, Cake/Favors: Sweet on Cake, Cotton Candy Favors: Pinky’s, Invitations: Sophia Invitations and Prints
So pretty – loved working with this sweet couple! Thank you for featuring, Harmony and Laura. You are all fabulous! XXOO, Maura Scarmack