Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards ~ Sonoma Wedding

Annie and Stephan will go down in history as one of my favorite couples. When they first reached out to me, they didn’t want a “traditional” wedding and instead wanted more of a fun, casual, mix and mingle wedding, without the formality of a seated dinner. They wanted guests to feel relaxed, but also wanted it to be one of the best parties that they have ever attended. They were even considering a private ceremony with just of the two of them prior to guest arrival, but in the end decided to share that moment with their friends and family. We developed a unique timeline, to let guests know right away, that they weren’t in for a traditional wedding. We started off the evening with a cocktail hour. Guests were greeted with glasses of Gloria Ferrer bubbles as the Sharp Five Jazz Quartet played upbeat music. I really, really loved this because so often guests have not seen each other in a long time and they want to say hi, hug and chat. This gave everyone time to mingle and catch up before inviting guests into the wine cave for the ceremony. It also helped to take some of the nerves out of the ceremony for the bride and groom, as they had already greeted their guests before walking down the aisle. Wine cave ceremonies are one of my favorites!! We lit 250 candles in the barrel room, and it set an incredibly romantic scene for the couple to exchange their vows. After the ceremony, we invited the guests up to the Vista Terrace to soak in the sunset views overlooking the vineyards. Park Avenue Catering set up multiple food stations of tacos, sliders, sushi and paella…..far from traditional wedding food. The stations stayed open all night long so guests could eat when hungry, dance in-between bites and have plenty of time to sip on a variety of wines and catch up with old friends. Needless to say, it was a perfect night for all who were lucky enough to attend! Check out these gorgeous photos from Karna Roa of KMR Photography.