OCTOBER 30, 2021
Jim and Dawn's timeless wedding at Ellas Vineyard was simple and elegant, featuring colorful lush florals and subtle touches to celebrate their cultural heritage. Ellas Vineyard was the perfect venue for this couple, not only because they are wine connoisseurs, but because the intimate venue allowed them to celebrate for an entire weekend and really soak in family time.
Their love story began in the early days of college when they were introduced by a mutual friend. Jim was smitten immediately, and on their first date, he tried to impress Dawn by cooking an elaborate meal, but he ended up burning the chicken and setting off the fire alarm. Dawn was not impressed...the second date was six months later, but as time went on, they struck up a deep and lasting friendship that became a budding romance.
When Jim planned his proposal to Dawn, he arranged for the photographers to meet them on a secluded beach in Hawaii. When Jim and Dawn arrived at the beach, the photographers asked Dawn to pose for them so they could "test the lighting." When Jim got down on one knee, Dawn was so surprised she asked him if he'd dropped something!
CEREMONY
The ceremony was held on the upper lawn, with colorful floral arrangements framing the aisle and highlighting the wooden arch. Jim and Dawn wanted to emphasize their heritage as well as gratefulness for each other and for their family and friends, so they incorporated a special tea ceremony to perform together.
COCKTAIL HOUR
When the ceremony was finished, guests were welcomed to enjoy cocktail hour, which featured picture-perfect lounge areas, created with rentals from Scout Rental Company. Guests sipped on craft cocktails from local YES! Cocktails while taking in the views and playing lawn games. Another highlight of the wedding day was a tea cup escort display to help guests locate their seats. Each of the hand-painted tea cup escorts doubled as a take-home favor!
RECEPTION
To Jim and Dawn, one of the most important aspects of the wedding day that they wanted to emphasize was their gratefulness for family and friends. To cultivate joy and presence, they wanted to create an intimate, family-dinner feeling in their reception. They chose to serve dinner family-style, with platters of food passed around the table, to encourage guests to connect over the meal.
SWEETHEART TABLE
Their sweetheart table, placed at the head of the reception tables, was decorated with glowing candles and colorful, abundant floral arrangements alongside a romantic floral linen. The outdoor reception served as a beautiful day-to-night transformation with the breathtaking sunset and bright bistro lights illuminating the backyard.
LOVE LETTER FROM THE NEWLYWEDS
"Sam made us feel incredibly comfortable and supported us, from our very first zoom call to the dessert and flowers she left us in our room after the wedding night. She's the whole package, a keen eye for details and design (e.g. menus came out beautiful with sprigs of rosemary from her garden), incredibly organized (e.g. juggled 5 parallel threads with vendors during the last couple of weeks) and a warm, generous, awesome human. We went from initial skepticism of whether we needed a wedding planner at all, to regretting not going up to the Central Coast more to spend time with Sam. We recommend Sam without any reservations!" - Dawn & Jim
THE DREAM TEAM
A special thanks to the talented team that worked together to create Jim and Dawn's special day, down to the last perfect detail:
VENUE: @ellasvineyard
PHOTO: @ambermcgaugheyphoto
FLORALS: @brookeedelmanfloral
DRAPING: @flowersbykim
HAIR: @thequeensbees
RENTALS: @allaboutevents
CATERING: @haute_skillet
DESSERT: @bris_sweet_retreat
MUSIC: @modernsymphonydj
LOUNGE: @scout_rental_co
Jim and Dawn were such a joy to work alongside in planning, they truly were a team and I loved getting to see their partnership start in planning their perfect day- I can only imagine how far this is going to take them in their marriage! 🤍
xo,
Sam
Blog post by Olivia Cook