JANUARY 30TH
Jenny and Sean's romantic garden wedding at Ellas Vineyard was brimming over with colorful florals and lush vines to help liven up the winter landscape. Because Jenny and Sean live locally in San Luis Obispo, they were super involved in the planning process. There was no time to waste as we planned all this in only two months!
The week of their wedding, we had one of the biggest storms of the year, so a tent was a must for the reception. It quickly became a highlight: we transformed the clear tent into a garden atmosphere, with glowing twinkling lights, trailing smilax vines and romantic draping chiffon. I love when we can pull seasonal items in for wedding decorations, and for Jenny and Sean's wedding florals, we used kumquats in her bouquet and set some sliced citrus on the dining tables. Incorporating citrus added great scent and a pop of color!
FIRST LOOK
After a relaxing morning spent in hair and makeup, Jenny met Sean on the porch of the Ellas Vineyard home for their intimate first look.
CEREMONY
The ceremony, held on the lawn with a view of rolling California hills, featured a lush garden arch that framed the newlyweds as they exchanged their vows. During the ceremony, Jenny and Sean shared a special moment of communion together, set on a wine barrel a short distance from the arch. Guests were given brown wax bag stuffed with colorful rose petals, for a petal toss to shower the newlyweds after they said "I do."
COCKTAIL HOUR
While the rest of the guests mingled at cocktail hour, both families and the wedding party stayed behind on the lawn for photos. Jenny and Sean's dog Gracie even made a special appearance! For cocktail hour, the newlywed's drink of choice was whiskey sour—served in a coup, of course.
RECEPTION
Since it was a winter wedding and the vineyard was rustic vines, I knew we needed to budget for fabulous florals, linens, and tableware to make the wedding shine. When I started design for the reception, I knew we needed a clear tent—after all, we wanted the guests to see the beautiful rolling hills, vineyards, and twinkling stars while dining.
To soften the hard lines and industrial feel in the tent, we opted for warm glowing twinkle lights for ambiance, chiffon draping for romance, and lush greenery smilax vines to bring the outdoors in and soften the space. With a few heaters placed around the reception, guests were quite cozy. Outside, we set up fire pits and benches for people to cozy up and enjoy conversation.
DINNER & DANCING
The sweetheart table was especially fun to design. We draped the table with a dramatic linen with lots of texture, surrounded the table with ambient candles and lanterns, and placed a rug in front of the table for an intimate first dance. Despite being in a tent, the vistas behind the sweetheart table made for an epic backdrop!
For the cake cutting, Jenny donned a jean jacket from Untamed Petals for added warmth. The desserts—both the cutting cake and the decorated cupcakes—were all made with love from their friend Grace and were decorated with more of the colorful florals and citrus.
LOVE LETTER FROM THE NEWLYWEDS
"Hire Sam ASAP! I wish we'd hired Sam sooner! Thank goodness our venue recommended her, because once we hired her, the wedding planning process became way less stressful and much more enjoyable. Sam knew everything we needed—from vendors to rental numbers to the day-of timeline and every little detail you could think of. We had a short 3.5 month engagement and the day came together more beautifully than I could've imagined—a lot of it thanks to Sam and her knowledge and experience. She was so kind, professional, and always responded in a timely manner. If you are going to splurge on one thing, splurge on a wedding planner and use Sam!" —Jenny & Sean
THE DREAM TEAM
It was such a dream working alongside this talented team of vendors to bring Jenny and Sean's wedding vision to life:
VENUE: @ellasvineyard
PHOTO: @elliekoleen
VIDEO: @tigerpines
FLORAL: @flowersbykim
MUAH: @nichole.hair + @ambernmartin
TAN: @spacollectiveslo
RENTALS: @allaboutevents
TENT: @gycrentals
DRESS: @moondancebridal
JEAN JACKET: @untamedpetals
CATERING: @danior_catering
DESSERT: Grace from @sallyloos
MUSIC: @chrisbelandmusic @nickisshort
SUIT: @endeavoredthreads
STATIONARY: @mintedweddings
RINGS: @baxtermoerman
It was such an honor to get to be Jenny & Sean's wedding coordinator, but now that they are locals, I get to be their friend too! We have hung out many times—having each other over for dinner or going on walks—and we even had babies one day apart from each other! They brought me a meal in the hospital after I gave birth. I feel very blessed to have met such an amazing couple! <3
xo,
Sam
Blog post by Olivia Cook