JULY 9th
Set in the natural elegance of CASS Winery, Lauren and Alex's gorgeous wedding was modern but timeless, featuring a classic black-and-white palette with touches of gold. More than anything, the newlyweds wanted their wedding day to convey how much they love each other, and how happy they were that friends and family came from all over to celebrate that love with them!
Their love story began in New York City, when they met on Lauren's first day of work, but it blossomed years later when one day, while showing some of their close friends around Portland, they hiked a mountain to a meadow of wildflowers. While their friends wandered off, Lauren stayed back to snap some pictures. When Alex walked back toward her, she thought he was coming to tell her to hurry up—but he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him, while their friends secretly took pictures of them from across the field!
GETTING READY & FIRST LOOK
In the early afternoon, the couple shared their first look near the vineyard, allowing a few quiet moments together before the rest of their special day began. Speaking of timeless elegance, I absolutely loved the bride's sleek dress, playful bow shoes, and heart glasses—with a furry jacket later in the night to top it all off!
CEREMONY
The ceremony site was lined with arrangements of pampas grass in woven baskets, with sprigs of eucalyptus for a pop of natural color. Lauren's mom and dad both walked her down the aisle, side-by-side, and in the shade of an oak tree, the couple exchanged their vows and started their new life together as newlyweds!
Later, when it came time to snap some wedding party photos, the black-and-white colors of the bridesmaids and groomsmen made a stylish and sophisticated look against the natural backdrop of the vineyard.
RECEPTION
For the reception, we really wanted all the wedding guests to feel connected, as if it were one big family-style dinner around a big table—so we connected all the tables in a big U-shape. This layout allowed everyone to have a great view of the winery landscape, and of the bride and groom! Since Lauren's grandmother's favorite flower was the lily, we incorporated lilies into the floral arrangements as a sweet-scented reminder of her.
LOVE NOTE FROM THE NEWLYWEDS
"Sam and her team at Zest It Up made all our wedding dreams come true! She was there every step of the way and we truly could not have done it without her. She took our loose vision and made it into the reality of our dreams, I would recommend Sam and her team to everyone planning a wedding or event in the area, you will not be disappointed!"
DREAM TEAM
I loved working with Lauren and Alex to bring their vision of a timeless, classic wedding to life! They are actually locals to the SLO area, so it makes it fun to potentially run into them again!
A huge thank you to these amazing vendors:
VENUE: @casswineryweddings
COORDINATION & DESIGN: @zestitup
PHOTO: @oliviajoyphoto
FLORAL: @myrtlebranchfloralco
MUAH: @hairbysammywilliams
DRESS: @epiphanyboutique_slo
RENTALS: @allaboutevents
PHOTOBOOTH: @CentralCoastBooth
BAR: @bottles.and.ice
CATERING: @cass_winery
DESSERT: @cass_winery
MUSIC: @chrisbelandmusic @modernsymphonydj
SHUTTLE: @slosaferide
xo,
Sam
Blog post by Olivia Cook