JANUARY 8TH, 2022
For their winter wedding at Villa Loriana, Sabrina and Kurt wanted to create a beautiful, fun day for their family and friends to enjoy. They chose a classic formal winter color palette of emerald green, mustard golden hues, ivory and natural wood and greenery to highlight the outdoor venue. Villa Loriana is a lush and evergreen venue year round, so when we saw the flowing waterfalls, cobblestone pathways, bridges, and on-site creek we knew it would be the perfect setting to host an "off season" garden wedding. Plus the landscape architect in me was pretty giddy to have such a magical outdoor setting in January.
Kurt and Sabrina both attended Cal Poly, but they didn't meet until after they'd both graduated and begun working in the Bay area. They became friends first and started dating several months later, and have now been together for five years. One day last January, they decided to go on a day trip to do some cross-country skiing in the mountains near Lake Tahoe. When they stopped at one of the lookout spots to enjoy the view, Kurt pulled the ring out and popped the question!
FIRST LOOK
CEREMONY
When guests arrived, they were greeted with a celebratory splash of champagne that was tray-passed by Copper & Crystal. The welcome table was dressed in an emerald green linen and decorated with an embellished gold mirror and some vintage touches (taper candlesticks and vintage books) to embrace the winter vibes. The path up to the ceremony site was lined with lush greenery and glowing pillar candles.
COCKTAIL HOUR
After heartfelt vows at ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the paved patio with a full bar and delicious tray-passed appetizers by Field to Table catering while they took in all the beautiful scenery around them.
RECEPTION
When the time came for dinner, guests moved down the candle-lit steps to find their name hand-scribed on a large embellished mirror—a grand and beautiful statement. Inside the stunning reception hall, each table was pristinely arranged with glittering glasses, glowing candlelight, and lavish floral arrangements. Each velvet name tag, placed on the guest's seat, corresponded with their meal order for effortless dinner service.
As favors, the couple bottled their very own homemade Amaretto, a sweet Italian liqueur, as a nod to their Italian heritage. They also included the classic favor of five Jordan almonds—at traditional Italian weddings, five Jordan almonds signify five wishes for the couple: health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity. I loved this moment to carry on a simple but heartfelt tradition. In addition to these, guests also enjoyed homemade scones to grab for the morning after.
DINNER & DANCING
While guests enjoyed conversation and cozied in for the night, plated meals came out, with the first course being tomato basil soup! Meanwhile, The Class Band kept guests warm as they danced to fun upbeat covers all night long.
Dessert was from the infamous Madonna Inn—but not your standard pink champagne cake! Instead, the couple opted for their favorite: carrot cake. The cutting cake was delicious, but the real "surprise" was the fresh steaming donuts being served outside from Crave donut truck. Guests were spoiled as they savored these treats and then meandered over to the coffee cart from Lucy's, where their very own barista served up every hot beverage they could think of.
LOVE LETTER FROM THE NEWLYWEDS
Sam and Zest It Up helped us plan and coordinate the most perfect wedding day! Our wedding was everything we could have asked for and more! The wedding was absolutely beautiful and everything went perfectly that day and all our guests had the best time. Sam's guidance on which vendors to work with and design details made all the difference! Her management of all the details and vendors was great and I knew I didn't have to worry about anything. As we got thrown a few last minute curve balls days before the wedding, I so appreciate her handling [everything] so calmly and quickly that I didn't even have time to panic! It was so great working with Sam this past year to plan our wedding and I cannot thank her enough for everything, it was truly perfect and we could not have asked for anything more! —Sabrina & Kurt
THE DREAM TEAM
A special thanks to all these talented vendors who collaborated to make Sabrina and Kurt's wedding day absolutely magical from start to finish!
VENUE: @villaloriana.slo
DESIGN & COORDINATION: @zestitup
PHOTO: @masonandmegan
FLORAL: @flowersbydenise
MUAH: @thequeensbees
RENTALS: @allaboutevents
VINTAGE RENTALS: @embellishvintagerentals
CALLIGRAPHY: @scriptandsoul
CATERING: @fieldtotableevents
DESSERT: @madonnainn1958, @craveminidonuts
MUSIC: @theclassband
BAR & COFFEE: @copperandcrystal , @lucyscoffeeco
OFFICIANT: @olivetreeofficiating
xo,
Sam
Blog post by Olivia Cook