Perfect Petals
Tucked away in the vineyards of Sonoma Valley are the Dunfillan Ruins at Kunde Estate, kunde.com, a spectacularly secluded spot for a celebration. We worked with California wedding designer Sasha Souza to give this outdoor setting a glamorous vibe, playing up luxe fabrics, rich hues and glittery accents against the winery’s natural elements. The result: a reception that’s both warmly rustic and uncommonly chic. Glass drawer pulls from Anthropologie, anthropologie.com, and beargrass strung with beads add sparkle to this bouquet of Lady’s slipper orchids, calla lilies and Ecuadoran and garden roses, $400, by Leah Lowery for Sasha Souza Events, sashasouzaevents.com. Ribbons from Mokuba, mokubany.com.
In Good Spirits
An ornate, scrolled pattern provided a chic contrast to the stark setting; the design debuted on the invitation, and similar scrolling appeared on menu and escort cards and even the cake. Here, Swarovski crystals adorn this intricately designed, letterpressed, die-cut invitation, $1,524 for 50, by Dauphine Press, dauphinepress.com.
Flower Power
To spotlight the raw beauty of this space, marked by historic stone and wooden structures, we infused it with splashes of fruity hues—cantaloupe, apricot and plum—colors inspired, in part, by the wines produced onsite. We dressed up this arched entryway by adding antique gates, sheer draping and 750 pavé apricot and butterscotch roses. Lining the walkway are a variety of blooms, including Ecuadoran roses, Vanda and cymbidium orchids, hydrangeas and magnolia leaves, prices upon request, by Leah Lowery for Sasha Souza Events, sashasouzaevents.com. Chairs by Classic Party Rentals, classicpartyrentals.com. Chair covers and pads by La Tavola Linen, latavolalinen.com. Orange fabric from Cloth 4 Less, cloth4less.net.
An Oenophile’s Escort
A riddling rack from Napa Style Store, napastyle.com, typically used to age sparkling wine, is used here to dramatically display escort cards, $655 for 50, by Dauphine Press, dauphinepress.com; we hung the cards from copper-painted champagne bottles topped with orchids, by Leah Lowery for Sasha Souza Events, sashasouzaevents.com.
Light Show
We added a formal air with metallic and jeweled touches; and lavish draping, masses of lush flowers and creative lighting (hundreds of votives sprinkled atop tables, crystal chandeliers hanging from above) all helped the decor dazzle. Here, chandeliers above and clear glass vessels on the table allow florals to pop in these centerpieces of Ecuadoran roses, cymbidium orchids, calla lilies, maidenhair ferns and candles, prices upon request, by Leah Lowery for Sasha Souza Events, sashasouzaevents.com. Apothecary jars from Ballard Designs, ballarddesigns.com. All linens by La Tavola Linen, latavolalinen.com. Chandeliers from Got Light?, got-light.com. Fabric draping by Cloth 4 Less, cloth4less.net. Chairs from Classic Party Rentals, classicpartyrentals.com. Lavender by Mountain Rose Herbs, mountainroseherbs.com.
A Grape-Inspired Guestbook
Wine also sparked some of the reception’s smaller accents, in clever, unexpected ways: on this wine stave menu board from JV Wine & Spirits, jvwine.com, we invite friends and family to sign, in lieu of a guest book, a cabernet sauvignon magnum from Kunde Estate, kunde.com.
Fashion Plates
For a stylish setting, we placed a “corseted” letterpressed wine-pairing menu card, $1,584 for 50, by Dauphine Press, dauphinepress.com, atop a hammered metallic charger and tangerine-hued and white leaf–design ceramic dishes, and paired these with textured flatware and opalescent water goblets, all from Classic Party Rentals, classicpartyrentals.com. Wineglasses from Eisch, available at Bed Bath & Beyond, bedbathandbeyond.com. Centerpieces and candles, prices upon request, by Leah Lowery for Sasha Souza Events, sashasouzaevents.com.
An Epicurean Experience
We even gave the cuisine a vineyard vibe, serving sherry-glazed beef and other hors d’oeuvres on wooden planks known as wine staves. And because aroma is a key component of wine, we used subtle scents, such as the delicate perfume of fresh lavender, to give the decor a deeper dimension. Here, a bed of young garlic atop a wine stave is a beautiful backdrop for haute hors d’oeuvres: petite Parmesan pudding on focaccia, filet of beef with Spanish sherry, smoked duck breast on thyme crepe with port and beef kebab with saffron-vanilla cream, all by Francisco Machado for Nine Catering, ninecatering.com. Similar wine staves available on eBay, ebay.com.
Vineyard Vibe
We filled a wine half barrel, by Leah Lowery for Sasha Souza Events, sashasouzaevents.com, with pre-ceremony sips: San Pellegrino Aranciata and Sonoma Sparklers, both from Cost Plus World Market, worldmarket.com.
Refined Sugar
This iridescent pattern proves an elegant take on cake. The confection features two top tiers of gingersnap spice cake filled with crystallized ginger and cinnamon cream cheese and bottom tiers of Café Olé dark chocolate devil’s food cake filled with espresso buttercream and dark chocolate mousse, covered in two-toned apricot-colored fondant and decorated with handmade sugar helleborus flowers, serves 150, $2,400, by Lisa Kincaid of Fleur de Lisa Cakes, fleurdelisacakes.com. Ivy leaf tablecloth by Leah Lowery for Sasha Souza Events, sashasouzaevents.com.
