little winter bride: REAL WEDDING: Kira & Bill (PART I)

Today's real wedding is not only GORG and California dreamy, but it also happens to be extra special, as it is the wedding of my best friend, Kira and her sweet adorbs man, Bill. They live in Mill Valley, CA and over the years have spent quite a bit of time visiting and exploring Napa Valley, a sort of sanctuary spot that has become very special to them. How could it not, it is super magnificent. And how can one go wrong with wine and wellness? So when it came time to choose a location, Napa was the place. And what an event it was! I don't think you can go wrong with Calistoga in September, there's really no better place for an outdoor wedding full of romance, surrounded by magical nature and days filled with sunny perfection. In addition to the locations natural beauty, this wedding was also truly out of this world fun and oozed so much love, both from the lovebirds and guests. It was magic. The wedding was held on a private estate, outdoors on beautiful, enchanting grounds, surrounded by eucalyptus and oak trees draped in Spanish moss (seeing those oaks, felt like I'd been transported to the deep south, so pretty) The property goes on forever, with intertwining pathways that allow you to wander the various gardens, an old ruin, around a pond, to a tranquil swimming pool situated near a vine covered veranda with a huge stone fire place. Not to mention the majestic views of the vineyard next door and the hillside (which by the way, could have easily been the countryside in Italy it's that similar) So much beauty that I’m having a hard time finding the right words to tell you just how pretty the location was. Not only was the venue a storybook setting, the style of the event matched it too perfection! It was so fitting for Kira and Bill: rustic, modern, romantic, whimsy affair with a whole lot of mellow, happy love. It was the grand yet intimate, elegant dinner party, where guests dined and danced under the bistro lights. It was exactly as the couple envisioned, that small fancy feast with friends and family. But what better way to hear about the fine details then from the bride herself, who so kindly wrote about the the big day.

In the bride's own words: "I haven't been planning my wedding since kindergarten. I didn't pick a date based on seasonality of my favorite bloom. And if I'm being really honest, there were several occasions where a quickie ceremony at City Hall was more than just a quirky notion. So when it came time to begin imagining what this wedding was going to be - the only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted it to feel like an intimate dinner party. I'm not one for the spotlight and this was my husband's second marriage, so neither of us felt like a big splashy event suited us. Since moving from New York City to the SF Bay Area five years ago, we had spent a great deal of time in wine country and knew that if we were going to do this, wine country felt most relaxing and special and most importantly, a place we wanted to share with our family and friends. And so the wedding planning commenced."