I want to become a society lady Rockin' a new rock?!

A stunning warm-hued palette with punchy coral accents shines in Shirley and Jason’s wine country wedding at Cornerstone. No detail was left untouched in the event design by Going Lovely—from the round calligraphy signage Blush Type Design, to the custom wedding crest, to the oversized escort card easel to Twigss Floral Studio‘s incredibly romantic arrangements and accents oat every turn. Fresh, joyful casual elegance radiates throughout the garden ceremony followed by the lantern-lines, round white tent reception. Lucky for us,Lori Paladino Photography was on hand to capture all of smiles and special moments of Shirley and Jason’s big day!

What made the wedding special and unique?

Jason and I LOVE going out to eat and trying new restaurants, so having really good food at our wedding was a big priority for us. We loved our caterer, Sage Catering. They helped us come up with a customized farm to table style menu, which featured many of our favorite foods such as an heirloom tomato and burrata salad, herb crusted hanger steak, pan roasted sea bass, and Bellwether ricotta ravioli.

We also had Hog Island Oyster Co. shuck fresh oysters for our guests during cocktail hour. It was a huge hit and I think that our guests really loved that we didn’t have a typical wedding menu.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

I found my Vera Wang Nisha gown at Glamour Closet in San Francisco. They sell designer samples off the rack, and had a great selection in my size and within my budget.

One of my best friends picked this dress out for me to try on. I had my reservations because it was mermaid cut, strapless, and ivory — I had always pictured myself in a white A-line dress with sleeves — but I was quickly reminded that you don’t always know what you want. It was important to me that my dress fit my personality, and I loved that the front was classic and conservative, while the back — with big bows, tulle, and silk flower details — was unique and fun!

Having a good friend with me who knew my personality and style, who would give me her honest opinion, and who pushed me to take a few risks was so important, especially since this was the first place I went to and I bought my dress that same day!

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

We recently added our puppy, Kingston to our family and one of our ceremony readers recited a passage titled “How Falling In Love Is Like Owning A Dog” by Taylor Mali. It was fun hearing our guests laugh along with us because it really was so relatable!

We love wine, so we knew we wanted to get married in wine country.  For our table numbers, our planner collected wine corks over the course of several months and used them to display our table numbers in brass candlestick holders. I thought that was a fun and pretty way to incorporate our love of wine.

I loved the custom watercolor crest our wedding planner had designed for us. It was incorporated in our invitations, day of signage and stationery, and she even got us customized corn hole boards for the cocktail hour lawn games that we took home as a keepsake and for future entertaining!

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Jason and I hadn’t really talked about our vows before the actual ceremony, so hearing his made me tear up. Wedding planning did not bring the best out of either of us (even though we had a great planner!), so it was special to me that both of our vows described why we love one another and that we both love our differences more than anything else.

Seeing all of our friends and family in one place was also so special! It was very surreal, as a lot of memories would come to mind with each familiar face I saw. More than anything, our wedding reminded me how lucky Jason and I are — we have so many great people in our lives, more now than ever as we’ve combined our makeshift families.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

In true Silicon Valley fashion, Jason and I met online through an app that connects you via mutual friends! We hit it off on our first date, and soon after we were exploring new restaurants, discussing pop culture, traveling, and meeting one another’s friends and family.

Jason proposed in Shanghai during our trip across China. It was very special because he’d arranged for both sets of our parents to be there with us to celebrate before we headed off to Beijing as an engaged couple!

 

Photographer: Lori Paladino Photography // Event Planning: Going Lovely // Floral Design: Twigss Floral Studio // Venue: Cornerstone // Caterer: Sage Catering // Make Up Artist/ Hair Stylist: Beauty by Chau Nguyen // Videographer: Alex Win Studios // Cake Artist: Susie Cakes Marin // DJ: One Final Touch // Beverages: Mills Wine Group // Party Rentals: Bright Event Rentals / Encore Events Rentals // Linen Rentals: La Tavola // Signage: Blush Type Design // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box