Audrey and Justin celebrated their vows at Meadowood Napa Valley and despite the trend of wine country wedding decor skewing rustic, the couple stuck to their love of all-things-modern and designed a glam, backyard wedding. We’re loving the white and gray color palette and the emphasis on clean, modern details like the orchids by Fleurs de France lining the ceremony isle and graphic pendant and chandelier lighting suspended over the family-style dining tables. The couple chose photographer Amanda Wei Photo to capture all the details of their day in these gorgeous images.
What made the wedding special and unique?
Despite the recent trends towards rustic weddings, we decided to stick with what we love and designed a beautifully modern wedding in Wine Country with fine details that represent our joint taste and love for each other.
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
My husband and I decided to search for our wedding attire together so we could hold hands as partners throughout the entire wedding process. I tried on over 30 gowns from different places by countless designers and couldn’t find ‘the one’. Many looked pretty, but they didn’t seem to speak to us. I finally found a small, private studio where a talented designer had the gown that not only looked beautiful, but made me feel like the bride that I wanted to be.
What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?
The lighting features (candles, chandeliers, light pendants, cake backdrop, initial monogram), our first dance, my emerald earrings, and the scented soap wedding favors.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
When we stood in front of all our family and friends, facing each other with our vows, feeling as though it was just the two of us and that’s all that mattered. Seeing our parents enjoy our special day with us.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
Audrey and Justin met each other through mutual friends while both working in San Francisco in 2011. Though they come from seemingly two different worlds, they clicked immediately, in a somewhat awkward way. After spending numerous weekends together, they realized they have more in common than meets the eye, and have become a compatible and complementing match while keeping each other in check. They both love to travel (they’ve visited twelve countries together and continue to add to the list), and have lived on both coasts, spending two years in Manhattan and are now back in the Bay Area.
In July 2014, Audrey and Justin decided to fly to Aruba to celebrate their 3-year anniversary. They enjoyed 5 days of fun – fishing, sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling in a natural pool, driving an ATV around the island, and lounging in the sun. For the last night of the trip, Justin planned a beautiful dinner on the beach to celebrate their official 3-year anniversary.
As the sun was setting, the couple enjoyed their first course with a glass of champagne and was moving onto the second course. At this time, the waitress approaches the table with two bowls of soup. As Audrey is getting ready to taste the dish, she looks down and notices an empty bowl with only one thing – a delicate blue box embellished with a white ribbon. Justin gets down on one knee. To Audrey’s surprise, Justin had been planning this proposal for a long time and was sweating bullets as he carried the ring (without Audrey noticing) through airport security and into a foreign country. What started as their 3-year anniversary trip also became their engagement trip. Good thing Justin had hired a photographer who jumped out at just the right time to capture the moment. And of course, Audrey said ‘yes’.
Audrey & Justin | Meadowood Napa Valley from Reel Eyes on Vimeo.
Photographer: Amanda Wei Photo // Florist: Fleurs de France // Venue: Meadowood Napa Valley // Dress: Bridal Gown Studio // Videographer: Reel Eyes Media // Lighting: Twilight Design // Cake: Studio Cake // Makeup: Imagi by Fiona // Fabric: La Tavola