Real Weddings:

Emily and Matt’s wedding in Wine Country

Catie Coyle Photography

San Francisco couple Emily and Matt brought all the people they love together in wine country to share in the joy of their wedding day. Their goal to “enjoy the scenery, food and wine of beautiful California wine country” was achieved with the help of Rue 29 Napa Valley and a simple aesthetic highlighting the stunning backdrop at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch. Florals are by EV Floral, the groom designed the invitations and event paper and Catie Coyle Photography was on hand to capture all the love.

What made the wedding special and unique?

When asked what we wanted our wedding to be, we really wanted people we loved to join us in wine country to celebrate a wedding weekend in one of our favorite locations. Wine country is where we go to relax and we wanted to share that with all of our guests. The goal was to enjoy the scenery, food and wine of beautiful California wine country. We got married in late October on a warm Friday evening, following the Napa Valley fires. Until the week before our wedding date, we weren’t sure if we would be able to stay in Calistoga or get married in St. Helena. We were so lucky and thankful that our venue and accommodations (for the most part) were still standing. We were blessed to be able to have our guests come to wine country following such devastation, hopefully bringing life back to the area.

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

Every girl dreams of the day they find their wedding dress, I was no different. Though I had a harder time making a decision. I knew I wanted something “me.” My three words I used to describe the dress I wanted were romantic, classic and structured. I found my grown at Amy Kuschel in San Francisco. I was hoping to find a dress by a San Francisco designer and was glad when I fell in love with the simple elegance of “Sugar.” I was with my mom and two bridesmaids when I first tried it on, but later came back by myself to make the final decision. Being shorter (5 feet 1 inch) it is hard to visualize yourself in dresses that you try on and are way too long and sometimes the wrong size. Once I made the decision on the dress I added buttons down the back.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

We wanted our wedding to be intimate and personal, with things that represented us as a couple. Matt designed our wedding invitations and the menus that were on each person’s plate as they sat down. The most personal part of our wedding was that we wrote our own ceremony, and Matt’s father married us, which was very special.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Don’t know if I could pick just one. Having everyone you love in one place is very humbling. After 7 years together being able to say our vows in front of our family and friends was the best gift anyone could ever ask for. The backdrop and stage for our first dance is an image we both remember. Getting time together dancing and laughing was pretty memorable.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Matt and I met in college. He transferred to University of Colorado his sophomore year and was high school friends with two of my sorority sisters’ boyfriends. We hung out in the same circles and saw each other often. After graduation Matt moved to Chicago and I moved to San Francisco, it wasn’t until years later when he moved to San Francisco that we reconnected. We started dating and 7 years later we got engaged. We went up to wine country for a weekend away and had a relaxing time. While sitting by the pool waiting for our massages we were sipping champagne and he pulled out a jewelry box. Matt has a great sense of humor and he asked if I wanted to see what was inside. I was so excited to finally get to marry my best friend. Within 8 months we were married; why wait any longer?