Sarah and Patrick – an elegant Fall wedding

After nearly a full year of long-distance planning, Sarah’s and Patrick’s big day finally arrived. Living and working in New York, they had chosen my company, A Day Like No Other, to help them with the planning and coordination of their wedding.

For the bride, her bridesmaids and the mothers, the day began with hair and makeup services by Tiffany Chiang of Design Her Image – and the results were truly stunning! Here is the bride, with a beautiful glow…

… and here are her bridesmaids!

Her two Maids-of-Honor helped her to get into her lace-encrusted, ballgown-style dress…

… and sparkly wedding shoes.

Green Petal Designs delivered a gorgeous bridal bouquet…

… as well as bridesmaids bouquets, wrist corsages, boutonnieres (and the floral decor for the reception), and with that, the bride was ready for her First Look.

Corinthian Ground Transportation took her and (separately!) the groom and bridal party to the church where both the First Look and the wedding ceremony would be held: Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley, a spectacular church set in a Redwood grove where the bride’s parents had gotten married 35 years ago.

Nearly there – as Sarah is approaching Patrick, videographer Martin Meyer of martinFILMS and photographers Manali and Kaitlin of Manali Anne Photography are capturing every moment (just wait until you see THEIR photos! For the time being, all we have are my snapshots…)

Happiness!

Very soon, guests were arriving (all transported in style by Corinthian Ground Transportation), and the ceremony began. Following tradition, the bride was escorted in by her father.

The apse of the church behind the altar is all glass, looking out onto the Redwoods. It is truly a spectacular sight.

The brother of the bride, a classically trained Baritone, gave a moving performance during the ceremony.

Just married!!

While the couple had many more “official” wedding photos taken with their family members, guests were shuttled to the reception at Thomas Fogarty Winery, high up on a mountain ridge overlooking all of Silicon Valley.

The teams of Continental Catering, Green Petal Designs and Just De’Lights (lighting installation) as well as my tireless assistant Stephanie had been hard at work for hours to get everything ready in time. The weather gods threw us a curveball – low-hanging clouds settled on the mountain ridge, and it got chilly, foggy and wet… so we had to move cocktails inside. But that did not dampen anyone’s spirits!

With space heaters in place, dinner could still happen in the open Pavilion…

… with elegant place settings and cute candle favors for each guest.

When darkness fell during dinner, the scene turned really magical…

… and the couple enjoyed their First Dance as husband and wife right there, on a balcony overlooking the vineyard.

After that, the whole party moved inside for Cake Cutting (cake by Susie Cakes)…

… and a lot of dancing to tunes by DJ Paul Burchfield of Big Fun Disc Jockeys. Everything eventually comes to an end… but this party ended on a decidedly high note with a private Last Dance for the newlyweds while guests were gathering outside for a spectacular sparkler send-off!

What a night! Sarah and Patrick are going on their Honeymoon – to Hawaii! And then off to a lifetime of joy, laughter and happiness… that’s what we are wishing for you!

Lisa and Alex at Fogarty Winery – finally!

These two were among the many couples whose wedding got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Undeterred, they tied the knot in an intimate ceremony close to their originally planned date (so meanwhile they have already been legally married for a good year!) and my company, A Day Like No Other, had the honor of planning afresh with them in 2021. The venue of their choice was still Thomas Fogarty Winery, perched high atop a mountain ridge with million-dollar views over all of Silicon Valley and up to the San Francisco skyline to the North.

Once the bride and the mothers had completed their hair and makeup styling (by Brides by Lydia), the bridal party and closest family was taken to the venue by shuttle (Destination Systems) for pre-ceremony photos (by Hazel Photo – all photos in this blog post except otherwise noted) and video (by Weddings on Film).

When they arrived, the teams of Fogarty Winery, Global Gourmet Catering and Green Petal Designs were already hard at work to prepare everything for the formal Chinese Tea Ceremony.

Bride and groom dressed up for this festive occasion in traditional Chinese gold-embroidered garments.

A friend of the bride explained the cultural meaning and history of the Tea Ceremony to non-Chinese guests and served as an expert Mistress of Ceremonies.

An oversized “Double Happiness” symbol formed the perfect backdrop for the ceremony.

Post-ceremony, the couple changed into lighter outfits for post-ceremony photos, and the predicted rain, thankfully, was late in coming.

Guests were meanwhile enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the open deck, and various crews put the finishing touches on the dinner setup inside the Hill House.

Photo by ADLNO
Photo by ADLNO

The Sweetheart Table, of course, received extra-special flower treatment!

After dinner, the couple enjoyed their official First Dance…

… opening the dance floor for everyone – to the tunes by DJ Stefano of Big Fun Disc Jockeys.

Everyone enjoyed a really great time…

… and in between, the newlyweds snuck out for a private moment outside.

It was a magical day – congratulations, Lisa and Alex, and our best wishes on your lifelong journey together!

And here you can see the day coming to life… courtesy of Weddings on Film!