Taylor and Sheldon’s Joyful Summer Wedding

Taylor and Sheldon are a busy professional couple, living out of state – and for planning and designing their wedding, they enlisted the help of my company, A Day Like No Other. They had chosen a venue close to where the bride grew up and where her parents are still living: Thomas Fogarty Winery in Woodside. Simply perfect for the garden-themed summer wedding the couple was envisioning, elegant and romantic in ivory and lilac hues, with a few metallic gold accents.

Their invitations set the tone:

The bride and her bridesmaids were getting ready at the house of the bride’s parents, with hair and makeup services by Aqua Beauty Lounge.

A timeless mother-daughter moment…

Not to forget the jewelry…

And here she is… dramatic!

Lastly – the bridal bouquet (all florals by Laurel & Vine):

And with that, Taylor was ready to present herself to her husband-to-be.

Sheldon had meanwhile also dressed up…

…. and was ready for the “First Look.”

Always such a touching moment…

Time for many, many photos with photographer Kevin Chin and for video with videographer Martin Meyer!

Official wedding photo, right?

Meanwhile, the ceremony area had been set up, officiant Chris Thielen had arrived, and DJ Paul Burchfield of Big Fun Disc Jockeys had the music going as guests began to arrive (via shuttles from Corinthian Ground Transportation). It was the perfect summer day, warm and sunny under a cloudless blue sky, and with a slight breeze.

The ceremony lawn offers endless views, from the San Francisco skyline all the way to Silicon Valley.

And here comes the bride, on her father’s arm.

After her father formally “gave her away” to Sheldon, Taylor joined him and officiant Chris Thielen for the ceremony.

Ring exchange…

… and “You may now kiss your bride!”

Just married!! And off to many more photos and video …

… while guests enjoyed Fogarty wines and hors d’oeuvres (all food and bar services by Melons Catering) on the open Deck at Fogarty Winery.

The Melons Catering team had meanwhile set up dinner in the open Pavilion…

… with elegant china, placemats, glassware and cutlery from Hensley Event Resources, on beautiful linens by Napa Valley Linens.

Impressive centerpieces (by Laurel & Vine) were the stunning focal point of each table.

All elements had been carefully chosen to complement the overall look of summery elegance and luxury – including the seating chart for guests…

… and beautifully packaged favors in the wedding colors.

The Head Table, of course, got extra-special treatment!

After a delicious dinner (by Melons Catering)…

and many toasts and speeches…

… AND a group photo with all their guests…

… it was definitely time for dancing and for cutting the cake (by Susie Cakes)!

The newlyweds completed this time-honored first task in their marriage with bravura.

For her choreographed First Dance, the bride had changed into an “easier” (but no less stunning!) dress…

Applause!! Next up – Bouquet Toss…

… and Garter Toss!

And what followed then, was a truly EPIC dance party!

What a celebration! Our best wishes on your way, Taylor and Sheldon!

E & D – a very private wedding celebration at Thomas Fogarty Winery

Disclaimer up front: we are only allowed to show you the beautiful details of this wedding celebration – not the couple, not their bridal party, family or guests. The couple are very private people, and we have to respect that, so all names on signage and stationery are redacted, and we cannot share photos showing recognizable faces. BUT there is still a lot to see!

While planning her wedding with the support of my company, A Day Like No Other, the bride gave me clear directives for my design process: the color scheme – the whole spectrum from periwinkle, light and dark blue to purple hues, accented with a small dose of metallic silver – and the overall style of the event – everything classic and feminine. What a brief to work with! Have a look how all this turned out:

The bride had her invitation suite and most of her wedding day stationery custom-designed (by Momental Designs), based on watercolor artwork showing the beautiful venue and its surroundings and accented in her chosen colorway. It was the perfect way to set the stage for what was to come!

For her bridal bouquet, the bride had specified a “hand-tied, symmetrical, contained” design – and here it is in all its beauty (all florals by PlanDecor):

The altar arrangements were a reflection of both the natural beauty of the venue and of the bride’s preference for classic wedding flowers in her favorite hues.

Cocktail arrangements and centerpieces played up the same theme – it was all one perfect harmony of design and colors across all decorative elements.

The dinner setup in the open Pavilion came together beautifully, and heat lamps ensured the comfort of the guests.

Linen and napkin colors as well as the silver chargers were the “supporting actors” in our design scheme…

… and even the table numbers were following along!

Guests found their seating assignments on a board that OF COURSE kept to the blue and lilac hues and floral motifs we already know…

The couple was busy taking post-ceremony photos with their photographer extraordinaire, Megan Reeves...

… while guests were indulging in hors d’oeuvres (all catering and bar by Continental Catering) and Fogarty wines.

Finally, the newlyweds rejoined their guests at dinner, presiding from their Sweetheart Table. After that came dancing, dancing, dancing!!!

So – have I promised too much? The design and decor of this wedding celebration were so cohesive and beautiful… I hope you’ll all get inspired!

Viva Magenta – Pantone Color of the Year!

What an optimistic, uplifting color – so full of positive energy! It’s pure summer and sunshine to me… but, I have to say, we’ve been ahead of the curve on this one! Let me show you how we at A Day Like No Other have used magenta in the past – and then fantasize on what else one could do with it!

First up: Erin and Gabe – these two brought the vibrant colors of “south-of-the-border” to their wedding celebration, including Bougainvillea blooms – which are notoriously fragile. The only way to fulfill the bride’s wish for these specific flowers was to bring whole plants to the venue and cut the blooms for bouquets and floral arrangements right there! Florist Janelle of Green Petal Designs pulled it off – have a look at the following photos by Vicens Forns.

As you can see, we went “all-out” with a rainbow of colors – from soft pink to peach and orange – with magenta as the undisputed star. The greyish-green of Eucalyptus leaves and the warm brown of bare wooden tables provided a neutral backdrop for the colors to really “pop.”

Another bride who opted for vibrant summer colors including magenta chose a more elegant/refined setting, and it worked just as well! Have a look at “L and J” at Thomas Fogarty Winery:

Gold-toned chargers, flatware and table numbers, gold-rimmed wine glasses, terracotta-colored linen napkins and blush pink water goblets all played up the soft, feminine and elegant side of the vibrant summer hues of the floral arrangements by Nancy Liu Chin Designs.

Magenta is not only the perfect color for summer weddings – it can easily hold its own in cooler temperatures as well! At Christina’s and Cuyler’s wedding it literally lit up an otherwise gloomy, rainy day through the gorgeous floral arrangements by Royal Bloom.

Please note the bride’s matching lipstick color – isn’t it just perfect?

This gallery (by Janae Shields Photography) wouldn’t be complete without the true star of the day: Gigi! (She has tens of thousands of Instagram followers!!)

Another beautiful magenta flower is the Stargazer lily, here taking center stage in bride Laura C.’s bridal bouquet for her elegant hotel wedding – proof that “all-magenta” does work!!

I hope this gives you all lots of inspiration! What I am thinking of right now … is magenta with shimmering metallic silver, for a glamorous black-tie event. Or magenta with espresso brown. Or or or… What’s YOUR favorite combination?