L'Relyea Events Art Deco Inspired Wedding | Dawn & Glenn | Beltane Ranch | Glen Ellen, California

January 7, 2016

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said that “life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall” and we perfectly agree. Lucky for us, Anna Kuperberg captured the whimsy of Gatsby, with a refined color palette and a touch of metallic, we get to indulge in a bit of 1920’s in Wine Country. The luxury and general aura of the roaring 20’s often serves as inspiration for many weddings, but this beaming couple did it right. From the couples adorned wedding logo sported throughout the event, to the fedoras and fascinators we provided guests to embrace the festive affair, the attention to detail and personality was thriving at this wedding.

I’ve become pretty convinced that Sonoma is the land where weddings have an extra special sparkle and this one right here reinforces that belief even more. Our hearts were fluttering at the many simple yet special details throughout the event: from the reoccurrence of their wedding logo throughout, to the checkered black and white dance floor with a full swing band, and elegant farm-to-table dining with rich Autumn tones, it was all swoon-worthy. This is what tends to happen when elegant details mix and mingle with rustic locales… pure, unadulterated happy. And when that backdrop is the beautiful Beltane Ranch? Well, it is just simply the icing on the cake. Wanting to play up the organic ranch beauty, we incorporated subtle Autumn details such as wooden tables & signage, bistro napkins with bare table tops, and an apple on each table setting. One of our favorite unique elements of this event, was the couples use of escort cards. Each guest received a coin with their name on it, and were asked to drop their coin into their choice of one of three boxes. Each box represented a charity that the couple would then make a donation for each guests coin. What a thoughtful and selfless alternative to the tradition escort cards!

This gorgeous Sonoma Valley wedding combined rustic beauty with 1920's inspired charm, a combination truly representative of the bride and groom. From the flapper fun attire to the art deco decor and details, we loved turning their vision into the perfect wedding day. Lucky for us, the amazing images from Anna Kuperberg Photography captures the day perfectly. Among the many beautiful florals and details of this wedding, the biggest highlight of the event was the plethora of local food vendors. How lucky we are to live in Wine Country, where artisan food vendors are plentiful and local ingredients are the norm. We had Hog Island Oyster Company chucking fresh local oysters on site, Cowgirl Creamery came in and schooled guests on every aspect of their locally cultured cheeses, and an entire pig smoked on site from Smoke.

& of course, special thanks to all the vendors that made this wedding a dream come true for Dawn & Glenn:

Photography: Anna Kuperberg

Planning & Design: Lindsey Relyea at L'Relyea Events

Wedding Venue: Beltane Ranch

Floral Design: Flaxx Floral Design

Cake: Susie Cakes

Food & Beverage: Smoke | Cowgirl Creamery | Hog Island Oyster Company | Tonic | Java Joes

Hair & Makeup: It's A Date at the Powder Room

Band: Stompy Joes

Rentals: One True Love Vintage Rentals | Encore Event Rentals

Real LRE Wedding: Jill & George at Trione Winery

October 22, 2015

Some brides dream of their wedding day their whole lives, and Jill was no exception to this. According to Jill, her theme was to "Eat, Drink & Re-Marry". We quickly learned and admired Jill’s strong desire to be involved in the design & planning of her wedding. Jill & George wanted a wine country experience for their destination wedding, encompassing relaxed elegance, with the feel of a gala event. Being from Atlanta, Georgia, they had a little “Southern Charm” in their blood, & desired a country, vineyard chic setting. Trione was the perfect venue for this. Jill & George embraced the nontraditional elements of this marriage, and wanted to create a relaxed & comfortable environment for their out of town, more mature & sophisticated guests. From golfing & wine tasting, to some R&R, this was a full weekend of fun & festivities.

These two loved Fall with its robust, rich colors and wanted to incorporate those vibrant jewel tones tastefully into their design. They also loved the “mix and mingle” feel to a gala party. In order to ensure thism we had lots of various styles and options of seating incorporated in little nooks & corners for guests to sit, nibble and chat throughout the night as entertainment carried on. With multiple lounge motifs, we created a modern & trendy space for social gathering among guests. The casual, interactive vibe that they wanted caused a great mix of their families to gather the two sides as one. With Jill being related to the Trione family, having her event at the Trione Winery had a sentimental meaning to her and her heritage.

Besides the eccentric & unique design we created for this event, we had some fun & creative surprise elements that blew the guests away. From the opera singer entertainment during dinner to the dinner food stations highlighting the best of the season with a wine and beer pairing per station, the event went off without a hitch. For late night fun, we moved the party downstairs where we had a 21-piece swing band, which rocked the house the rest of the night. For those not in the dancing mood, they could head outdoors for some fresh Northern California air, or the popular cigar lounge.

Lindsey + Brandon: From L'Relyea Events Wedding Planner to Bride

August 26, 2015

Our very own, Lindsey Relyea tied the knot last year to her beau of five years and counting. Now, on their one-year anniversary, we are so excited to share their wedding images with you all. He stole her heart while working together at a Calistoga resort as a hunky local firefighter. After a whirlwind romance vacation in France beginning with a proposal at the Eiffel Tower, they wed 2 years later in a beautiful garden setting in Geyserville, Ca. In her own words, here is a little bit of Lindsey's journey to wedded bliss with the love of her life.

Delaney: Of course, Lindsey had a dreamlike proposal. This is how her dream came true from her point of view:

Lindsey: We were invited to Brandon’s cousin’s wedding in France and decided to take full advantage and embark on a full vacation together with our first stop being Paris. On day two we ended our day of touring all of the notable sites with a bike ride through the city, which had been recommended by a friend. Leave it to me, the planner, to plan a bike ride for 3-hours on a 90-degree day in a tourist bound city: not the best of my planning days, but memorable none-the-less! We were hot, tired, and starving as this adventure ended at 11pm. We raced to the nearest restaurant and noshed on local, authentic Croque Madame’s and wine. We were clear across the city in a quiet neighbor hood and the only way we knew how to get back to the 7th arrondissement was to follow the striking tower as it shimmered in the evening light. Of course, as any tourist would, we stopped at the Eiffel Tower to test out our new camera on our walk back. It was just around midnight and the glistening of the tower was illuminating the large lawn. As Brandon fiddled with the camera set-up, and I posed like a fool to get the right angle, Brandon finally joined me a picture. After the camera’s shutter ended, he looked at me and said he was really nervous as he got down on one knee. Truthfully, I think I blacked out from here but I know he asked the question and I stuttered some version of a "yes"! I didn’t sleep a wink that night, I was so giddy. We floated though the next 10 days of our trip before heading home and sharing the big news.

Delaney: Tell me your favorite thing about Brandon, although I know it is impossible to choose just one!

Lindsey: I love his adventurous yet peaceful spirit. He’s always up for a new adventure, and yet perfectly content staying in and cooking dinner together. He’s honest, loyal, my voice of reason…and that smile…!

Delaney: Tell me about your favorite memories together thus far (besides the wedding, of course!)

Lindsey: When we got our first Christmas tree together; it was so important to me to go hunt down the perfect tree. So we loaded up, pup in tow and headed to a Christmas Tree Farm to find the best tree. $150 later we ended up with a squatty little tree, but it was our first and so special. We got it all the way home and realized it wouldn’t fit in our mini house at the time. While I was, of course, devastated, we were able to laugh it off and chalk it up to be just one step in our journey together.

We used to make a point to head to the beach every Sunday together…it was our sunday fun day playing on the beach with our pup.

Sitting on a bridge in Paris sipping on vin blanc and chèvre with fresh baguette! Heaven.

While in France, we planned a guided tour of Normandy. Sadly, that morning my horrible navigation skills landed us in a tiny village 2 hours west of where we were supposed to meet our guide. We finally made it to the beaches that afternoon and stumbled upon a cute little village and had one of the best dinners!

Delaney: Tell us about how you two first met:

Lindsey: 7 years ago, I was working at a resort planning weddings and this hunk of a man (I am now thrilled to call my husband) was working there part-time as a bellman (and part-time as a firefighter, he would like me to add). It was one of my first big weddings at this job and I had boxes of bouquets to deliver to the bridal party that I couldn’t carry by myself. I asked the group of bellmen if someone wouldn’t mind helping me carry the flowers to the bridal suite. Brandon stepped forward and offered a helping hand. It was the first time I met him, he was gorgeous and charming. For the next 10 minutes as we walked across property, he asked me SO many questions about myself. 2 months later we went out on our first date…and as they say... the rest is history.

Delaney: Tell us a little bit about your wedding! I am sure that being a wedding planner, planning & designing your own wedding was a challenge in its own. You have seen it all done, and to narrow it down to one cohesive look & feel for your own event must have been overwhelming! What was your vision & what was your dream for your wedding day?

Lindsey: Clearly obsessed with all things French, and having been engaged in France, I wanted to somehow incorporate this into our love story. After we ruled out a destination wedding, we sought out looking for a beautiful setting that felt relaxed and embodied the wine country we grew up knowing and loving. We wanted to create a relaxed atmosphere with great food and wine, and plenty of fun for our guests. The design evolved into a French garden, backyard style wedding which was a perfect balance for us. We had a leather bound journal made that we inscribed with our vows, lush garlands that draped over wooden farm tables for guest dining, french 75’s served as guests were arriving for the ceremony, our beloved pup was our flower girl, and Brandon crafted a bean bag toss game for our cocktail hour. It was the perfect day.

Delaney: If you could describe your love in a few words, what would they be?

Lindsey: honest, encouraging, supportive, fun

Delaney: Tell me about what it was like during your wedding day: what the experience was like, how you felt, what your vision was, why you chose the location, what you were hoping to get out of it? I do not think that we ever can fully prepare for how it is going to actually feel on our own wedding days until it happens!

Lindsey: Being a planner, my goal was to be the bride and not try to control the day. I wanted to be present in the moment, in every moment of that day…and thanks to my incredible team I was able to do just that. It was the most amazing day. It’s quite remarkable to be surrounded with the people closest to you in your life and sharing such a deep moment when you promise your life to someone and then get to celebrate the night away. I loved having my girlfriends and family with me the morning of the wedding, getting ready and jamming out to throwbacks. So many amazing memories were made that day, it’s hard to choose just a few. I felt completely surrounded by love.

Delaney: As a wedding planner AND recent bride, what are the best tips for soon to be brides in regards to the planning process & their actual wedding day?

Lindsey:

1. This truly is a huge milestone in your life. Slow down and enjoy every second of it! Have an engagement party and celebrate this time.

2. It not about the destintation, it’s about the journey.

3. This is your wedding, make it authentically you. That is part of the challenge is to incorporate elements that reflect the two of you as a couple. I’ll never forget a quote a heard at a wedding years ago; the officiant said “today, you are marrying a complete stranger”. At first, I cringed at that. Now, I see the beauty of getting to know your partner in this journey of planning your wedding and the beginning of your life together.

Delaney: What were, to you, the trickiest aspects of planning your own wedding as a professional planner and why you wouldn’t recommend planning your own wedding without a professional planner to other soon to be brides?

Lindsey: By the time I got married, I had planned over 400 weddings…I knew what had to be done, and I convinced myself I could do it on my own. I had a full time job, I had a social life, I wanted to enjoy the festivities of being engaged and talking through countless ideas with friends and family. I quickly realized I didn’t have time to dedicate to all of that AND plan my own wedding. Also, be present. Don’t worry about the flowers, or if your coasters are set on the bourbon bar- just be present. Your wedding day will FLY by…so try to enjoy every moment with the people you are surrounded with.

We now celebrate Lindsey & Brandon's one year wedding anniversary, and we feel so blessed to know & witness this couple's love. Happy Anniversary L & B!

Dress/Shoes: Anna Campbell, AU/Betsy Johnson

Grooms Attire: Vera Wang

Photographer: Lori Paladino

Video: Weddings on Film

Coordination: L'Relyea Events: Julia Evans

Floral: EV Floral

Paper Materials: Vellum & Vouge

Beauty: Bella Bridal

Ceremony Music: Tim Duenas, Piano

Reception Music: Boutique Wedding DJ

Rentals: Encore Events, Classic Party Rentals, La Tavola Linen

Transportation: Napa Valley Tours & Transportation

Venue/Catering: Geyserville Inn

Jules + Chris

February 5, 2015

This elegant French country inspired wedding had our hearts fluttering from our first design meeting. It certainly doesn’t need to be said that Jules and Chris, above all else, have impeccable taste. From the bubbling champagne tower and artisan cocktails [complete with smokin’ bartenders] to the luscious floral and stunning lighting design – their celebration radiated fun, romance and beauty.

Their love story is similar to their style – simple, classic and beautiful. They met one fall evening at a mutual friends birthday party and no more than a month later Jules knew Chris was “the one”. Fast forward through a few yoga classes, dinner dates and happy years to New Years Eve in Hawaii where Chris got down on one knee and told Jules that she was “the one” – they lived happily ever after!

Planner: Julia Evans | l’Relyea Events
Venue/Caterer: Solage Calistoga
Beverage: The Grand Bevy
Ceremony Officiant: Father Jovic
Photographer:Kevin Tachman
Videographer: Cana Family
Reception Music: Pride & Joy
Florist: Studio Choo
Wedding Cake/Sugar Cookies: Susie Cakes
Hair & Makeup: Marisa Perel
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals; One True Love Vintage Rentals; Blue Print Studio
Calligraphy: Bernard Maisner
Lighting: Lux Productions

Karina + Mark

September 6, 2014

Their love story was like something out of a romantic novel. They met while studying in Barcelona, Spain. He caught her eye during a romantic walk in Versailles, France. Six months later after returning from an exchange program in Shanghai he asked Karina on their first date. Three hours, twelve miles, and several villages westward, their connection was forever cemented. Their wedding was just as whimsical and romantic with a crisp white palette, floating florals and rich golden accents. Get ready to be whisked away.

Planner: l’Relyea Events | Lindsey Relyea
Venue/Caterer: Solage Calistoga
Ceremony Offiant: Buddhist Weddings| Evan Kavanagh
Photographer: To Amaze Photography
Videographer: Marmaladesky films
Ceremony/Reception Music: Johan Khiski
Florist: Waterlily Pond
Hair & Makeup: Tamara Brown
Rentals: Hartmann Studios
Lighting: Got Light?
Cake: Marie Betts | Bouchon Bakery

Marissa + Kevin

August 15, 2014

Marissa and Kevin have impeccable taste. We designed a wedding that showcased some soft romance with bold poppy red colors. Beautifully captured by Stacey Pentland. Marissa and Kevin decided on a summer wedding in wine country and Solage located at the top of Napa Valley held their modern and chic style. Marissa glowed in her two piece Monique Lhullier gown and her satin Badgley Mischka heels. And Kevin wore a sharp grey Hugo Boss suit and they left no detail unattended right down to the scent of the reception space. Above all the tiny details it was the love and their chemistry that truly took your breath away.

Planner: l’Relyea Events | Lindsey Relyea
Venue/Catering:Solage Calistoga
Ceremony Officiant: Fr. Charles Grande
Cinema:Video BASICO
Photographer:Stacey Pentland
Ceremony Music: Bride’s Sister / Guitarist – Glenn Staller
Reception Music:Spinheads
Florist: Hunt Littlefield
Wedding Cake & Favors: Patisserie Angelica
Hair & Makeup:Katie Nash Beauty
Rentals: Classic Party Rental & La Tavola Linen
Lighting: Got Light
Photo Booth: Snap Fiesta
Stationary: Three Little Words

Real Wedding: Tanya + Chris

October 14, 2013

This chic {and ridiculously gorgeous!} couple wanted to offer their guests a wine country experience that captured their NYC lifestyle. After searching high and low they found the perfect setting for their September wedding in Calistoga, Ca. Guests flew in from the East Coast for an early start to their weekend which kicked off with a rehearsal dinner in the wine caves of Clos Pegase Winery and spent the rest of the weekend wine tasting at a few favorite Napa Valley wineries, cruising through the quaint town on their bikes, and basking by the mineral pools in Calistoga. The highlight, of course, was their modern wine country nuptials at Solage Calistoga.