Gina + Kieran | Barn Diva | Healdsburg, California

December 15, 2016

Inspired by a breathtaking trip to Morocco, Gina + Kieran wanted to incorporate a vivid color palette to their rustic nuptials and we were thrilled to have planned and designed this unforgettable fete!

Their day began with an intimate church ceremony where the bride wore an elegant Austin Scarlett gown and the groom a dark blue tux with a pink tie. Gina carried a stunning bouquet designed by Dragonfly Floral in bold shades of pink and purple which were perfectly complimented by her five bridesmaids in gorgeous purple dresses. The couple's two flower girls wore the sweetest homemade tutu's paired with flower crowns, creating a vibrant scene!

After the couple said "I do", the wedding party and guests then paraded through the beautiful town of Healdsburg to the reception site. Barndiva proved to be the ideal venue for the energetic celebration that would take place. With it's versatile facilities and gorgeous surroundings, we were easily able to design the romantic wedding Gina + Kieran wanted that would also be fun and relaxed.

The venue's outdoor reception space is filled with unique artwork and lit archways overhead paired with rustic tables and chairs with ornate designs. Colorful centerpieces adorned the table tops, seamlessly tying together the pink, purple, and blue color palette established by the wedding party's attire and bouquets. Guests enjoyed an evening of celebrating Gina & Kieran's love with heartfelt toasts, a delicious dinner catered by the venue, and homemade cheesecake wedding cake!

Thank you to our wonderful vendors and to Onelove Photography for capturing all of the beauty of the day!

Roxanne & Steve | Trentadue Winery | Real LRE Wedding

March 2, 2016

Roxanne & Steve envisioned a Wine Country weekend getaway for their big day, and Trentadue Winery was the perfect backdrop for this. Through subtle pastel tones, romantic, rustic accents, and with the help of Trentadue Winery's lush surroundings, this venue was transformed into the perfect outdoor vineyard setting.

Gina's Floral Enchantment designed dreamy blooms for this event, only accenting the natural beauty with soft, pretty details. The dream these two had for their special day really came to life through the lens of Jennifer Bagwell Photography's visionary eye, and Front Side Film's compilation of footage.

While this event nodded to the simple & organic aesthetics of the winery setting, there were several personal touches that created a unique and special atmosphere for the bride & groom. From the customized marquee bar sign, to the love stories hand selected by the couple and incorporated throughout the event, the attention to detail did not go unnoticed.

We incorporated rustic whitewash farm tables, coupled with handmade runners. Each table was adorned with handmade table numbers, vintage crystal vases (all hand sourced by our crafty bride), and collections of love stories that the couple gathered during their one year engagement leading up to the big day.

This group was full of fun. They sipped on wine-based cocktails, noshed on wine country delicacies, and enjoyed cordials and cigars throughout the evening. After dancing the night away under chandeliers and a garden gazebo, guests bid them a farewell with sparklers.

& as always, a huge thanks to all the lovely vendors we had the pleasure of working with on this event:

Photography: Jennifer Bagwell Photography

Music & Entertainment: AMS Entertainment

Cake: Moustache Baked Goods

Catering: Park Ave Catering

Ceremony Officiant: Reverend Michael LeBlanc

Lighting & Sound: AMS Entertainment

Rentals: Bright Event Rentals - formerly Wine Country Party and Events

Transportation: Pure Luxury Transportation

Film: Front Side Films

Floral: Gina's Floral Enchantment

Nick & Nicholle | Chalk Hill Estate Winery | Healdsburg, California

February 17, 2016

"Love at first site". This is a concept we dream of and wonder about often, but for Nick & Nicholle, it was a reality fairytale come true. These two were separately vacationing in the caribbean islands for New Years Eve, when Nicholle accidentally missed her ferry to St. Barth. Stranded on St. Martin, she took shelter in a nearby pub to figure out her next year, where she met her future husband. Later, Nicholle, a Toronto native, was visiting New York and met up with Nick. The two claim the rest was history. Here we are, years later, watching their love story unravel into an elegant formal wedding affair at one of our favorite venues in Wine Country: Chalk Hill Winery Estate.

Chalk Hill Winery Estate is undoubtedly one of the premier wedding venues in Northern California, if not the United States. This comes as no surprise to those who have stepped foot on this property even just once. The "wow" factor of this location is like none other. The spanning rolling hills of the Chalk Hill vineyards seem to transplant you to a place and time like the countryside of Tuscany. You feel miles away from any fuss of the outside world, and the organic beauty of all its spaces are without a doubt some of the best we have seen. The on site chapel is nestled atop a hill in the middle of the property, with vast surrounding vineyard views, a tranquil fountain and courtyard, and an Italian inspired bell tower. The wedding spaces are breathtaking with 360 degree views at almost every location, all with different appealing elements and offerings. Oh, and did we mention the wine is spectacular? A definite perk!

When discussing design, there is something to be said for a property like Chalk Hill. Here you can easily let the property speak for itself aesthetically, or play off the grandiose spaces it provides by incorporating extravagant details. For Nick & Nicholle, they wanted to create a classic, elegant wedding. For them, our design incorporated simple white & cream details throughout; from the gold chiavari chairs, to the simple yet stunning white hydrangea centerpieces, this wedding was fit for a fairytale.

Huge thanks to all our wonderful vendors involved in making Nick & Nicholle's wedding a dream come true for them:

Venue: Chalk Hill

Caterer: John Ash

Photographer: BLR Lifestyle Photography

Officiant: Michael Wright

Music: KJ Allstars

Florist: La Fleuriste

Hair & Makeup: The Powder Room

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals & La Tavola

Printed Materials: Vellum & Vogue

Colleen & Shane | Tra Vigne & Merryvale | St. Helena, California

February 3, 2016

Colleen & Shane's love story seems to be straight out of one of our favorite chick flicks. These two met at a baggage claim carousel in Las Vegas while waiting for their luggage. Shane slyly approached Colleen where they sparked a conversation and quickly learned that they were both originally from the same home town of Saskatoon. Even more, both were currently living in Calgary and knew a lot of the same people, and yet they just had never met. Fate played its lovely role in bringing these two together, and we are still in awe of how romantic their love story truly is.

Intimate weddings always speak to us in an extra special way. There's something to be said about being surrounded by your closest loved ones on your big day and being able to share in all the excitement with all of your guests in such an intimate way. Colleen & Shane chose to go this route, with a cozy guest count of 30. Their romantic dining table set in the cask room at Merryvale was adorned with tall candelabras that created a classic centerpiece of dim candlelight with simple white floral details and glass accents. They wanted to embrace a cozy dinner with their dearest. The intimate dinner setting was the highlight of the entire event with bold rich tones the black chivari chairs and centerpieces to compliment the dark wood accents throughout the barrel room.

A huge thanks to all of our wonderful vendors from this event:

Ceremony Venue: Tra Vigne

Reception Venue: Merryvale

Caterer: Tra Vigne

Photographer: Richard Wood

Ceremony Music: Bella Rosa Strings

Florist: La Fleuriste

Hair & Makeup: Katie Nash

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 | Julie & Chris | Solage, Calistoga

December 3, 2015

Julie (better known as Jules to her family and friends) & Chris's Solage, Calistoga wedding was an event fit for a fairytale. These two San Francisco locals met in college and after nearly 10 years apart, they saw each other for the first time since dating in their early 20's, and immediately knew after this time, they were each others soulmates. They rekindled their young love, and for Julie's birthday, Chris swept her away to Argentina, where he popped the question during a romantic horse back ride. They both wanted their wedding to depict their romantic love story, which was implemented through lush, garden florals, flooding of candlelight & cream and ivory tones throughout.

Solage, for those of you who do not know, is a full service luxury resort in Calistoga, California. Nestled among contemporary architecture and the soft ridges of the nearby mountains, Solage offers a Palm Springs meets the Hampton's vibe, which made for a fun yet tasteful event for these two.

When we came onboard to design Julie & Chris's dream wedding, we wanted to transform the various wedding spaces using romantic, elegant, yet simple elements such as floral chandeliers heavy with greenery, table-scapes of hurricane and votive candles, and natural tones and textures.

From a popular oyster buffet and fire pit lounge, to the cascading floral ceremony arbor and the all white theme, these exquisite details headlined this event and made it a luxurious yet simple event

The new Mr. & Mrs. Clayton danced the night away inside the contemporary barn space at Solage amongst family & friends. With flooded candlelight and a ambient glow, the space felt like a romantic garden dinner date.

It was such a joy working with these two to create such an elegant and classic romantic event. This design is the bread and butter of what we dream of aesthetically, and we are so thrilled that we were able to create a dream come true for these two.

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

Venue Scouting in Napa & Sonoma Wine Country: How to find the perfect wedding venue

April 22, 2015

Are you recently engaged and looking to get married in the highly desirable Wine Country? Whether you are local or looking for a destination wedding, we are here to help you find a perfect fit for your wedding venue. With over 60,000 acres of vineyards and more than 600 wineries in Napa and Sonoma Counties collectively, there are an immense and diverse range of options to choose from when visiting these popular tourist destinations.

L'Relyea Events - Event Design & Productions - Chalk Hill, CA  Wedding venues in Wine Country

Over the years, Napa and Sonoma have rapidly become two of the top desirable locations in the world for destination weddings due to its rustic charm, upscale wineries, vineyards, restaurants and its vast scenic beauty. With so many options in these two areas for wedding venues, it can be an overwhelming and tedious feat to try to pick and choose where to host your big day. This is where we come in.