Check out this gorgeous California winery wedding by Bethann Greenberg Photography. Pretty little details and gorgeous bride & groom portraits - looove! Lots of details were created by family members, a true labor of love! Thank you for sharing this wedding with me, Bethann!
From the couple: We began planning our wedding around the same time as a hectic move to New York City. It was certainly a challenge for us to plan the wedding from afar, but with the help of Becky's mom Lisa and our wedding coordinator Molly Stark, we managed to pull it off. The beautiful church in which we were married, St. Gabriel's Catholic Church in Poway, CA, the community Becky was baptized in, was the inspiration for the Old California theme of our wedding. It is a beautiful light-filled space and the perfect setting for our ceremony. Becky is Catholic and Zack is an Eastern Orthodox Christian and the rituals of these two traditions merged to create our ceremony. We met in divinity school and it was important to us that both our faith traditions played a role in the day. We enlisted our friends and family to participate in the ceremony in various ways, including Zack's dad who is an Eastern Orthodox priest and who performed the Orthodox crowning ritual. While the priest performing the Catholic ceremony gave a stellar pronunciation of our tricky last name, it was actually Zack's dad, who mixed up our first names during the ceremony! He quickly corrected himself, but it provided everyone with a laugh in the middle of the lengthy service. We wanted the day to be personal and really represent who we are as a couple. We tried out our crafty sides by painting our wedding (brownie) cake matryoshka in honor of Zack's Russian heritage and Becky drew a sketch of St. Gabriel's Church and had it made into a rubber stamp for the programs. Becky's mom created a beautiful display of family heirlooms and photographs including Greek needlepoint by Zack's great-grandmother and a painting by my grandmother. Because many of our guests were traveling from far away, we wanted a setting for the reception that was quintessentially Californian. What's more Californian than a winery nestled in between rolling California hills? There is something special about California at twilight and the space was peaceful and stunning as the sun set on our reception. Wine has always held a special place in the hearts of Becky's family. Her mom studied viticulture and Zack proposed to Becky in Central California wine country, so we were happy to have that be a part of our day as well. After the reception, which was filled with plenty of attempts at Russian dancing by the groom, we took a bus to a local bar and bowling alley to continue the party long into the night with our friends and loved ones. We feel so grateful to all the wonderful people who came together to make our day so special. It was truly a collective labor of love by family, friends, and our special vendors. We only wish we could live the day all over again.
Vendors:
Coordination: Tres Chic Affairs
Photography: Bethann Greenberg Photography
Second Shooter: Sidney Morgan
DJ: VyncePham, Music Phreek
Videography: XOXO Wedding Studio
Vintage Rentals: Pow Wow
Hair & Makeup: Brides By Brittany
Floral: My Splendid Sentiments
Brownie Cake & Brownies: Hey There Cupcake
Photo Booth: Fotobox – www.thefotobox.com
Catering: Authentic Flavors Catering
Calligraphy: Angelique Ink
Venue: Orfila Winery in Escondido, California
