Do Jumbotron Proposals Really Work? Just Ask This Couple

Kenn and I always envisioned a summer wedding, either a destination wedding in Hawaii (one of our favorite vacation spots) or a local venue that overlooks the SF Bay Area, a place we both call home. As we researched and visited venues, it became more clear that a local wedding was the best option for us so we could celebrate our big day with more family and friends. We visited at least five wineries from Napa to Livermore.

When a colleague had mentioned an intimate Woodside winery in the mountainside, we scheduled a visit that weekend. When we arrived at Thomas Fogarty Winery, we instantly knew this was the perfect venue for us. From the sweeping views of the bay seen from every level of the property to the outside pavilion overlooking one of their vineyards, this would be where we spend one of the best days of our lives.

We wanted our family and friends to enjoy and remember the food served at our cocktail hour and dinner reception. The only catering company we trusted to leave a lasting impression was Southern Comfort Kitchen, a local vendor that catered a friend's wedding we had attended with the best surf and turf we ever tasted. Since they specialized in cajun food, we chose to incorporate cajun delicacies for hors d'oeuvres such as crab fries and southern fried chicken sliders. The fresh beignets they made for the dessert table went faster than any other dessert on the table. 

We've been married for five months now and our family and friends are still talking about our wedding food and how tasty it was. Southern Comfort Kitchen went above and beyond and we were so honored to have them on our dream team list of vendors. 

Our a-mazing photographer, Kelly Boitano, made sure to allocate some downtime for us on her timeline after photos to give Kenn and I time to walk-through the reception setup and peek at the ceremony area. It was so calming to see everything we worked so hard on come to fruition and to have a moment to appreciate it together and soak it all in. Highly recommend working with your photographer and/or planner to carve out that time before the guests arrive.

We also opted to have our 'first look' and wedding party photos taken before the ceremony which saved so much time and allowed us to enjoy more time with guests during the cocktail hour. The day flies by so fast, the extra 30 minutes during cocktail hour to catch up with guests and thank them for coming was so crucial. We loved seeing the photos Kelly captured of us with our guests during the cocktail hour too. We have already framed and gifted some of them to friends!

Two of my bridesmaids had altered dress lengths that for some reason did not have the slip under the satin altered. They didn't notice it until the hour before when trying on the dresses with their heels. Our wedding coordinator, Kaella, aka superhero saved the day with fabric scissors and trimmed the bottom of the slips, 30 minutes before the ceremony began!

The wind was stronger than expected and photo frames on the welcome table were falling over so we had to lay them flat on the table, which aesthetically didn't look as great. I wish we would've used stands for all photos to keep them secure on the table. Definitely a learning to share with brides using photo frames for an outside wedding, for any season!