When we first visited Sonoma County so many years ago, there was a particular drive that etched into our memories that felt and still feels, to this day, like the epitome of Sonoma County. Just a short drive from Santa Rosa and nestled between the coastal foothills and the Mayacamas Mountains which trace Sonoma's eastern border with Napa is Bennett Valley. It's here, down a dusty road lined with impossibly twisted oak trees and impeccably pruned grapevines where Grace's uncle lives and where he proposed the couple should have their classic wine country wedding. The private, Sonoma County wedding venue was gorgeous, but not without its challenges. The rural vineyard property was a blank canvas and required a lot of vision from the planning team at So Eventful to create spaces within to accommodate their 130 guests. Along with some thoughtful DIY assistance from friends and family, the site transformed from a working vineyard into a luxurious wedding wonderland.
Lining the path to the ceremony, the grapevines were adorned with tons of photos of family, friends, Bill, Grace, and the moments that collectively led them to this day. The sofreh aghd was incorporated into the ceremony with reverence to her Persian ancestry and the seating was arranged semi-circular around the couple so it felt extremely intimate and everyone could closely share in the moment with them. The ceremony was full of love and laughter and that warm family spirit carried through to the reception. The cocktail hour, dinner and dancing took place close to the family home and beneath a grove of towering redwoods. As the warm sun descended and the typical cool breeze finally achieved its daily goal of reaching the hidden valleys, guests cozied up as we headed up the hill behind the reception with Grace and Bill for some sunset photos. Once we returned, the couple re-joined their guests with a champagne toast and dinner. Dancing under market lights, the bride and groom held each other close as two by two, other couples joined them on the dance floor for dancing under the stars; the perfect way to end to a perfectly quintessential wine country wedding day!
