I adore this wedding and not just because it’s set in a winery, there’s a full moon, a cute dog, and there’s an intimate outdoor ceremony, but because there is so much effort from family and friends.
Jessica, the Bride, says, “We didn’t have a particular theme – our wedding was really all about celebrating our relationship and commitment to one another with our friends and family, all of whom were an integral part of making the day come together: Our whole bridal party was made up of our brothers and sisters; friends and family came together to do all the floral arrangements, place settings and venue dà©cor; the groom built the chuppah; my father officiated; a dear friend did my hair; I wore my grandmother’s jewelry — from top to bottom our wedding was a reflection of the people who mean so much to us and have made us who we are.”
The whole I-Do is absolutely brimming with gorgeous homespun details: I’m particularly loving the beautifully designed ketubah by Urban Collective Ketubah and the thumb print poster guest book
I also LOVE the fact that the couple’s first dance was twirled to the same song that Jessica’s parent’s danced to at their wedding….oh I’m such an old romantic!
All the romance and fabulousness is captured by Jonas Seaman whose work I’m thrilled to be featuring for the first time on the pages of STG.
A WINERY VENUE
Jessica, the Bride: Our wedding was held at Fontaine Estates, a gorgeous vineyard in Naches, Washington — the heart of Washington wine country. The Yakima/Naches area is in central Washington (about a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle) — it has a gorgeous late summer/early fall season which was perfect for our September wedding. Pete was born and raised in the area.
THE DRESS
Finding my dress was one of the hardest parts of wedding planning for me. I am not one who loves being the centre of attention and to that end, I really wanted a dress that made me feel comfortable and retained my sense of self — I didn’t want a dress that made me feel like I was playing make believe or wearing a princess costume. I tried on a few dresses in bridal boutiques, but felt silly in (or overwhelmed by) all the poofy, sparkly dresses. I actually ending up finding and buying my dress online (from ShopBop.com), and I couldn’t have been happier with it! It’s by Nightcap Clothing, and was super easy and comfortable (lined in jersey knit!), but it made me feel like a million bucks.
THE GROOM
Pete wore Hugo Boss shirt and tie, John Varvatos suit and To Boot New York shoes — thank you Nordstrom Half yearly Sale!!
THE CEREMONY… OFFICIATED BY MY DAD!
I loved so many things about our ceremony. One favorite was our officiant — my dad! He has always been a huge influence and support in my life, and it made the ceremony even more special to have him at the helm. Another part was our ketubah reading. Our ceremony was interfaith, so a good portion of our guests were unfamiliar with the meaning behind a Ketubah. We had some of our closest friends each come up to read aloud a line from the commitments outlined in our Ketubah (which was beautifully designed by Urban Collective Ketubah). It was special to have them participate and to share this tradition with all our friends and family. Building in a lot of personal elements, unique to our lives and our relationship really made the ceremony meaningful and memorable for us.
A SIMPLE RUSTIC CHUPPAH
The venue was very scenic, overlooking rolling hills and vineyards, so the chuppah didn’t have to be elaborate or overdone. We went for simple and natural. Pete made the chuppah himself, using birch poles as the base, grounded by pots of moss and stone.
MUSIC FOR THE CEREMONY
Pete walked down the aisle to Johnny Cash’s “Rose of my Heart”. I walked down the aisle to Bob Dylan’s original version of “Make You Feel My Love”. I love all versions of this song, but Bob Dylan is one of my parent’s favourites and I grew up listening to him throughout my childhood, so this version was special for that reason. Our first dance was to Ella Fitzgerald’s “Our Love is Here to Stay” which is the same song my parent’s danced to at their wedding.
OUR SUPER-COOL PHOTOGRAPHER
Jonas Seaman and his partner/second shooter Mary Williamson are, in a word, AMAZING. What drew me to Jonas’ work was that his photography goes beyond just beautiful image capture and really emotes story-telling. When I scroll through the weddings Jonas and Mary have shot, I feel the vibe of the day and the personality of each couple coming through. Jonas is incredibly passionate about his work and it comes through in every photo. On top of all that, he’s just a cool guy with a totally chill presence, and what more could you want from a person following you around all day on your wedding day?!
ALL THE CREATIVE TOUCHES
My secret weapon for all the unique touches (other than my talented friends and family!) was Etsy! I worked with so many talented artists and craftsmen to get some really special pieces on Etsy: our ketubah, my hair piece, boutonnieres, our cake topper, our guest book (thumb print poster), ties/bow ties for the groomsmen and ring bearer, monogrammed leather flasks and tie clips, stamped favour bags, decorative prints and more. Not to mention both my engagement ring and Pete’s wedding band were made by talented jewelry designers found via Etsy.
ADVICE TO OTHER BRIDES
Don’t forget to enjoy the day! There is so much going on, so many people to talk to and so many details to coordinate, that it’s easy to let it fly by without taking it all in. Make sure you don’t sweat the small stuff and take a moment to appreciate the day, the people that have come to support you and the immense love at that root of it all.
JESSICA + PETE’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photographer — Jonas Seaman
Venue — Fontaine Estates
Bride’s dress — Nightcap Clothing from ShopBop.com
Groom’s attire — Hugo Boss shirt + tie, John Varvatos suit + To Boot New York shoes
Ketubah — Urban Collective Ketubah
Cake topper — Petite25
Guestbook — Love from the thumb
Looks like a fantastic day, and some beautiful, evocative photography. Great job.
I am also getting married next month and loved reading about this awesome wedding day. Thank you for sharing these lovely pics.
Absolutely gorgeous, lovely shots and that winter sun is glorious!
WOW. That is all.