A St. Helena Spring wedding

Ironically, 2014 brought some of my most satisfying and lovely wedding wedding work, but no time to capture or share it! I'll be doing my best to correct this problem in 2015 (which is booking up to look like a beautiful season) and to share what few celebrations I managed to gather photographs from last year, as well.

To this end, here are a few images from J&D nuptials last spring.  J&D are both talented winemakers, so not surprisingly food and wine played a central role in their celebration. They also wanted the flowers to complement the season and local landscape, and it was my pleasure to comply with freesia from Pescadero, scabiosa from Pacifica, clivia, poppies, mums, and cymbidiums from Watsonville, 'Clair de Lune' roses and calla lilies from Petaluma, and pussywillow, ficus, and olive from Napa.

The ceremony was held at the beautiful St. Helena Church followed by dinner and dancing at the Culinary Institute of America's historic Greystone Campus (incidentally one of my very favorite venues).

Thank you, J&D for the opportunity to be a part of your beautiful celebration!

A Classic White Wedding, With Antlers

O&G's wedding was both beautifully classic and genuinely unique, thanks to many personal elements, like the groom's awesome getaway car, the box vases made from the couple's old redwood fence, antler table decorations collected on many hunting trips, and lovely paper goods letter-pressed by the classy and creative Paper Bash with the groom's own artwork. Congratulations, O&G! And thank you for letting me be a part of your beautiful celebration!

Recent Fruity Centerpieces

 Oh man, was Thanksgiving wonderful this year. Best. Holiday. Ever.

Even if it did make these centerpieces unseasonable overnight.

Here they are with pomegranates, persimmons, oak, and clematis from Napa, calendula from Daly City, roses and viburnum from Petaluma, arbutus and koelreuteria from South Bay, ranunculus from San Diego, chrysanthemums from Yorba Linda, scabiosa from Half Moon Bay, oncidium and veronica from Watsonville, and rose hips from Eureka.

Hope your Thanksgiving was awesome!

The Last of Late Summer

From a while back, strawflower from Daly City, chrysanthemums from Yorba Linda, hydrangea from Napa, eucalyptus from Solano, and delphinium from Pescadero.

What All Happened Part 2 of 5: Al Fresco Engagement Dinner

This al fresco engagement party called for centerpieces which looked as delicate as a wedding lace and as natural and wild as a dry California hillside. Also, they had to be tough enough to stand up to several hours in the pounding afternoon sun Upvalley (typically several degrees even hotter than down in Napa). Dusty miller, agapanthus, and double feverfew from Half Moon Bay, lunaria seedpods from Napa, and chrysanthemums from Santa Clarita did the trick, and thanks to the new transportation system, all 14 went in one trip easily. Huzzah!