A Wedding in Wine Country With Wildflower Décor

In October 2016, David, who had just graduated from Columbia, was passing through Texas to visit family. He met some of Natalie’s friends at a tailgate party and they set them up on a blind date. When they first crossed paths, David asked Natalie what book she was reading, which was The Gold Finch. “In true David fashion, he scooped a copy and read it to learn a little bit more about me,” Natalie says. Four years later, in November 2019, the couple was living together in California; before heading out to dinner one night, David handed Natalie a copy of The Gold Finch and asked her to turn to page 463, where he highlighted a meaningful passage reminiscent of how their love story began. “Then he asked me to flip back to the beginning of the book, where he had carved out a small nook in the pages for my ring,” Natalie says. 

An art enthusiast, Natalie was drawn to Timber Cove Resort in Jenner, California, which was originally a meditation retreat space for artists and creatives. The couple also wanted to host their June 5, 2021, wedding day as close as possible to the tastings in wine country—and also needed a spot with sweeping views of the ocean. “Another major selling point is that we were able to rent out the entire property, so only guests attending our wedding were on-site for the weekend,” Natalie says. “David and I don’t have a ton of overlapping friends, so it was a really cool opportunity for our nearest and dearest to mix and mingle.”

With wildflower décor and ocean views in mind, the couple enlisted Callista & Co. to help them pull together their vision. Read on to see how they created a memorable guest experience for their 95 guests in photos by Mashaida Co.

Natalie and David invited their closest loved ones to enjoy views of the Sonoma coastline all weekend at Timber Cove Resort. They kicked off the celebrations with a welcome party, to which Natalie wore an ivory turtleneck fringe dress with matching boots; David opted for a gray blazer and matching pants. “The weather was crazy,” Natalie remembers. “One morning it was foggy and freezing, the next it was sunny and mild.”

Guests were greeted with one-of-a-kind welcome boxes featuring a swipe of paint in the couple’s wedding color scheme of honey, taupe, marine blue, gray, and forest green. The boxes included personalized miniature bottles of Champagne and an itinerary for the wedding weekend.

Natalie wanted to wear something bridal on her big day, but didn’t envision herself in a wedding dress. “I thought the idea of a wedding skirt was fabulous and effortless,” she says. Her mom, Maile Jones, made all of her homecoming and prom dresses in high school, so it was a no-brainer to ask her to make her wedding skirt, too.

She paired the white floral patterned skirt with a ruched white long-sleeved Khaite bodysuit, gold and pearl drop Celine earrings, Jimmy Choo shoes, and an all-white floral bouquet by Lambert Floral Studio, which was completed with oversized calla lilies. She wore Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry as her wedding day fragrance.

David wore a bespoke three piece suit from Harper + Jones and accessorized with an IWC watch, a pocket square, and boutonnière.

Natalie and David shared a first look along the property’s bluff. They took in the views of the Pacific Ocean as their photographers snapped photos. “I have to give a loud and enthusiastic shout out to our photographers, Andrew and Mashaida Tran, who not only knocked it out of the park in California, but also captured some of the most heartwarming and sentimental photos of our families at our intimate Fort Worth wedding,” the bride shares.

The Pacific Ocean served as the couple’s ceremony backdrop. “You truly cannot beat the sweeping views at Timber Cove,” Natalie says. Chairs were set up in the grass and wildflowers in eclectic white vases decorated the aisle entrance and altar.

Natalie walked down the aisle with her dad, Dan Jones, by her side as live musicians played “Sea of Love” by Cat Power.

The couple wrote and exchanged personal vows at their small family-only wedding in Natalie’s parents’ backyard in November 2020. “For the larger celebration, we kept the ceremony short and sweet,” Natalie says. They celebrated back down the aisle to “This Will Be Our Year” by The Zombies.

At cocktail hour, guests visited a wooden bar decorated with more vibrant wildflower arrangements in white vessels. The pair offered ranch waters and half-sweet old fashioneds (served with monogrammed ice balls) as signature drinks.

“I found out I was pregnant 10 days before the wedding, so that made the entire weekend very memorable!” Natalie says. “The entire staff was in on the secret, making me mocktails and serving me non-alcoholic beer.”

Natalie and David served appetizers at their cocktail hour, including a family favorite of lobster rolls with Ruffle potato chips on top. They were presented on custom cocktail napkins printed with fun facts about the couple.

The couple and their guests had a blast enjoying live music, dancing, and engaging in conversation at various lounge areas set up throughout the space. “The dancing was so much fun,” Natalie says. “My dad cut a rug!”

Guests’ escort cards—tiny flags placed in blue stoneware vases—were displayed on a table full of wildflower arrangements; they referenced the flags attendees waved once the couple was pronounced husband and wife.

The reception took place on a redwood deck, which allowed the group to enjoy dinner under the stars. Woven chairs were paired with glass tables; place settings featured stoneware dishes and cloth napkins for a mix of textures. Multi-sized centerpieces, composed of single-bloom wildflowers, ran down the center of each station.

Natalie and David changed into comfy clothes for the remainder of the night as they created more memories with their guests. They celebrated with a mini-moon at MacArthur Place in Sonoma after the wedding—and Natalie is gunning for a longer trip to Italy for a honeymoon soon.

To couples who are planning their own nuptials, Natalie offers these sage words: “Try not to stress about things you cannot control. And don’t worry until you actually have something to worry about.”