A Spring Wedding With a Wine Country Theme

Emily and Mark met when they started high school in 2008 and were friends for years before they started dating in 2016. “We both attended college in New York, and through a few coordinated visits to the city and surrounding areas, we realized our connection was growing into something more than friendship,” Emily says. In December 2022, the couple had just finished decorating their Christmas tree at their home in Laguna Beach when Mark proposed. “I remember we were both in our pajamas, all of the Christmas lights were twinkling, and it had such a casual yet romantic feel,” Emily says. “We popped a bottle of Champagne and really soaked it all in.”

The two initially thought they might host a destination wedding in France or Italy, but realized Los Olivos, California, where Emily’s family has a home, had some of the same qualities as those far-flung locales. Once they settled on the area, they knew they would host their May 26, 2024, wedding at The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern. “We loved how intimate the property feels and early on could envision our guests staying on-site and enjoying the pool, tavern, and grounds together,” Emily says.

The couple envisioned inviting their 105 guests to a relaxed springtime wedding where the most formal detail was the dress code. “A few of our elements, especially when it came to décor, might be deemed ‘untraditional,’ so we wanted to be sure that while we kept things fun and relaxed, the evening still felt refined and well-orchestrated from start to finish.” Emily says. They hired Abby & Caroline Events to plan and design their California wine country-inspired celebration with a color palette of green, white, and ivory. Read on to see the unique details, including grape centerpieces and custom matchbooks inspired by Mark’s parents’ wedding from 1986, in photos by Mel Toms.

Emily and Mark hired Reverie Press to create all of their wedding-day paper products. The invitation suite featured embossed lettering and a subtle floral design on handmade cards; the font was a rich shade of olive green to match the envelopes. They finished the set with ivory wax seals with their first initials.

Emily and Mark invited their whole guest list to their rehearsal dinner at Fess Parker Wine Country Inn, which took place the evening before the wedding, and asked attendees to dress in formal attire. They followed suit: Emily wore a green taffeta off-the-shoulder maxi dress by Bernadette and accessorized with emerald drop earrings and embellished Gucci slingbacks. Mark chose a double breasted linen suit paired with black Gucci loafers.

For the rehearsal dinner décor, the couple asked their florist to keep the centerpieces minimal and white to match the linens and place settings. They brought in Nella Kitchen, a restaurant just next door to the venue, to cater the event, and asked for an al fresco dinner of salads with seasonal produce, fresh Italian flatbreads, and gelato. “Our stationary vendor, Reverie Press, created beautiful custom menus and paper goods that were inspired by vintage Italian cafe menus,” Emily says.

Emily got ready for the day (and fine-tuned her vows) in a white satin pajama set before stepping into her A-line Ines Di Santo wedding dress, complete with an off-the-shoulder neckline and corset top. “I had been to a few different bridal shops at that point and when I tried on my dress I felt beautiful, but most importantly, like myself,” she says. “I loved how romantic the lace and how long the train was.” She accessorized with pearl and diamond earrings from Fewer Finer and a diamond tennis bracelet that her mom gifted her on the wedding day. She wore her favorite fragrance, Jo Malone Orange Blossom as her big-day fragrance. “It was the perfume my mom always wore growing up, and I love that it reminds me of her,” she says.

Mark wore a Ralph Lauren Purple Label black tuxedo with patent leather Gucci shoes and a Rolex watch that Emily’s parents gifted him on the wedding day. “It was originally Emily’s father’s and a family heirloom,” he says. The couple didn’t have a formal wedding party, but Mark snagged some photos with his friends—and the vintage Porsche that would later be used for the couple’s sendoff!

Emily and Mark thought that having a first look before the ceremony would calm their nerves after all the emotional build-up leading to the wedding day. “It was our favorite moment, and we were both so happy we did it,” Emily says. “We both experienced a level of happiness and gratefulness that we can’t put into words.”

The couple’s ceremony took place on the lawn, so guests were given parasols to shade them from the California sun. A white and green altar installation created a focal point for the space. “We were really inspired by Mattei’s Tavern itself and wanted our florals and décor to complement the amazing landscape and greenery that was already on-site,” Emily says.

Emily’s father, Keith, walked her down the aisle to Etta James’ “At Last” before she and Mark exchanged personal vows. “It felt important to share not just with each other, but also with our friends and family at our ceremony, just how deep our love for each other ran and let them into a small glimpse of our feelings,” the bride says. The couple celebrated back down the aisle to Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” at the conclusion of the service.

The couple kicked off the cocktail hour by pouring out a Champagne tower filled with grapes as a nod to the wedding’s wine country inspiration. They raised a glass, thanked their guests for coming, and threw on some fun sunglasses for the rest of the interlude.

For cocktails, guests visited the venue’s outdoor bar, which was decorated with green and white arrangements that spilled over the bar-top. The duo set up an audio guestbook and offered custom matchbooks—designed to look just like the ones Mark’s parents offered at their own wedding in 1986—at the bar, where they also served two signature cocktails: the Cowboy Carajillo, a reposado tequila and espresso drink, and the Spring Spritz, a spiced pear and St. Germain sip. They served the cocktails on creative custom napkins featuring an illustration of their dog, Mika.

During the cocktail hour, attendees also browsed the “decades of love” tribute table, which spotlighted the couple’s parents’ and grandparents’ own wedding photos.

Emily and Mark held their reception inside the venue’s wooden barn, where long tables were set up around a cozy fireplace. Tables were topped with crisp white linens; centerpieces consisted of white pillar candles in hurricanes and vibrant green grapes. “We knew from the start we wanted to create something unique and different for our reception, and Jenn Sanchez helped bring that vision to life by finding perfectly colored green and red grapes for our centerpieces,” Emily says. “It was such a fun and unexpected moment that worked perfectly for our setting and celebrated Southern California wine country.”

The couple served a multi-course dinner starting with an arugula salad with hazelnuts and smoked ricotta and sesame crusted tuna with eggplant caponata. Guests chose between a roasted free range chicken served with potatoes and braised leeks or a braised short rib dish with parsnip puree and roasted cippolini onions for the main course.

Mark’s dad and best man surprised the couple with a performance of “Save The Last Dance For Me” on the saxophone alongside the band. “When planning a wedding, there is little room for surprises, so we were shocked that not only had they managed to surprise us, but also found the time to rehearse and even personalize some of the lyrics,” Emily says. “It’s a memory neither of us will ever forget.”

Instead of wedding cake, Emily and Mark served burnt cheesecake with berries and lemon cream and a strawberry dessert with whipped creme fraiche, fig syrup, and almond streusel.

The couple’s band kicked off the evening with one of their favorite songs, “Move On Up,” to set the energy for the evening. Mark and Emily took a break to pose for portraits as husband and wife in a vintage Porsche—and later brought in a late-night DJ from Dart Collective to keep the party going all night long.