Buildup to Megan + Paul’s Wedding

Posted by Lauren

3-week wedding anniversary presents are a thing, right? If so, this is for you Megan and Paul ;) Although it seems like just yesterday that Megan and Paul tied the knot, it has been three whole weeks! Their wedding was GORGEOUS, and I just need to post photos…

Rehearsal Night 

Quick wine tasting at Merryvale in St. Helena before the rehearsal started… Props to Sam for comp-ing the pours with his distributors card. So fly.

Post pours, we hopped across the highway to start the wedding rehearsal at the breathtaking Grace Episcopal Church.

We stood. We practiced. We repeated x3. I couldn’t get over how romantic the church was! The dark wood, cobblestones, and stained glass reminded me more of Sleeping Beauty than Napa Valley.

After our practice rounds, everyone caravanned down to Brix, a contemporary restaurant with French-inspired, California cuisine. The restaurant is surrounded by 16 acres of vineyards and has a large garden that grows food for the restaurant. Über local.

Hors d’oeuvres of the evening: pork + ricotta meatballs, tempura fried beans, coconut shrimp. Gorgeous patio. Charming conversations. Delightful food.

The official rehearsal dinner began about an hour later… I joined my fellow bridesmaids and their dates at a table, we ‘awwed’ at the speeches from Paul’s parents + Sam the groomsmen, and nominated Diana to say a few words on our behalf.

For food, we all started with a baby field greens salad with black currants, toasted pine nuts, and an aged sherry vinaigrette. For my main dish, I chose the wood grilled California king salmon instead of the chicken breast. It was very delicious, but neither could hold a candle to the sweet treat at the end of the night – vanilla bean creme brulee with a chocolate biscotti. I may have had two. :)

The whole night was so intimate and relaxed. The bride looked beautiful and sophisticated in her rosy dress and pearls. The restaurant staff was extremely attentive (yes, I will have more wine) and the food was garden-fresh, literally. We all had a terrific time and I couldn’t wait to fall asleep, wake up, and get the wedding festivities started!

Wedding Day

I wanted to explore a bit in the morning, so I laced up my running shoes and ran a short loop through the vineyards. After about 2 miles, I approached a giant hill and decided to call my mom and walk up it. After catching up with her and hoofin’ it up the hill, I spotted a llama!

Why do people have llamas these days? Their fibrous fur?

Anyways, I showered fast (didn’t want my spray tan to drip away! haha) and blow dried my hair. Megan and her family were staying in one of the multi-room condos on the other side of the golf course, so I drove over for girly time…. makeup, false eyelashes, fancy hairdos….

Stassie helped every one out with their makeup. She’s a bonafide cosmetics guru. Megan kindly covered our hair appointments (thanks!) with one of the most talented stylists I’ve come across (she’s in the Bay Area – let me know if you want her contact info in the comments). She used to do hair for the 49er Goldrush girls! I showed her three different Pinterest inspirations and she combined them all into something fabulous! (“the height of this one” … “the tucked part of this one” … “and the looseness of this one”)

While Megan slipped into her enchanting, lace wedding gown, we changed into our bridesmaid dresses. After a few “getting ready” pictures, we headed to the “mansion” for the group photos….

Megan and Paul shared their first look on a bridge….

The official photos haven’t been posted yet, but the ones above (and many others in this post) come from Paula’s camera. Thanks for sharing, girl!

Next up, limo to the ceremony!

So, If you’ve ever driven from Napa to St. Helena on a Saturday, I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that we hit gridlock on the one lane freeway. Not to mention there was a ton of traffic due to construction… dun dun dunnnnn!!

Enter cliffhanger blog post ending…. the wedding and reception post is coming in less than 24 hours!

Question: Describe your ideal up-do. Any Pinterest links? Also, what would you do with a pet llama?

-Lauren