Every wedding vendor team is created a little differently. In this series we explore how and why each couple selected the right wedding vendor team for their wedding day.
On most Friday afternoons, Arianna and Andrew go on a walk with their Bernese Mountain Dog, Lady, in their San Francisco neighborhood, as a way to usher in the weekend. One November in 2020, after Arianna had to work late and rain unexpectedly fell, the trio returned home post-stroll and Andrew surprised Arianna with a proposal once she had changed into dry clothes—stashing the engagement ring in a velvet pouch tied to Lady’s collar.
They celebrated with champagne and video chats with immediate family and friends before leaving the next morning for more revelry in Napa. Andrew had planned a getaway for them (Lady included) in California’s wine country, which would inevitably play a significant role in their romantic garden wedding day as well.
During that weekend away, the couple started talking about their wedding, as they knew they wanted to get married the following year, in fall 2021. So they spent some time dreaming up their ideal scenarios…where they wanted to get married, how many people they’d invite, what type of wedding it would be, etc. It made the weekend even more special, and was a great way to kick off their planning process.
Having grown up in Santa Cruz, the Bay Area is home for Arianna. And after building their lives together in San Francisco, staying in the region was important to both the bride and groom. With half of their guest list coming from Chicago (where the groom grew up), the pair also wanted to be mindful of making their wedding destination easy to get to, and a spot that would be a fun mini vacation for them, particularly since it would be many guests’ first trips since the onset of the pandemic.
As wine country had been a go-to locale throughout their courtship—taking weekends for wine tasting or quick day trips—it was a natural fit for where they’d tie the knot. And wanting an outdoor wedding made it all the more clear that getting out of the city was the way to go. The venue search was short as Arianna and Andrew instantly fell in love with Beaulieu Garden in Rutherford, California.
“The very first thing we did was find our venue, mostly because we were worried about getting a wedding date for 2021 with all the weddings that year. And the caterer came with the venue, as Paula Le Duc [Fine Catering & Events] has exclusive rights to Beaulieu Garden, so not only did it make that easy, but they were one of our top catering choices!” —Arianna, bride
The couple found their venue that was equal parts regal and relaxed, and they booked their caterer in one move. Their Napa Valley wedding had quite a menu, starting with ahi tuna cones passed during cocktail hour, a choice of three entrees including a lamb dish to honor Andrew’s Greek heritage, and late-night bites like truffled tater tots and mini pulled pork sliders.
With their perfect venue and date secured, they set out to find a wedding planner. Both Arianna and Andrew worked full-time, and with the wedding less than a year away, it was clear a planner was necessary. Arianna found Erin Taylor of Bustle Events, as she had planned and designed a friend’s wedding. Her ample experience at the venue was also important to the bride. From there, the elegant, classic, timeless, and chic celebration began to take shape.
“We both had one top priority, we wanted the weekend to be a very fun and easy weekend for all our family and friends. We wanted them to feel like they were well taken care of and top priority. I honestly think we received more comments about how fun and relaxed, yet enchanting, the entire evening was than I ever would have expected and really it’s all thanks to Erin and her team and the caterers.” —Arianna, bride
The couple knew they wanted a classic color palette of neutrals and an elevated dinner party feel. Bustle Events always start each design with the creation of a high level mood board, which provides the direction of the color story and overall wedding vibe and is shared with all vendors when the planning begins.
The next big vendor that was decided was the wedding florist, Max Gill of Max Gill Design, who was a suggestion from Erin because of his floral style, which is all about movement and design. An O-shaped ceremony focal point was discussed from the start as the letter is the bride and groom’s last initial. Max not only worked hard to make it beautiful, but to make it happen at all. With supply chain issues and a white flower shortage, it was no easy task, but the end result was a work of art in an intimate and serene setting.
While the floral conversations were happening, talks with Union Street Papery for all things wedding stationery began. A crest was designed to be a focal point on the invitation suite, which was traditional yet clean in design, and printed on plush white paper. It combined a black monogram with a blind letterpressed illustration surrounding it. And the multiple components were all bundled in soft silk ribbon and a wax seal sporting the couple’s shared first initial—a motif that continued through day-of paper pieces, like the dinner menu.
The next priority was wedding photography. Arianna found Mashaida via Instagram as they had photographed her former co-worker’s wedding. A call was scheduled with the husband-and-wife duo of Mashaida and Andrew Tran, and it continued from there.
“It was extremely important to me that Andrew felt comfortable with them since we would be spending so much time together and let’s face it, photos are not usually men’s favorite part of the wedding. So finding Mashaida and Andrew was so amazing. Not only is their work incredible and I loved the classic, editorial look they produced, but the husband and wife team makes a huge difference when taking couple and family photos.” —Arianna, bride
“We knew Arianna and Andrew would be a great fit with us even before our initial call. We were excited about their venue choice and their desire for a classy garden party was right up our alley. It was such an honor to get to know them and their wedding was a true reflection on how kind and considerate of a couple they both are. We take on less than a dozen weddings each year and so we look for couples that not only have a great sense of design and style, but who are laid-back and fun to be around.” —Andrew Tran, photographer
All things music-related followed. Eloquence String Quartet was chosen to play during their ceremony and cocktail hour—including Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” for the bride’s procession.
DJ Josh Dukes spun during the reception and into the after-party. Things kicked off with George Strait’s “I Just Want to Dance With You” for the first dance (the bride is a big country fan), followed by upbeat songs to keep all 150 guests dancing, including some songs harkening back to the couple’s high school and college years.
Next, it was time to really dive into the design. Pieces from Bright Event Rentals, Theoni Collection, and Standard Party Rentals were picked out with great care, starting with an element that would play a large part of the reception’s look.
“Knowing that we really wanted to elevate the reception space, we knew we needed the perfect chair. Theoni Collection has the most amazing chair options and the Montpellier chair was the perfect fit, with its clean lines and a twist on the classic upholstered options with its cane back. Chairs are such an overlooked important design element. There are always a lot of them, so they take up a ton of visual real estate.” —Erin Taylor, planner/designer
The romantic garden wedding ceremony and elegant reception were both designed to have layered and elegant looks. Sourcing from multiple companies allowed Bustle Events to pull the exact design they envisioned together.
Katie Nash was the next addition to the wedding vendor team, and she glammed up the bride, her maid-of-honor, mother, sister-in-law, and aunt for her romantic garden wedding wedding. Arianna opted to wear her hair down, just skimming the top of her strapless wedding dress, with soft waves framing her face, which had a natural makeup application.
“I knew how I wanted to do my hair and then makeup, and asked for a glammed up version of myself. My trial was fun because we did it the same day of our engagement shoot with Mashaida and Andrew. We then altered it slightly so it wasn't exactly the same on the wedding day!” —Arianna, bride
When it came time to focus on the wedding cake, the inspiration drew from the bride’s Carolina Herrera wedding dress, which had a delicate pearl seed beading in the shape of flowers throughout the bodice and train. Flour and Bloom mimicked that embellishment on the three-tier cake.
“Choosing our flavors was the fun part! We actually picked up our samples for tasting (Covid cake sampling!) while on our way up to Healdsburg one weekend for Arianna’s birthday. We thoroughly enjoyed tasting what I believe was around 11 flavors. We decided we’d each pick one, so Arianna went with her favorite, banana with a cream cheese frosting, and I went with chocolate with caramel toffee. Both were great!” —Andrew, groom
Arianna also found Like a Letter, who documented the day from start to finish, and from the ground up. Their coverage included drone footage of the sprawling wedding venue and all that transpired on it.
“I had seen a video they did for a mutual acquaintance and loved their style. I loved their balance of song and voiceover throughout the wedding videos they created and was excited to see what they could capture for our wedding day. Plus they were another husband and wife team who we really appreciated working with!” —Arianna, bride
