Beacon Hill Winery & Vineyard Wedding Video

Words from the Bride

How did you two meet?

My husband and I met actually in the fifth grade. We were classmates in the same elementary school class. The best part is in our fifth grade yearbook, I circled his name and wrote hottie next to his picture (I don't think he would have said the same about me quite yet). From there we were in the same core group of friends all through middle school and high school, he was also my first kiss, and then we went our separate ways in college. We saw each other out here and there during college and said we should get happy hour sometime. Fast forward a couple years after graduation, we finally got that happy hour! I was about to work harvest for the winery I worked for, and during those couple months, you don't really have a lot of time on your hands so no time like the present. We spent hours talking and catching up and hit it off.


How did he propose?

My husband's family and myself took a trip to Italy in the fall of 2018. We had the most magical day exploring Venice on our first official day in Italy. The weather was perfect, food and company was incredible, and we had a dinner reservation set up. Before going to dinner we decided to get a happy hour along the canal and then decided to have a gondola ride. Ian and I were in one, his family in the one behind us. We were almost back to the landing before Ian got on one knee, while the gondola driver was yelling "don't move, don't move!" (he failed to tell the driver what he planned to do, and those gondolas are not the most stable) and finally realized what was taking place and let Ian finish what he wanted to say, He asked in my hand in married and I said yes in shock.


What did you envision your wedding being prior to planning?

I wanted a destination wedding, in the country side of Italy or something along the lines of that, small and intimate. I hadn't saved a wedding private board on pinterest, so hadn't though much into it other than I want it small (we ended up having 160 guests), and it wasn't a destination.


What unique elements or DIY details did you include?

I loved my table arrangements signage and the 9L bottle of wine that everyone signed as my guest book. The table arrangements were all on lanterns, Janae Lyn Studio does decals that are amazing. She also was able to re-create a decal similar to what was on my Save the Dates to put on the 9L bottle of wine. The bottle of wine is from the winery I work for, Chehalem Winery, and we got to open that bottle for my pre-Thanksgiving Italian Thanksgiving that I host for 20 or so family and friends. I will get the 9L filled with the juice from the 2019 vintage, the year we got married.


What was your favorite moment?

The whole experience was truly the most incredible day of my life. To pinpoint just one moment is almost impossible. I would say the first look moment was one of those moments that took my breathe away. Two of my bridesmaids and myself were peeking through the door seeing Ian look the other way waiting for me, and I started to cry and I think I had to get shoved out the door because I was shaking and hyperventilating. I would also say the speeches given were beautiful, and having all my best friends there, including one flying from Australia to be there was special.


Tell us about your flowers, your gown, your favors, your cake, etc.

I love rich, deep jewel tones, and found an image of a bouquet on a table setting. That image was used that as the sounding board for everything. I wanted pops of silver blue and blush and lots of merlot with accents of gold. It was a Fall wedding, and the backdrop was wine country, so I didn't want anything over the top. My flowers by Wild Fern Florals were exactly what I wanted. The colors were also the three colors I had my bridesmaids wear - blush, silvery blue, merlot. My cake was simple, a naked cake with white frosting, with a few flowers sprinkled on top. I have an obsession with table settings so loved doing that. Tables were all in a neutral sheer brown, with merlot colored napkins and gold silverware with cut crystal stemware and votives. The head table was dark brown table topper with a long bouquet of greenery, reminding me something out of Game of Thrones. The chargers were gold rimmed and was a small detail I added there. I had 2 accent tables that had specialty linens from La Tavola that had gold sequins - which I highly suggest to anyone to have 1 or 2 accent table linens to make something pop. My gown was a mermaid cut to fit my curvy figure with lots of glitz to it. I loved it despite the fact I thought I would never be in a mermaid cut, I envisioned long sleeve. It went along with a hair clip I found and because you couldn't see my feet, I went with rhinestone sandals.


Describe your wedding day in your own words:

My wedding was the most magical day of my life. To be surrounded by the people you love, near and far who come to witness this beautiful moment in time, money can't buy that. The speeches were tributes to not only love, but my late father, who is not longer with us. My god father walked me down the aisle, and being able to ask someone who would never be in the position to walk someone down the aisle, was unforgettable. Call it cliche but my wedding day added another layer of love and loyalty that I felt towards my husband as we took this step with each other, said our vows, and said I do. It all felt like a dream, I never could have imagined a day going more perfect and smooth in my life, and without the love Ian and I share, and the love we have for our friends and family, this day couldn't happen without the village we have.


What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be?

Get a day of wedding planner so you or your family doesn't have to worry about a thing! It is worth every penny. This allows you to be as present as possible, to soak up every detail of the wedding from the rehearsal dinner to the moment you leave the venue. Additionally - be you and have fun, not everyday you get married so do it your way.

Event Partners:

Check out some other Winery Weddings we’ve shot below:

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