I'll toast to that!

Vineyard weddings = Romance.

Perhaps it's a Californian thing. I am a farm girl at heart. My uncle tried his hand at growing grapes when I was in Junior High School. For a moment in time, I thought I might end up part of famous winery family. Girls can dream, right!

When I was getting married, my first thought was I wanted to have a reception in Wine Country. I wanted a rustic yet romantic summer affair. That didn't happen but since then we have had the privilege of working with clients that lived out my dream....a romantic vineyard wedding.

Enter E and B. A fantastic couple that turned client.
They may be the sweetest people we've ever met! Full of smiles and completely up beat and in love.

E & B "stumbled" across an amazing find in the Southern California area: Bella Victorian Vineyard.

The main house, "The Painted Lady" serves as a beautiful backdrop to terraced yards and open vineyards. The Painted Lady has a beautiful bridal suite, and a welcoming front porch.

The grounds are split into several different levels.

The proprietors, Kim and Jerry Monahan, built the estate with parties in mind. I am finicky about bathrooms. I think most brides are concerned but it's rarely discussed! Bella Victorian has beautiful bathrooms in a stand alone building. Tile work, vintage hardware, pedestal sinks. As silly as it sounds, the "facilities" could sell me on this venue!

One of the unique aspects of the Bella Victorian is that it feels isolated....parties are transformed to a country vineyard away from the rest of the world. To achieve this quiet serenity, all parking is off site and guests are shuttled via old cable car trolley. It's adorable and makes for a fun experience and fantastic pictures!

If you are looking for a unique opportunity to celebrate at a working vineyard, Bella Victorian Vineyard might be the venue for you! For more information: http://bellavictorianvineyard.com

Whether day or night, Bella Victorian will be full of romance......

Professional Photography courtesy of Janice Trowbridge Photography. Snapshots from Style & Grace.

Floral artistry by Janet Webb, Greenwich Floral.

1-2-3....CHEESE!

Flash back.....

Eighth grade graduation. Someone asks Jill, "What do you want to be when you grow up?".

Jill says, "A neonatologist or some other kind of doctor".

Flash forward to today....

Someone asks Jill, "What would you do if you could do anything you wanted in this life?".

Well, I could answer with a philosophical retort, or I could say I'd want to save animals or children, but to be perfectly honest, my secret passion is photography. I am one crazy photography blog stalker. I love pictures. I love weddings. I love looking at the art which is wedding pictures.

In today's entry (yes, I know I am overdue for blog entries of actual weddings....) I salute some of my favorite local photographers. I send you all my love and respect!

• I "met" Crissy Farah when she was new in the biz. She took my Godson (aka Stephanie Janisse's baby's) first year photos. I fell in love with her work and my admiration has grown. http://itsjustsillyme.blogspot.com/


• Jonilyn Photography is a new find. She was the fun photo-artist (sometimes you've got to salute the artist within) at J & C's rehearsal dinner. Genious work! http://jonilynphotographyblog.com/?p=33


• Cameron Ingalls is my new crush (along with Rob Holley but he's out of the area now).
  Cameron took amazing pics at a wedding at Villa del sol D'Oro. His work is genuine and emotional. http://cameroningallsphotography.com/ Even his choice of music on his website evokes an indescribable sense of love.


• Sarah K Chen I've not yet worked with Sarah but I love her work! We've chatted about my own wedding picture woes and she seems like a doll. http://sarahkchen.com/blog/


• Janice Trowbridge is a fabulously warm and personable photographer. While she's not one of the regular names thrown around on WeddingBee and The Knot, she deserves a cult following. The picture above, the vineyard shot, is just one my favorites from a wedding last summer. She's super sweet and fun to be around. http://www.janicetrowbridge.com/


• A local girl, done good is none other than Felicia Perry. Felicia is another photographer I've watched and admired from afar. When I got married, Felicia was just getting started and she made my "short list". I am so impressed with her work and I can't wait to work with her in person! http://www.feliciaperryphotography.com/home.html
  

LA is such a lucky town to have such photography resources at hand. Brides (and grooms!) have so many great choices at varying price points. I know that I am missing so many talented names on my short list. I salute your talent, photographers and I dream of living your lives....tucked behind a camera.

PS- Here's a favorite of mine that Crissy took of my dear Godson (aka Steph's baby boy)! Does it really get any cuter than ten chubby toes?

And these are a few of my favorite things!

Yes, the Sound of Music is running through my brain as I type. And yes, I am a nerdy-sing-along type gal.
But while I love raindrops on roses and white colored kittens, I am much more anxious to share pictures from a few of our favorite brides in 2007.

I love the color combination chosen for this November wedding. The bride loved the idea of rich browns and wanted to add an accent color. At first, she was going to use accents of pink but then decided hues of purples would be unique and add a depth to a Fall wedding.



Place cards....we love them! It's such a great opportunity for brides to express their interests and even thank their guests (see picture below). E, a charming bride who chose a vineyard for her reception, thought of every detail down to the cork bed for the place cards. A couple ingenious thoughts about E's placecards....She opted not to pay for a professional caligrapher but rather had her wonderful grandmother write each card. This added a personal touch and a reminder of the importance of each generation of our families. E was also crafty in assembling her bed of corks- she simply used serving trays to hold corks. I can only imagine that her husband is now using the serving tray to deliver breakfast in bed every Saturday!

As mentioned above, a September bride, J, took the opportunity on her placecards to write a personalized "thank you" to each of her guests. J also excited me with her punches of orange throughout her reception. Oh, I can't forget that she did an amazing job on her invitations....two of my favorite colors...green and orange.


This picture is such an intimate glimpse at a young woman moments before her big day begins. While you can't see the brides face, photographer Janice Trowbridge did an impressive job of capturing emotion with just a shot of the brides delicate hands. Janice is a gem to work with and did a fantastic job on this wedding.


All things feminine. Yes, I love all things feminine. High heels, lace, peep-toes. Feminine touches are beautiful.


May I say that I love Cameron Ingalls? We "discovered" Camoron Ingalls, a fabulous photographer from the Central Coast, in 2007. No worries, Mrs. Anna Ingalls, we love you too! Anna and Cameron come as a team. They are a great find. Their work is they type of work that brings tears to your eyes. I want to get married again to have Cameron shoot my wedding!

And my most favoritist thing (and yes, I am married to an English teacher!)of 2007 is knowing that Style & Grace witnessed bonds between couples that will guide them through the rainy days and provide sunshine and smiles. I don't think that there was a single wedding in 2007 that did not leave me misty-eyed. Stephanie and I thank each of our special couples for allowing us to share in your magincal day.