Our Springtime Wedding in Wine Country
Alex and I were wed in a small ceremony on a rainy day in December, but we continued the celebrations with a springtime wedding in wine country. From the setting to the guests to the weather, every last detail was absolutely wonderful. The location was our favorite winery, Reeve, in Healdsburg. From the very first time we visited the tasting room, set amongst the beautiful oak trees with the goats and chickens nearby, we felt the place was special. We were also able to stay in the villa on property for an entire weekend getaway with some of our closest friends.
Having been a wedding photographer for over fifteen years, I was able to draw from the best of the best in the industry. Every one of our vendors was personally selected, and several of them are friends. And of course I added a hearty dose of DIY with the elements that I made, designed, and hand-painted for the day.
My friend Cassie Valente helped me photograph many of the flat lays below, featuring our invitation suite designed by Do-Hee Kim.
Our rings: my custom sapphire engagement ring by No. 3; my custom diamond contour band by Everett; and Alex’s Coast ring by Misa Jewelry.
I hand-painted my wedding shoes in bright springtime florals.
Featuring A & A initials on each heel for Alex and Anna.
I also hand-painted florals on bottles of Reeve wine for our table numbers. Each table had a menu that was stamped on the back, indicating who got to take each bottle home.
Invitations, menus, and escort cards designed by Do-Hee. And our peach goblets we sourced from the antiques faire.
In lieu of a traditional guest book, I created a series of activity cards for our guests to work on for us. Cards varied from coloring pages and crossword puzzles to written prompts, like “Write a haiku, limerick, or other poem about today.” or “List some date night ideas for Anna and Alex. Be specific!” We have loved reading these cards afterwards.
We also spent the months before the wedding collecting all of these tiny bowls from our travels to gift to our guests as wedding favors. We invited each person to select a bowl that they liked as an empty vessel waiting to be filled with their stories (or their prized jewelry, special spices, or whatever else they could dream of).
And finally, it’s time for the actual wedding day! Of course it’s a huge ask for a photographer to photograph another photographer’s wedding, but I absolutely love Zha Zha‘s work, and it was impeccable as usual for our big day. Thank you Zha Zha! The rest of this post are her images. Here were the views from our villa overlooking the vineyards of Healdsburg.
All of my florals were by the dream team Ash + Oak, and many of the flowers were sourced from Front Porch Farms, where my former boss (hi Zoe) is now head of flower farming! All these layers of personal serendipity throughout the day.
I also wore my wedding dress in the first ceremony, but last time with a cape and this time with a veil. Plus a short party dress for the reception.
Getting ready together! Underrated, I think.
The ceremony was cold and rainy, whereas this day was sunny and in the 90s. But with the gentle breeze and the shade of the oaks, it was downright pleasant!
The stage is set for our storytelling ceremony. All guests seated in the round for a nontraditional wedding gathering.
As guests arrived at the tasting room, they were greeted with refreshments and welcome programs and introduced to the guest book.
Since we were already married back in the redwoods, Alex and I chose to host a storytelling ceremony instead of a traditional wedding ceremony the second time around. We invited guests to prepare stories that they would share with everyone.
My good friend Cassie served as our story master and emcee, coordinating everyone’s stories and sharing her own as well.
This was such a beautiful way to hear more about both of our sides, and also to have our guests be active participants and not just an audience for us. There were many creative contributions, with photos and other elements.
Our relatives read stories for us from folks who weren’t able to attend in person.
Michael even custom 3D printed molds to make us chocolates! Which miraculously did not completely melt in the heat.
Dan and Jeri, whom we conscripted into many other roles on this day, also presented a whole box of props: all the crafts from my past birthday parties!
Cassie put together this incredible trifold board of my childhood photos, as chosen by my mom and my aunt.
Alex’s uncle John even sang us a song.
And many other stories were shared too. This was one of our favorite parts of the day.
We re-exchanged vows, with Jeri reprising her role as officiant.
We passed around our rings for all of our guests to share a blessing over… and that was that for the ceremony portion of the day!
Time for a glimpse of the juicy florals of the day! I said bright, citrusy springtime with fruits as table decor, and Ash + Oak really delivered! Absolutely love.
Thank you also to Stacy of They So Loved Designs for all of her hard work in executing my design visions, physically setting up much of the day and being the coordinator that helped everything run oh so smoothly before and after the event.
Major thanks also goes to the Reeve team, for the wonderful space and the wonderful staff. They aren’t actually an events venue, but they let us host this very elaborate dinner party, and they were the perfect place for everything we envisioned.
Dress change! Thanks also to my wonderful husband, the best partner and my biggest enabler, but only in the best ways.
Escort cards table, featuring photos from the ceremony and engagement!
Tiny bowls station. So fun to see what everyone chose.
We probably got the most immediate compliments about the food. Thank you to chef Chris Raymer from Reeve for the outstanding meal.
Tiny baby grapes in May.
I first photographed my friend Joyce for her engagement and wedding over a decade ago, and since then she’s gone on to become a pastry chef with her own bakery, and she’s always done cakes for my various parties. It was only fitting that she also make my wedding cake, featuring fresh fruits and jasmine tea!
Mother-son dances for mother’s day.
A cousins’ reenactment of a childhood photo
And finally, some thank yous and time to wrap up for our exit!
First dance: Simple Love by Jay Chou.
Exit: Giant by Calvin Harris. Thank you to DJ Dan for coordinating all of our music and microphone needs.
This was one of our favorite moments, getting to the bottom of the steps and looking back at all our guests seeing us off!
The getaway vehicle! Jeri sourced all of the decorations, and Cassie and Do-Hee decorated the jeep in the villa garage, with Michael and Albert driving it down to the tasting room so that it would stay a surprise for us until this very moment.
Love!
So so nice, we got married twice.
Vendors:
Bride, Event Design, Painted Elements: Anna Wu
Photographer: Zha Zha
Detail Flat Lays: Cassie Valente
Stationery & Signage: Do-Hee Kim
Venue & Catering: Reeve Wines, Healdsburg, California
Coordinator: They So Loved Events
Flowers: Ash + Oak
Hair & Makeup: Beautiful One Makeup Artistry
Dresses: BHLDN
Custom Suit: Suitsupply
Engagement Ring: No. 3
Alex’s Wedding Band: Misa Jewelry
Alex’s Watch: Shinola
Cake: Joyce, Bake Sum
Grazing Boards: Ripen Company
Rentals: Encore Events Rentals
Coffee: Black Oak Coffee
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She compulsively documents and blogs all of her daily adventures. Follow her on instagram and view more of her professional work at annawu.com.
