“The wedding was a love letter to California,” say Courtney + Mark of their stunning outdoor celebration at Gainey Vineyard in Santa Ynez, California.
Courtney + Mark were both born and raised in the Golden State and have lived in California their entire lives. Factor in how much they adore all things wine, and a gorgeous winery wedding is clearly the perfect way for these two to tie the knot!
Courtney’s an oil painter and artist with a killer eye for design, and she teamed up with event designers and planners from Wild Heart Events to bring her vision to life. There were original works of art and annotated wine lists and napkins organically dyed with flower petals—nonstop thoughtful and sustainable details.
Photographer Michelle Roller was there snapping beautiful shots every step of the way, and we can’t wait to show you this laid-back yet sophisticated and classically Californian celebration!!
Courtney + Mark nodded to the fact that they’re both in the entertainment industry with save-the-dates inspired by the Oscar-winning film and quintessential wine-tasting movie Sideways. Courtney recreated the movie’s iconic poster but added Mark and herself inside the bottle. The super-cute image stole everyone’s hearts and became the logo for the wedding itself!
All the paper goods for the wedding were created by Maison Blanche and full of design elements that were specific and meaningful to Courtney + Mark.
Yep—that’s an oil painting that Courtney did of the venue. The couple included a copy in each invitation.
So into Mark’s sage green suit from Indochino! A perfect pop of color for the Californian countryside.
Can you believe these adorable custom pet portrait cufflinks?!
Courtney’s never really loved the look of a traditional wedding dress. She went into her dress hunt not sure if she would find something that would totally speak to her. Her search wasn’t always easy and took about 8 months, but she found this flowy sheer neckline stunner when she visited a Cortana trunk show at Loho Bride. “As soon as I tried it on, I just felt good wearing it,” Courtney says. “It was fun to wear and move around in. It was a dress you wanted to wear walking, eating, and dancing for 12 hours.” And, in keeping with Courtney’s eco-friendly wedding planning goals, the dress was made with super sustainable fabric!
The day’s flowers were designed by Ella & Louie. This bridal bouquet looks like the definition of springtime!! Love the little pops of blue.
Courtney’s wavy bob and natural glow makeup look were done by Blushing Beauty.
We love to see a multicolor groom’s party palette! These earthy jewel tones are perfection.
Bride Courtney is a huge fan of black and white polkadots in her everyday style, so that was the only guideline she gave her bridal party. They all surprised her day of with their looks!
There is just something impossibly cool about a pair of bridal sunglasses!! Grab a pair of the round flower frame sunnies that Courtney’s bridesmaids are rocking to recreate their look!
The Ceremony
No better ceremony backdrop for Courtney + Mark than acres of beautiful vineyards!
Digging the rustic, organic feel of these greenery-filled aisle arrangements!
Our Musical Choices Processional: “Paris 1919” by John Cale + “Thirteen” by Big Star
Recessional: “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash
First Dance: “I Want to Grow Old With You” from The Wedding Singer
Our Advice To Those Planning Now Don’t plan your wedding during a pandemic! But also, sit down and talk about what you loved & enjoyed as a couple going to weddings. Write that down, and stick to that. We always enjoyed the food at a wedding better when it was a buffet as opposed to a plated meal (we’ve lost count at the number of overcooked and cold steaks we’ve been served), so we stuck to a buffet - and ended up having incredible food that we loved. Also, look outside the wedding industry for inspiration and ideas. You can execute anything you’d like for a wedding as long as it means something special for you and your guests.
The low, sheer back was one of Courtney’s favorite parts about her wedding gown!
How fun is this personalized party bus!
The Reception
Check out our list of unique wedding seating chart ideas we’re currently obsessed with for more like these super clever wine bottles!
“It was really important to us to make the wedding as sustainable as possible,” say Courtney + Mark. “We achieved that by making sure everything was as local as possible. Our florist, Tracy, only used flowers from the local flower farms in Santa Ynez and only used sustainable practices to keep them shaped and alive during the ceremony. No plastic was allowed to be used in the wedding, natural materials were used instead. And the seating chart was made with recycled bottles from the tastings at Gainey.”
Adore Folklore and Found Rental Co. created this rustic, romantic reception setup full of woven and unfinished wood elements.
Calligraphy details like these escort cards were created by Velvet Fox Designs. And how great does this feast by Field to Table Catering sound?!
Catalog Atelier added so many eclectic and sophisticated details to this reception tablescape. (Don’t miss the napkins dyed with organic florals!) And check out this set of gold and black flatware from West Elm to bring this vibe to life on your own table.
Dig into our list of charcuterie board ideas for a snacky spread like this one that’ll blow your guests away.
We can’t get over this beautiful bar!! What a breathtaking spot for Simply Cocktails so serve up some drinks!
Two wine lovers in their element 🍷❤️
Really digging the dreamy string lights from Ambient Event Design. And how amazing is Courtney’s vintage sparkly jewel tone jacket?! Take a peek at some of our fave bridal jackets if you’re wanting to add some layers to your wedding day look!
Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding We had a silent disco in the last hour of the wedding. It was a nice workaround to the noise ordinance rule in Santa Barbara County (no music after 10). It also was a surprise we hid from our guests, so when the headphones came out everyone got so excited and just joined in on dancing like no one was watching - and singing completely out of tune. Our entire playlist was music from the 60s/70s that was a bit more hipster/unexpected than straight pop from the radio. It worked beautifully as a silent disco.
Exchanging personalized vows that had just the right blend of sappy/funny in front of our friends was also a very special experience.
Congrats, Courtney + Mark! Your winery wedding was Californian dream come true!! Best wishes from all of us at GWS!
photography: Michelle Roller Photo // venue name: Gainey Winery, Santa Ynez, CA, USA // event design: Wild Heart Events // planning: Wild Heart Events // florals: Ella & Louie // wedding dress: Cortana Brides // wedding dress boutique: Logo Brides // wedding suit: Indochino // hair stylist: Blushing Beauty // makeup artist: Blushing Beauty // paper goods: Velvet Fox // calligraphy: Maison Blanche // catering: Field To Table // cake: Golden Opal // tabletop rentals: Catalog Atelier // furniture rentals: Adore Folklore // specialty rentals: Found Rental Co // music: Dart Collective // lighting: Ambient Event Design // cocktails: Simply Cocktails
