1. Real Weddings

A Chic Winery Wedding at Chateau St. Jean Winery in Kenwood, California

Renato Elui (27 and a project manager) met Patrick Bei (35 and a store director) while studying for his master’s degree in San Francisco, California.

Renato Elui (27 and a project manager) met Patrick Bei (35 and a store director) while studying for his master’s degree in San Francisco, California. After graduating, Renato had to return to Brazil, his home country. “The 11 months we spent apart made us appreciate each other even more, and we felt like there was always a part of us missing when we were apart,” Renato says. Knowing that they were meant to be together, Renato and Patrick began planning their wedding in wine country while Renato’s US visa was being confirmed. They chose Chateau St. John Winery in Kenwood, California (near Sonoma, Patrick's hometown). The winery’s lush landscape inspired the day’s green, gold, ivory and beige palette. Renato and Patrick held an outdoor reception on-site; 160 guests took in the rolling vineyards from the winery’s terrace while seated at farm tables under draped white cabanas. “We decided to name our tables with cities that were important to us,” Patrick says. “We had wine bottles painted gold holding the table names, and on the label of each bottle there was the story about the city and why it was important to us. Renato made each bottle.” At the reception, a special performance helped highlight Renato’s home country while also revving up the dance floor. “It was really important to Renato to have Brazilian elements at the wedding, so we brought our DJ from Brazil and had a samba school perform and dance with the guests,” Patrick says. After enduring time apart, Renato and Patrick have optimistic advice for other couples: “The best advice we can give is not to give up on love. Even with uncertainty, sadness and distance making the tunnel look dark, there is always light at the end.” —Carolyn Meers

Patrick and Renato both wore blue-hued tuxedos by Ermenegildo Zegna. Their navy bow ties matched their tuxedos' silky lapels.
"We wanted an elegant, chic, classy wine country wedding," Renato says. "Chateau St. Jean was the first winery we visited, and we fell in love with it. Even though we visited a couple of other wineries, there was no other place we wanted our ceremony and reception to take place."
Renato and Patrick had their navy tuxedos tailored to be slightly shorter. "We decided to have them tailored and cropped since we wanted to wear loafers," Renato says. Their dog—outfitted in a bow tie as well—was part of the wedding procession.
Renato and Patrick exchanged vows under a leafy arbor on the front lawn of Chateau St. Jean Winery in Kenwood, California.
"Being a gay couple makes the choice of attire difficult," Renato says. "We wanted to match but not be the same. We wanted it to be a modern tuxedo, and we wanted it to go well with the palette we chose." Renato and Patrick chose Ermenegildo Zegna tuxedos in contrasting (but complementary) blue hues.
After the outdoor ceremony, guests stopped at the textured kraft-wood bar for a glass of champagne. The bar's decor—white blossoms and greenery in a gold mercury-glass vase—were mirrored on the dining tables.
Champagne was passed after Roberto and Patrick exchanged vows at Chateau St. Jean Winery in Kenwood, California.
At the outdoor reception at Chateau St. Jean Winery in Kenwood, California, a combination of round and farm tables were topped with crisp white linens and gold mercury-glass vases.
In keeping with the day's chic aesthetic, white linens were used to create cabanas at the outdoor reception at Chateau St. Jean Winery in Kenwood, California. Chandeliers added an extra touch of elegance.
The naturalistic, rough-frosted wedding cake from Krumbs Bakery in San Rafael, California, was topped with fresh blossoms and berries.
"It was really important to Renato to have Brazilian elements on the wedding," Patrick says. "Therefore, we brought our DJ from Brazil and we had a samba school perform and dance on the dance floor with the guests."