1. Real Weddings

A Glitzy Modern Wedding at Solage Calistoga in Calistoga, California

Kendal Georgeson (30 and a marketing brand manager) and Christopher Webber (31 and a sales manager) met during their senior year at UC Santa Barbara w

Kendal Georgeson (30 and a marketing brand manager) and Christopher Webber (31 and a sales manager) met during their senior year at UC Santa Barbara when one of Kendal's roommates moved out and Christopher moved in. They began dating after graduation and continued their long distance relationship for 7 years, happily agreeing they would support one another in their career goals. Their relationship remained strong and the two cherished the little time they had together on the weekends. On the night of Kendal's 29th birthday, Christopher came down to visit and proposed with an engagement ring tied to a bottle of her favorite sparkling wine! For their venue, Kendal and Christopher wanted a location that would provide them with an outdoor space to take in the beautiful scenery and indoor space to keep guests out of the cold Northern California evening. The Solage was a classic space with neutral tones that provided the perfect base for the bride and grooms modern wedding. The ceremony and reception were decorated in a combination of matte and sparkly gold decor to create dimension on the soft ivory palette. The tall ceilings were a perfect match for the gold metal manzanita tree centerpieces and fall themed accent decor. Guests were treated to an incredible four course meal along with specialty Chocolate Marquis cake and a dessert table filled with traditional Greek treats. A live band played music from the 60's-80's while friends and family danced before heading home with personalized pouch of Jordan almonds, another Greek tradition. "The almonds are meant to represent: Health, Wealth, Happiness, Prosperity and Long Life." says Kendal.

Silver Engagement Rings
For the invitations and menus, Kendal and Christopher chose a letterpress print for a classic yet modern look. They used an ivory paper stock with an intricate lace design that was wrapped with gold sparkle belly band. The envelope was gold with a matching glittery lining.
Ivory Rose Bouquet
Ivory and Gold Boutonnieres
Kendal had planned on finding a simple, strapless, fitted lace gown. At her first dress appointment at Marina Morrison in San Francisco, her consultant insisted she try on this Italian silk dress by Oscar de La Renta. Her dress matched the wedding style with simple beautiful silk, a sweetheart strapless neckline and mermaid fit tied with a large bow on the left side.
The bride and groom decided on a nontraditional wedding party. The bride had a matron of honor, her best friend, and a best man, his brother. In keeping with their gold trend, the Matron of Honor wore a floor length gold sparkling sequin dress from Nordstrom.
First Look Bride and Groom
Neutral Toned Outdoor Ceremony
Ivory Draped Wood Trellis
Since the wedding was held in October, Kendal wanted to incorporate some fall themed decor. She had about 60 miniature pumpkins which she painted shiny gold and used those on the welcome table, guest book table and bar. It was a great way to tie the season into the color palette.
Father of the Bride in Processional
Grassy Outdoor Ceremony
Newlyweds First Kiss
Kendal and Christopher loved that their venue had both outdoor and indoor space. The warm day allowed for the ceremony to be held outdoors before guests moved to this semi-outdoor space for the cocktail hour.
The brides best friend was not only her Matron of Honor, but also the wedding planner! She owns a local event company called So Eventful, which made the process of planning each stage of the wedding even easier.
Kendal and Christopher liked the idea of height on the reception tables so they used tall gold metal manzanita trees as the centerpieces and mixed them with votives and ivory flowers. The height of the centerpieces made a noticeable impact against the tall ceilings.
As their favor, Kendal and Chris gave everyone a gold pouch filled with 11 Jordan almonds. Jordan almonds at a wedding are a Greek tradition called "Koufeta" and must always include an odd number. They chose 11 because they were married on the 11th of October. The almonds are meant to represent: Health, Wealth, Happiness, Prosperity and Long Life.
As they are not fans of the traditional wedding cake, the bride and groom served a Chocolate Marquis cake for dessert. Later on they put out a dessert table filled with a selection of treats including mini-cupcakes, macaroons, homemade oreo cookies, ginger snaps, caramels and an assortment of Greek desserts, to honor the brides heritage.
After dinner, guests were led to the dance floor by the live band, Hip Service, from Sacramento. Kendal always wanted a live band because they easily bring every person on the dance floor. At the couples recommendation, the band played music from the 60s, 70's and 80's.
Guests Dancing at Reception
Lattice Lighting First Dance