Contento Vineyard

Wedding Day

Welcome Snacks

Ceremony

Cocktail hour

Dinner & Reception

Dancing!

Our Wedding

How Alexandra and Bryce met plus some backstory on Bryce:(From Alexandra)&nbsp;It’s not very often I find people “my age” with an old soul similar to mine. Give me classic rock on a record player. Give me an old beat-up truck. Give me homemade bread proofed by a wood stove in a pieced together family cabin on a weathered but worldly ranch. Needless to say, when Bryce Krizan and I crossed paths, I was pleasantly surprised.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When we met for the first time over a pandemic-induced Zoom meeting for Young Farmers and Ranchers (a community oriented social club ran by the Farm Bureau), I had no idea how much we shared in our enjoyments, but I was curious about him right away. The next thing I knew, he was standing at the winery doorstep with a mutual friend of ours, and I’ve considered myself lucky ever since. What ensued was your classic small-town movie script of romance, and it couldn’t have been written much better.&nbsp;Born to a family with a dairy farming background, Wisconsin, Bryce had the early childhood typical of that part of the Midwest. Although moving to Charleston, South Carolina when he was 3, he was always interested in agriculture, which showed on his trips back to Wisconsin to see his grandfather’s farm. Little did he know, his life would steer him in the right direction.While attending college in South Carolina for Biology, he went on a road trip with his mother, Dana. They started in Oregon to visit a cousin and made it to the California coast. (Dana spent her young adult life in San Diego, so she was familiar with California). After a major road collapse on the scenic Highway 1 sent them inland, a crazy adventure to Potter Valley to find the old pear and sheep ranch her grandfather worked on transpired. Stopping in town at the local store/bar (Potter Valley is weird, don’t get me started [remnant of ranching? Deliverance?]) the bartender remembered Dana’s grandfather and pointed them in the direction of the ranch he worked on. “You can’t miss it”, he said. Driving up and down the road several times, nearly giving up, a man riding a dirt covered ATV (looking not much cleaner himself), flagged Bryce and Dana down noticing they looked lost. Miraculously, it was the son-in-law, Kyle Farmer, of the Magruders, whom they were searching for. When Bryce and Dana explained themselves, he proclaimed how they had to stay to meet the family, who were returning any moment from vacation.&nbsp;Before long, stories of shared scars caused by blows from shovels and hoes between the ranch patriarch Mac and Bryce’s grandfather, were told. They pointed out the small adobe house the family used to lived and where they used to tend to sheep (see picture). After a quick tour of the ranch, they invited Bryce to come for an internship to learn about raising grass-fed cattle, sheep, pigs, and all the other, finer points of ranching. One summer of interning and Bryce decided he was here to stay, once he went back to college to finish getting his degree. Six months later he boarded a plane from CHS to SFO airport, his essential belongings and cat companion Onion in tow, for his California dream. Bryce got his “River House” cabin on the ranch just across the road from his new family, complete with a wood stove and sleeping porch next to the river, keys to an ATV, a new pair of boots, and a sweet, head strong Border Collie puppy named Emmylou, that would help him run cattle and sheep. A few wonderful years would pass quickly for Bryce.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, this is where I come in and the record scratches and stops.&nbsp;Somehow, after about a year of dating, my offer to Bryce, which was to walk away from his cabin, those elk laden sunrises, and being a cowboy… to move in with me and become our new vineyard foreman was accepted.&nbsp;Am I dreaming?&nbsp;Bryce took up my family’s offer study under our vineyard manager, Tom Barrett, and become our vineyard foreman.&nbsp;Now, Bryce and I are working on creating our own California dream. And yes, it does come with a cabin, cattle, sheep, and of course a vineyard. About Alexandra:(By Rachel Sikkema)In addition to being a 4th generation grape grower and winemaker in her family, Alexandra is making a name for herself as a woman winemaker in a landscape traditionally dominated by men.&nbsp; Alexandra feels incredibly lucky to continue her family’s winemaking tradition. Growing up in a family of winemakers, she learned from an early age the feeling of being connected with the earth and truly knowing where her food – and wine – came from.&nbsp; This interest turned passion blossomed into a true love story for Alexandra as she began to see how wine was a way to capture time in a bottle. Her Father, Greg Graziano, led her every step of the way, imparting his invaluable knowledge of wine that would shape what she knows about it today.&nbsp; With wine on the brain, Alexandra enrolled in a Viticulture and Enology program at UC Davis. Upon graduation, she returned to her roots to work on the family vineyard. After a period at home, she decided to spread her wings and make a trip all the way out to New Zealand where she worked on a large winery located in the South Island.&nbsp; It was here that she learned some valuable lessons about the winemaking process. She got to see first hand how a large-scale winemaking production system operates. One word came to mind: soulless. With a bit more grit to her boot, Alexandra returned home again and vowed to learn everything she could about wine.&nbsp; Being from a small family winery means that Alexandra wears many hats. Sometimes, she’s out breaking a sweat in the vineyard. Other times she’s indulging her winemaking ‘work’ side of things, and you’ll occasionally find her underneath the bottling line itself with a wrench, trying to wrangle it back to life.&nbsp; She wouldn’t change what she does for the world, though. She loves every minute of it and considers every day she’s able to grow and make wine a blessing. As a side project, she has taken on the role of advocate for the exposure of their county in the winemaking world.&nbsp; Mendocino County is still small fry and therefore incredibly underrated. Many grapes produced here go straight to Napa Valley, but few realize this. The battle Alexandra fights is uphill, to show people just how diverse the landscape and climate are. This type of environment means you can grow just about any grape you wish.&nbsp; When Alexandra hangs her hat up at night, her one hope is that she has made the best wine she can. This wine is in small batches from vineyards that are cared for by hand – but they all have their own story to tell. She hopes that Mendocino County will someday have the notoriety it deserves.

Our Story

Photos

Alexandra's badass little sister. Hairdresser extraordinaire! Mom to our furry nephew, miniature poodle, Zeppelin. She's the fun sister who reminds us all to lighten up a bit and have some fun (probably because Alisa and Alexandra corrupted her as a child with video games and the like). Bella is old soul and cares about her family more than anything else. She even almost fought a drunk crazy lady who was trying to come for Alexandra. She's the best!

Isabella Graziano

Alexandra's ride-or-die bestie since 3rd grade. She's an amazing graphic designer and all around artist and she's helping with all our printable goodies and more! All the trouble Alexandra got into as an adolescent was while she was with Alisa, so needless to say they had the best and worst of times growing up together, but mostly the best! Alisa enjoys playing music and video games, doing all things art, and loving her amazing fur children and husband Jediah.

Alisa Kvasnicka

Also one of Alexandras best friends since before she can remember! She's the best mom to  our other "nephew" Elrick. She's the kindest, most compassionate, bad ass rodeo queen you'll ever meet. Alexandra and Alisha had the best of times in the whole-wide-world doing everything 4-H with Alisa (especially 4-H Camp at Camp Navarro!) She's currently serving others as a medical technician, showing her beautiful heart.

Alisha Roysum

Bianca and Alexandra met in college while taking physics together. They became fast friends but didn't start really hanging out until they met again at the college farm (yay chickens!). Great times, food, and beer were always shared between the two. Bianca is smart, beautiful, deadly with a firearm, and the best to sit and have a beer with. She now resides in Michigan with her fiancé Brett. 

Bianca Baggenstos

Whitney and Alexandra didn't meet until several years ago when Alexandra was looking to buy a house (she got one!). Whitney’s father Chuck (who knows Alexandra's dad, Greg) mentioned how Whitney was a real estate agent and could help. Alexandra loved Whitney instantly and they became friends. Whitney is so kind and giving, an incredible outdoors woman, hunter, wife and so much more. 

Whitney Seckora

David Carter

Kyle Farmer

Harthe Blankenship

Tripp Ward

Wyatt Craig

Wedding Party

Q + A

Please stick to this list of recommended hotels or ask us about a certain hotel before booking. This is important!!! As for airports:San Francisco is usually the cheapest and you get to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. However, if you want to avoid large cities we recommend Sacramento, though it is more expensive.

Hampton Inn Ukiah

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ukiah, an IHG Hotel

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Ukiah Mendocino County

Comfort Inn & Suites Ukiah Mendocino County

Extended Stay America Premier Suites - Ukiah

SureStay Hotel by Best Western Ukiah

Vichy Springs Resort and Inn

Thatcher Hotel

Stock Farm Hopland

Wyndham Garden Redwood Valley

Travel and Hotels

Things to Do: Ukiah area:-Come visit us at the tasting room in Hopland, Ca! We would love to have you taste our wines and visit with our tasting room manager John. Tasting is always free :) there are also several tasting rooms around us that are great like McNab and Stock Farm, not to mention some good restaurants in Stock Farm, The Golden Pig, and Rock Seas.<a href="https://www.grazianofamilyofwines.com/tasting-room" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.grazianofamilyofwines.com/tasting-room</a> -Want to experience natural "champagne" baths for a spa day? Visit Vichy Springs Resort in Ukiah. <a href="https://vichysprings.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://vichysprings.com/</a> -Dining in the Ukiah area: We recommend Left Coast, Patrona, Cultivo, Oco Time, The Ukiah Brewing Company, Ellies Cafe, The Broiler, and Miss Saigon. Mendocino and Fort Bragg:- 1 1/2 hours from Ukiah. Great places to see the ocean or go to our cold beaches. We recommend Big River and Glass Beach. -Fort Bragg Botanical Gardens <a href="https://www.gardenbythesea.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.gardenbythesea.org/</a> -Go on the Skunk Train or ride their rail bikes<a href="https://www.skunktrain.com/mushroom-train/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.skunktrain.com</a>/ -There are lots of great hiking trails around. Let us know if you want some recommendations. -Fabulous restaurants here. We recommend The Albion, Little River, The MacCallum House, Cafe Beaujolais, Pattersons Pub, Cucina Verona, Harbor View, Cowlicks Ice Cream Napa and Sonoma:- Downtown Healdsburg Square (Sonoma County, Healdsburg, CA.) 45 minutes south of where Bryce and I live. The square is adorable. Great shopping. Killer ice cream spot (Noble Folk). Great food and cocktails on every corner. It’s where I go to have a good meal and be fancy for the night. It’s like a small, California version of downtown in Charleston.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sonomacounty.com/articles/things-do-healdsburg/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.sonomacounty.com/articles/things-do-healdsburg/</a> - If you want to spend some $$, Calistoga offers Hot Air balloon rides. (On my bucket list!) I think it’s about +/- $225-$300 a person.&nbsp; - There are lots of opportunities to do horse backing riding, if that interests you. I can point you to some goods spots if you’re interested.&nbsp; - Napa and Sonoma are pretty food and wine centric. There’s not a whole lot to do otherwise.&nbsp; North of San Francisco:- Muir Woods - Classic spot close to SF. I you need reservations to park because it’s so popular. But it’s fairly close and "easy way" to spend time the redwoods.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm</a> San Francisco:- Don’t leave ANYTHING visible in your car. I mean, even a cell phone cord. Don’t park in super sketchy places, you will regret it. They will break into your car while you’re walking away. SF can be wild. Parking is a nightmare. Try to find parking garages as much as possible.&nbsp; - Take the Cable Car! It’s fun, a safe way to see the city, and pretty cheap ($8).&nbsp; -Walking the Golden Gate Bridge is possible. You don’t have to do the whole thing and it’s pretty fun if the weather is nice. (Free) - If you need a pick me up, Buena Vista Cafe created the Irish Coffee. Bryce and I almost always go there when we go to SF.(It is also right by the Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. They are tourist places, but are “fun”. Ghirardelli is the more upscale spot.&nbsp;) -There are some great museums if you like those things. If you want something more youthful, California Academy of Sciences is fun.&nbsp; -Chinatown is not what it used to be, but maybe worth a look. It can be sketchy. But, SF does have some of the BEST Chinese and Asian food if you’re into that. -I have TONS of food and bar recs for SF if you need any, depending on where you’re at.&nbsp;

Things to Do

Registry

Directions:Type in GPS: Contento Vineyard, Hopland, CA 95449 Take Highway 101 to Highway 175 East in Hopland, California. Continue about 1 mile to the roundabout and stay to the right - East to Lakeport on 175. Continue approximately 1.6 miles on highway 175 and turn right on Old Toll Road. Go maybe 100 feet across the bridge and take the first immediate right onto the Vineyard Road and follow the wooden event signs.&nbsp; Parking:Please note, you will park in the designated field in the picture (there will be signs) and be driven to the venue location due to lack of parking at the site.Please allow for an extra 15 minutes travel time for this.There will be signs to help you along :)

Venue Directions and Information

Alexandra & Bryce