Weddingbee Blog

You’ve seen our getting ready photos, our first look, and our bridal party portraits. But before I get to the ceremony, I wanted to set the scene for you, to show you what our guests saw upon arriving at our winery wedding. After all, I didn’t spend 19 months slaving away over details for nothing!

Our wedding was held at Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery, a Mediterranean-style villa set next to a winery in Livermore, CA.

(Cliff Brunk Photography)

Upon arriving, guests entered through the rustic wooden doors…

(Ax2D Photography)

…and into the front entry hall, where they were greeted by a gorgeous floral and candle arrangement atop a round table (our florist, Nona, executed my vision so perfectly! I loved it). Before the ceremony, the table had our guestbook on it for people to sign, and after the ceremony, the staff of Casa Real placed all of our wine charm escort cards around the table.

This is the table at the end of the night, when most of the escort cards had been taken. The framed sign said: “We’re charmed you came! Please find your table below. Once you get to your seat, feel free to affix this wine charm to your wine glass so you can keep track of it all night. Cheers!” (Cliff Brunk Photography)

(Ax2D Photography)

The wine charm escort cards, neatly arranged and ready to go atop the round table. (Ax2D Photography)

Close-up of wine charm escort cards—these were a hit! (Cliff Brunk Photography)

Across from the entryway, there is an intricately carved mirror and a beautiful mantle—this was where we displayed our heirloom family photos.

(Cliff Brunk Photography)

(Cliff Brunk Photography)

Also in the entry hall, we set up our birdcage card holders on one of the big wooden side tables provided by our venue. One of our guests brought us a beautiful bouquet that looks like it was meant to go with our decor, but it was just a happy coincidence.

(Cliff Brunk Photography)

The fan programs that took an entire village to make were ready to go! I’m happy to report that people were asking for these even after the ceremony was over, so we had barely any left (we made 150 for 225 guests). (Cliff Brunk Photography)

After mingling and signing the guestbook, guests made their way out into Casa Real’s beautiful outdoor courtyard, the Sun Garden. We were lucky enough to have sunshine on our wedding day, and I got to have the outdoor wedding ceremony I always wanted.

We decided to have our guests facing the arbor, as opposed to the fountain (see next photo). Facing the arbor was a good choice for us because otherwise the sun would have been directly in our guests’ eyes. Plus, we just really loved the idea of getting married under an arbor. (Ax2D Photography)

This is the view facing the fountain. You really can’t go wrong! (Ax2D Photography)

Floral Design Studio did a fabulous job with the floral accents for our ceremony, and we economized by doing the gutter rose petals ourselves with roses bought from Costco. (Cliff Brunk Photography)

The scene is set and the guests start trickling in. Up next, it’s time for our ceremony to begin!