Now that we’re engaged, the fun of planning our destination wedding begins! Being in our thirties, we know we want an intimate, small affair for our immediate family and closest friends. After researching and going back and forth, we decided a Wine Country wedding will provide the romantic ambiance we desire. First up – finding our perfect venue! Will it be Beaulieu Garden or BR Cohn Winery?!
How to Choose the Perfect Wine Country Wedding Venue
In my opinion, the hardest part of wedding planning is picking the venue. Trying to research and narrow down the list when you’re so far away makes it especially challenging. Plus, so many other decisions are based on where you’ll get married! It makes the venue the biggest decision in the planning process.
The location truly sets the tone for the overall aesthetic you’ll create with your partner for your special day together. Thankfully, there are a bunch of amazing wedding blogs out there to help you refine your wedding day look. Style Me Pretty is the classic go-to at this point. My personal favorites? 100 Layer Cake and Ruffled. Also, creating Pinterest boards for all of your major components of the wedding will help any vendors you select, including the venue, ultimately understand the vibe you’re trying to create.
First Outfit – Dress: Rebecca Taylor // Vest: Love Token (also love this one and this one) // Booties: Sam Edelman (old color, love the gray and putty colors) // Purse: Rebecca Minkoff (old, darker gray here) // Bracelets: Alexis Bittar
Why Beaulieu Garden Stole Our Hearts
I was never the little girl who planned her wedding. A dream dress or elaborate nuptials never crossed my mind. I actually (jokingly) suggested we go down to City Hall or elope after Matt proposed! But, he didn’t approve that idea.
So, where did I turn for inspiration!? Instagram, of course. I had seen pictures of Beaulieu Garden via Jacin Fitzgerald and I immediately identified with the look of the French-inspired property. I added it to our short list of Wine Country wedding venues for us to visit.
We decided to go out West and see the properties first hand a few weeks after we returned from Greece. We slimmed down the list to 4 possible choices and also planned to check out a few hotels where guests could stay.
Beaulieu Garden was everything we anticipated. The sunken courtyard where most ceremonies take place is gorgeous. To get to it, you walk through the rose garden, which is impeccably manicured. There’s a separate courtyard with a large fountain just beyond that where I envision our guests sipping yummy drinks during cocktail hour.
The best feature of all is the arbor (pictured above). The old trees have been trained to form a canopy underneath which our reception would continue, alongside the fireplace. I keep using the term “boho glam” to describe our look and feel for our Wine Country wedding. We want it to be ethereal, yet luxurious, with a touch of rustic charm. Beaulieu Garden achieves that look easily, as you’ll see in our glam wedding.
Second Outfit – Cape: Chicos // Shirt: Gap Body // Pants: Zara (similar here) // Booties: French Connection // Bracelet: Park Lane Jewelry //
Necklace: JCrew (old, similar here)
Wine Country Wedding at BR Cohn: Among the Vines
One of our top priorities for our Wine Country wedding is to be married amongst the vines. Surprisingly, it’s kind of a challenge. There are a ton of beautiful venues in both Napa and Sonoma Valley. But, it’s not easy to find a location where you can literally marry in the middle of the winery vines.
BR Cohn is a natural beauty and their Oak Hill space (above) immediately won us over. The venue hosted a wedding the day we visited, letting us see how it looked with the decor set up. You get a full panoramic view of the vines from Oak Hill. It would make for a truly unforgettable ceremony.
For our reception, we’d likely use the Amphitheater area (below) which overlooks the vineyard and Sonoma Mountain Range. Does it get any more beautiful?! I can just imagine our cocktail hour here off to the side of the stage, as the sun sets over the mountains. Having our Wine Country wedding at BR Cohn would be the ultimate celebration.
So now, it’s time to decide! What do you guys think? Which venue should we choose? Help us decide by commenting below!
