Intimate All-White Summer Wedding at Meadowood Napa Valley

This Meadowood Napa Valley wedding was an intimate 50 person celebration in the middle of Summer. The guests wore all-white, played croquet, and brunched under a canopy of vines at tables resembling Japanese mirror ponds.

The bride’s ceremony gown was designed by Oscar de la Renta and featured a stunning floral lace with 3D appliques - a perfect fit for an outdoor wedding. Her bouquet was made of nothing but stephanotis. Her bridal clutch featured white ostrich feathers which added to her classic, yet slightly edgy, look. Her second dress was a strapless sheath which she later accessorized with a wide-brimmed sun hat to keep her cool in the almost 100-degree heat.

The greenery ceremony hoop crated a minimalistic yet elevated design. At the base of each row of the wooden cross-back chairs was an arrangement of green hydrangeas. The three flower girls wore matching dresses with tulle layered skirts, and the ring bearers wore white suits with matching boater hats.

The reception space was a tunnel of greenery that was designed and built exclusively for this wedding. Underneath it, sat two long tables, that instead of having a solid surface, were each a pond of water, adorned with marble place settings and hydroponic centerpieces. The water was so smooth and glassy that it reflected the canopy overhead.

Come brunch time, the food was an event in itself and each course came with its own wine pairing. The first course was made of two parts: the Meadowood Garden, an edible garden in a glass, and Toro Tartare topped with caviar and gold leaf. The Toro Tartare was served over a glass fishbowl, inside each and every single one was a swimming Betta fish. The bride’s bowl was the only one that featured a white Betta. The fish were all later gifted to members of the staff to take home to their families. This course was paired with a 2015 Matthiasson Ribolla Gialla.

The next course was a three-part entrée. It was served on 5-foot wooden planks that each held entrées for four guests. Each guest was served King Salmon with béarnaise, Kobe Beef with edamame puree, and Maitake mushrooms with piquillo. This course was paired with a 2008 Promontory, Napa Valley. Cake and pastries were served with Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé.

Since it was almost 100 degrees that day, the bride ended the brunch and cooled off with her guests by running through the sprinklers on a lawn nearby.

Janine Licare