Hello, Hello!
Alright, guys, I have been trying to figure out the best way to recap the wedding without totally overwhelming you, so I have decided to break it up into series.
Today I’ll be sharing our week in Napa, leading up to the wedding and our Thursday Welcoming Party. Then I’ll share a post on my Bridal Brunch & Wine Tasting, the Rehearsal Dinner and then finish it with the wedding!
I’m not going to lie, when I first envisioned the week leading up to the wedding, I always envisioned it being super relaxing and sipping wine the whole time – but boy was I wrong! If you’re reading this and have planned a wedding, then you know the week of is crunch time and it’s less than relaxing lol.
So let’s get started!
Monday
Monday morning, Colton, my Dad, Bentley and I packed up everything and headed to the Valley to do last minute things before the wedding!
I don’t know why, but it was literally the longest traveling day, so when we finally made it into the Valley, I was so excited to finally be there had to get a picture in front the of the Napa Valley sign. After over 5 trips in the past two years, we had never taken one, so I figured it was time!
SHOP THE LOOK
We then drove up to Calistoga, checked into our hotel and had an early dinner at Sol Bar.
We chose Calistoga because not only is it a super cute little town in the Valley, but it also has the largest selection of hotels. Most hotels in Napa are extremely pricey, but Calistoga has something for everyone. Plus, I love all of the little shops and restaurants in their downtown area and knew my guests would love it too.
Favorite Calistoga Hotels: Solage Calistoga, Brannan Cottages, Best Western Steven Manor, Up Valley Inn & Spa, The Bergson.
TUESDAY
That next day, we woke up super early to workout before heading down to Napa for what seemed like a lifetime of errands. We met with our planner, got our marriage license, completed all of the extra printing we needed to be done and had my hair and makeup trial!
I was super nervous about having my trial the week of the wedding, but there was just honestly no other time. We had come out so many times, but my artists were never available, so this is what we had to do and it was totally fine.
Btw – this top is on major sale! Wearing a size small <3
SHOP THE LOOK
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday was a total blur – hence why we have like no photos! We did have an amazing spa day that morning though, which I am super grateful for. My stress levels were really high lol. I think it was the anxiety about running out of time and the fact that everyone was getting into town.
By this time, Colton’s family was in, my Mom and her family were in and we were all still doing last minute things.
Like working on my vows, picking up Colton’s Tux, finishing and delivering all of the welcome bags and all of that sort of little stuff.
If you guys would like me to do a whole post on our welcome bags and what we included in them, let me know! Colton’s mom really did the most amazing job!
THURSDAY
SHOP THE LOOK
By Thursday, I was just so ready for everyone to be there and to start really having fun. All of our friend’s planes landed around the same time, so we were getting lots of text messages and Colton and I just looked at each other and were like “let’s go have some wine!”.
So we went to Trinchero Family Estates with my Dad and then a few of our best friends met us on their way into Calistoga.
The vineyard was beautiful and it was the best way to set the tone for the weekend.
THE WEDDING WEEKEND WELCOME PARTY
SHOP THE LOOK
I just have to tell you guys, this party was the best, super last minute thing we did all weekend.
Thursday night, we had a come and go Wedding Weekend Welcome Party for all of our guests. The theme was “Come have a drink with the Bride and Groom”. We encouraged guests to stop by on their way to dinner or come over afterward. Whichever one played into their schedule the best and it was just so fun!!
Most of our guests arrived Thursday and we were anxious to see everyone anyway. It was very casual and very relaxed and I’m not going to lie, I was pretty toasted. I mean, I was just really happy and the wine was flowing. So my apologies for the kind of janky iphone photos… because this is why lol.
For the event, we chose Sam’s Social Club because I loved their little outdoor area, the fireplace and the fact that it was a central location, so all of our guests could walk there from their hotel.
It was just a good way to start the weekend, have all of our guests meet, it gave Colton and I the opportunity to talk to every guest separately and just really set the tone for just how fun a weekend it was going to be.
Can’t wait to share the rest with you all!
xo,
Lauren