Gold and Pink Vineyard Wedding

Traci and Jerome both come from large families, so it doesn’t come as much of a shock that their wedding would be fairly sizable and quite the celebration. Of course, having Catie Coyle Photography and Karen Silva Designs by their side didn’t hurt in making all the magic happen! One of the stars of this wedding is the abundance of proteas, just one of our all-time favorite flowers.

From the bride, Traci: We both come from large, closely-knit families, so we envisioned our wedding to be like a holiday gathering with family and our closest friends – all 200 of us, together in one place for the biggest and best party of our lives. We made sure that every aspect of our wedding was a true reflection of us. Everything from the vineyard venue to the flowers to the song selections to the party favors to the photo booth to the desserts. We had a hand in everything!

Flower recipe: I wanted to have three King Proteas for my bouquet, a single King Protea for all of my bridesmaids, and the floral arrangements were made up of King Proteas, cream and blush roses, and baby’s breath.

For DIY projects, my dad and I made all the signage; Jerome (my husband) and I painted and put together the marquee letters at our head table; my sister, dad, and I assembled the Freixenet mini bottles that doubled as our escort cards/favors.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Have fun, get creative, be resourceful, and HIRE A FLORIST! When we first started wedding planning, I thought it’d be a piece of cake to delegate some of my creative and crafty friends (who aren’t professional florists) to head my wedding flower department. After all, I only wanted three types of flowers. That ended up being the BIGGEST stresser in the whole process. Luckily, a relative put me in touch with our florist four months before our wedding, and she was a godsend! Also, it is so cliche, but I would say don’t sweat the small stuff. Things will happen on your wedding day (or the days leading up to, and even after your wedding) that are out of your control and will cause you to roll your eyes. For instance, our wedding day was the one day of the month where I swear there were gale force winds at our venue. The wind turned my cathedral length veil into a sail and practically blew my head off. I finally paused our ceremony for a few minutes to take it off. That said, just stay in the moment and none of that will matter to you. Try to take in and enjoy every minute, because it truly is the best day of your life. Jerome and I keep wanting to rewind and re-live it all over again… veil sail and all!

View all images from this wedding in the gallery

Wedding Music:
Our relationship revolves heavily around music – Jerome collects records and DJs here in San Francisco; my dad has played in a band since he was 14 and currently plays in a Hawaiian band here in the Bay Area. We enjoy all types of music, but I love island music, and Jerome is passionate about hip-hop, funk, soul, and R&B.
Processional: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Iz Kamakawiwo’ole
Bride’s Processional: “Here Comes the Sun,” The Beatles
Recessional: “Brown Eyed Girl,” Van Morrison
Reception Entrance: “The Light,” Common
First Dance: “At Last,” Etta James
Father/Daughter Dance: “Ribbon in the Sky,” Stevie Wonder
Mother/Son Dance: “Unforgettable,” Nat King Cole
Last Dance: “You Got It Bad,” Usher (performed by groom)