Real Weddings: Marisa + Tony

We have SO MUCH PRETTY for you today my friends… starting off with a beautiful wine country wedding from Edyta Szyszlo!  We are so excited to welcome her to EAD today with Marisa and Tony’s Sonoma, CA wedding – it’s just to die for.  Marisa and Tony are from St. Louis but decided to hold a destination wedding in California and were blessed with a gorgeous April day for their event!

I love this photo of Marisa, because she looks so relaxed and happy to be marrying Tony.

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The ceremony was held at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension in Oakland.

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The couple then shuttled their guests to the stunning Nicholson Ranch Winery for the reception.  Portraits in a vineyard?  Perfection.

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Nicholson Ranch is beyond beautiful.

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Ashby Flowers did a fantastic job on the centerpieces.  A venue this beautiful doesn’t need much decor!

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I love this photo of Marisa’s veil blowing – the dress, the linens, her bouquet… le sigh.

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Closing with a favorite!

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We asked Marisa for some reflections on her day.  She says:

“Everyone always says your wedding day is a day you will never forget…and that is exactly the way I feel about April 25th, 2009. From the moment walking down the aisle and seeing all the faces there, to the toasts, the first dance, the laughs, the hugs… it is all a whirlwind of incredible memories that I will always hold close to me.

There are many reasons we looked to California to have our wedding….but ultimately we wanted to do something different – a change of pace. Something more “us”. Although I would be lying if I said planning an out of town wedding is easy, it certainly is worth every minute of work put into it. Seeing it come together is the absolute payoff.

We had the rehearsal dinner on the Bay in San Francisco, and the Wedding ceremony was at an incredible church in Oakland California. Father Tom, a relative, performed the ceremony. The reception was held at an intimate winery in the rolling hills of Sonoma. The weather was gorgeous and combined with the wonderful people surrounding us, it made for The Perfect Day.

My advice for any bride on her wedding day would certainly be to soak up every moment that you can. And when you get back from your honeymoon…soak up all the INCREDIBLE pictures from Edyta Szyszlo, who took the time to capture our wedding in a way that I would have never even dreamed. Truly amazing.”

Vendors:

Photography – Edyta Szyszlo
Ceremony – Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension
Floral – Ashby Flowers
Reception – Nicholson Ranch Winery
Catering – Piper Johnson Catering
Coordination – Christina Andrews
Reception Band – All Star Jukebox

Edyta, thank you so much for sharing Marisa and Tony’s gorgeous wedding with us!  For even more fabulous photos from this event, stop by Edyta’s blog!

xo,
E.