The Barn at Tyge William Cellars Wedding: Brooke & Peter

December 5, 2016 Rachael Silard

Update: Brooke and Peter's wedding has been published on Inspired by This! Be sure to check out the feature for more images from their beautiful day.

I had the honor of getting to design the very first wedding that took place at the brand new Tyge William Cellars barn earlier this year, so I was over the moon when Brooke and Peter asked me to coordinate their wedding there this September! Brooke and Peter are one of the sweetest couples I've had the chance to work with, and Brooke has an incredible sense of style, so I knew their wedding day was going to be not only filled with love, but also beautiful details.

One of Tyge William's many great features is the gorgeous spot from where the ceremony takes place. Vineyard views for days with the mountains in the background make for a special spot. Brooke really wanted a clean, white and green palette that would highlight the natural beauty of the space, and keep everything feeling bright and airy. For ceremony, they kept things simple and elegant by adorning a wooden arch with billowy chiffon drapes and soft greenery.

For cocktail hour, we created several lounge vignettes so that guests could enjoy the big lawn off the barn. I'm still swooning over the antique wooden bar in the corner - it came from Chateau Sonoma, which is just across the way at Cornerstone. They often lend larger pieces of furniture to the venue since they are so close by. Such a great perk!

Brooke and Peter really loved the more casual feel of long communal tables for dinner, which worked especially well with the super high ceilings in the barn. Crystal chandeliers gave the space a gorgeous glow and helped fill the vertical space. And of course, white farm tables and chairs, decorated with long garlands of greenery.

I love how perfectly the simple, elegant, 3-tiered cake fit with the rest of the decor. Sometimes simple truly is best.

Sandra of White Ivory Photography captured these two so beautifully! How romantic is that veil blowing in the wind?!

Congratulations, Brooke and Peter!

Wedding coordination | Ruby & Rose

Rustic Summer Supper at Stable Cafe

October 17, 2016 Rachael Silard

Exciting update: Head to Green Wedding Shoes to see their lovely feature about the event!

Now that fall is here and we're done with weddings for the year, I'm looking forward to sharing a ton of images from the beautiful events and collaborations we got to be a part of this year! First up is an intimate styled shoot / dinner party that my good photo friend Kayla of Kayla F Photo dreamed up and asked me to help bring to life.

Like many lovers of good food and unique urban outdoor spaces, I am a long-time fan and frequent patron of Stable Cafe here in the Mission. It's pretty much the perfect urban oasis: a peaceful outdoor courtyard lined with fruit trees and accented with clever groupings of succulents and other pretty plants from Lila B. Add zig-zags of string lights overhead, a lush covered greenhouse and beautiful old café tables and chairs...and I basically want to move in. Intimate parties or small wedding celebrations are made for this place. Who wants to let me plan an event here?!

Kayla's original vision was a simple and rustic dinner among friends - sounds easy, right?! Here are the key ingredients to any good intimate gathering, as far as I'm concerned:

Beautiful flowers. If you know anything about me you probably know that I'm a full-fledged flower addict. Amanda Vidmar created this garden-inspired centerpiece that had us all swooning with its romantic combo of garden roses, ranunculus, bearded iris, Abelia branches, and blue Viburnum.

To help the table blend in even more with the courtyard setting, Amanda draped Hops across the backs of the chairs.

Next, you need a beautifully set table. We chose blue and white stoneware and votives from Heath Ceramics and these gorgeous pale grey, hand-blown glasses, both from Chairs + Cups' perfectly curated inventory. Cloth napkins, flatware, and marble candlesticks came from CB2. And that gorgeous hand-dyed grey runner from Silk + Willow.

Amanda and I intensely focused on figuring out the perfect napkin fold. OCD tendencies at their best!! These tiny details are the ones that make the overall picture perfect!

Beautiful paper goods - another one of my favorite things. Including a simple menu at each person's place setting makes any meal that much more special and builds anticipation for the delicious food you're about to have. Bri of Brown Fox Calligraphy hand-wrote these menus in a medium-gray ink on light-gray paper. Of course, for a larger event, hand-written menus for each guest might not be practical, but when you're only setting a table for 8 this is a worthy splurge! We made each place setting extra special by attaching each person's place card to a sweet little plum.

hand lettered menu on gray paper Brown Fox Calligraphy

Brown Fox Calligraphy hand lettered place card

Sometimes a little literary inspiration can really help set the mood. When I found this Virginia Wolfe quote, I knew I had to incorporate it into the design, so I had Bri make up a small sign to adorn our dessert table:

one cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well

And of course, what's a good dinner party without amazing food?! We teamed up with LRE Catering who put together the most delicious, fresh, seasonal summer menu we could have dreamed of. Not only was everything to-die-for scrumptious but their presentation was spot-on. My stomach is grumbling right now...

The best part of any intimate gathering is undoubtedly getting to spend time with friends and enjoy each others' company. Ryanne at One True Love made sure we were all comfortably and stylishly equipped for QT with some pieces from the collection at One True Love Vintage Rentals. I love the rustic, mid-century feel of those leather and wood armchairs together with the weathered leather poof. And how sweet is that wicker basket? It became the perfect spot for Amanda to stash all of the hops!

See, it's not so hard to pull off an intimate dinner party! Grab a few of your closest friends and lay the table...and just remember, "one cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well"!

Venue Envy: Indian Springs - Calistoga, CA

May 29, 2015 Rachael Silard

Last weekend, my husband and I ventured up to Indian Springs in Calistoga to celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary and get some much needed R&R. I’ve been wanting to stay at Indian Springs since I first moved to San Francisco, but it’s so popular that I’ve never been able to get a reservation - so book early!

Indian Springs just underwent a major renovation and you can practically still see the paint drying - the entire property is beautifully cared for and an absolute delight to stay at as a guest. If you’re looking for a beautiful, laid back, wine country setting for a small wedding or event (they can accommodate up to 80 guests, max) you’ll definitely want to stop by and check it out. To boot, the tiny town of Calistoga, which is a 5 minute walk from the resort, is ADORABLE and has some great restaurants and shops, yet avoids feeling like the tourist trap that much of Napa seems to be these days.

The resort was built in the 1860's by the pioneer Sam Brannan, who also founded the town of Calistoga. Mini history lesson: Sam Brannan loved the spa town Saratoga Springs in New York state, and accidentally gave Calistoga its name when one evening (probably slightly inebriated), he said something to the effect of ‘I’ll make this place the Calistoga of Sarafornia’ instead of the ‘Saratoga of California’. There you go.

As a self-proclaimed spa junkie, for me one of the biggest draws to Indian Springs is the old Hollywood-esque, historic olympic-size swimming pool, which is fed by natural geysers. Because the temperature of the water comes out of the ground quite hot, taking a dip in the pool is essentially like swimming in a gigantic bathtub. Aimlessly drift around the pool atop a float or passing noodle, take a steam in the sauna, put on a plush spa robe, nap by the pool, repeat. Oh, you can also get poolside ice cream. What more could you want? Although I didn’t have a chance to try one of their famous mud baths I will definitely be putting that on my list for the next trip.

As a wedding venue, it would be the perfect place for an intimate wedding weekend experience, since all of your guests can stay on property and spend time together. Add classic lawn games like bocce and shuffleboard, grilling facilities and a delicious on-property restaurant (Sam’s Social Club), and you’ve got pretty much the most laid back, relaxing wine country wedding weekend I can imagine. If you’re not already getting in your car to go jump in that pool, here are a few snaps from the weekend to make you drool!