• Real Weddings

Jodi and Stephan began with nearly two years of a long distance relationship. So, naturally they appreciated traveling and once engaged were immediately drawn to having a destination wedding. Once they began their search for a location, they instantly fell in love with the ambiance and romance of a wine country wedding.
The question is how does one create the perfect, intimate wine country wedding without actually living in wine country? Continue reading to hear from Jodi how this elegant winery destination wedding came together so perfectly. Let's just say it has a little bit to do with event planner Amy Thumhart and a few other fabulous vendors, including Matt Edge Wedding Photography. So, be sure to read on to hear everything about their wedding, as well as their picture perfect rehearsal dinner. As always, peek in the full gallery here to see all the images.

From the Bride on what she would have done differently:In answer to your first question, I can honestly say no, I would not have changed a single moment of the weekends events (which to us is the beauty of it all and to which we are so grateful for). We tried to look back and question whether we would have done anything differently shortly after the wedding and we were so pleased with the turn out of the events, we just couldn't imagine it any other way.

That said, however, although we would not have changed anything about the details of our wedding, our only downside to having a destination wedding was not having everyone that we love there to celebrate with us. While it was our goal to strike a balance with size of the wedding and the number of guests to maintain a more intimate setting, we definitely missed having my husbands parents in attendance from Germany (due to circumstances beyond anyones control), along with several other family members and friends.

Once we began our search, we instantly fell in love with the ambiance and romance of a wine country wedding. We wanted to create the perfect, intimate setting that embodied our personalities and love for one another, while creating an atmosphere that would also provide an amazing experience for our guests. Having family and friends from different corners of the globe, (primarily Germany and the Midwest) it was important for us to find a destination that everyone could enjoy.

Once we had our heart set on wine country, we quickly realized that we would need to recruit local assistance in order to translate our vision into reality and assist in the vendor selection process. After interviewing several local planners, I knew that we had to work with Amy Thumhart. Amy was nothing short of amazing and wonderful to work with (compliments of which come not only from just the bride and groom, but each of the vendors who worked with her).

Amy scheduled two days of tours with numerous gorgeous vineyards and local venues in Sonoma and Napa; however we instantly fell in love with Copain Winery in Healdsburg for its breathtaking scenery and great vibe. Between Hollie Schultz, the events coordinator at Copain (who is also incredible), and Amy, the vendor selection was a breeze.

We instantly gravitated towards Matt Edge Wedding Photography (who was recommended by Hollie) because of his beautiful artistic style and stunning portfolio. Matt and his wife Allison (who is also Matt’s assistant) were both wonderful to work with. They were friendly, pleasant and professional and made everyone comfortable while shooting (and they did an incredible job of capturing “the moments” and creating a lifetime of wonderful memories from our beautiful wedding events. We love all of the photos, including the candid and detailed shots). Our wedding was inspired by our love for one another, along with our passion for travel, food, wine and our wonderful family and friends. The weekend’s events were truly unforgettable and we can’t express enough gratitude to our guests and vendors for making it such a memorable experience.

A beautiful day .. right? Well let's rewind one day to Jody and Stephan's rehearsal dinner at Medlock Ames where guests relaxed with local wine and dined on Fork Catering. Fork Catering is an unique food truck that specializes in using fresh, organic, and local ingredients. If you scroll down a tad you can see the menu and it looks ultra delicious. A fun idea for a rehearsal dinner!

• Dress & Apparel: Pronovias
• Cake: Moustache Baked Goods
• DJ: DJ Jeremy Productions
• Event Designer & Coordinator: Amy Thumhart
• Fashion: Ferragamo
• Flowers: Dragonfly Floral
• Groom & His Men: Hugo Boss
• Groom's attire: Ermenegildo Zegna
• Hair & Makeup: It's A Date
• Jewelry: Tiffany & C0.
• Officiant: Michael LeBlanc
• Photographers: Matt Edge Wedding Photography
• Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Medlock Ames
• Rentals: Encore Events Rentals
• Venue: Copain Winery
• Wedding Dresses: Watters