Photo: Kara Jean Weddings
Annie Keilman, 29, knew Samuel Brunswick, 30, was the man she would marry since she the second grade. Unfortunately, it took the groom until his junior year of high school to start reciprocating the feeling. Although the high school sweethearts dated throughout college, they ultimately spent three years apart before reconnecting when their month-long visits home happened to overlap.
After getting engaged while on a walk with their dog, Diego, in 2013, Annie and Samuel spent a year planning their June 14, 2014 nuptials in Napa, California. The bride and groom chose to wed on Annie's grandfather's ranch in the middle of wine country, and their laid-back, personal celebration could not have been more perfect. Read on to see all of the details of their big day, as captured by Kara Jean Weddings.
Photo: Kara Jean Weddings
Annie and Samuel enlisted designer Rawaan Alkhatib to create their whimsical save-the-date cards and wedding invitations. To add color to their reception, the couple requested that guests wore "something blue" to offset their natural décor.
Photo: Kara Jean Weddings
The bride wore a strapless chiffon wedding dress from Liancarlo that she purchased online without ever having seen it in person. "I saw a photo on the website and just knew," Annie remembers. "It had everything I wanted. It fit and I loved it." She kept her accessories simple, adding only a pair of diamond studs borrowed from her maid-of-honor. Her four bridesmaids wore matching strapless knee-length dresses from J.Crew.
Samuel wore pants and a vest from J.Crew Factory and a punch coral patterned tie. The couple's dog stood in as one of their ring bearers and walked down the aisle with his own bright bowtie.
Annie's father walked her down a vineyard row before reaching the natural, woven runner that covered their aisle. The space was decorated with colorful hanging arrangements, comprised of bright blooms like coral charm peonies roses, and hydrangeas.
The bride and groom planned a very personal ceremony, which was officiated by a friend and included a musical performance and readings from other loved ones. They chose to wed beneath a giant oak tree and exchanged vows they had written for one another. Of course, Diego was close by to watch over the entire event.
Following the ceremony, guests joined the couple for an open-air reception at long, banquet-style tables and found their seating arrangements on an antique door-turned-seating chart. Mismatched blue fabric runners lined the tables along with various different low centerpieces, including potted succulents and mixes of peonies, roses, and snapdragons.
They played up the laid-back vibe of their venue and hung photos of their relationship in front of an antique farm machine. On a nearby table, guests could view the yearbook photos from the couple when they first met.
Photo: Kara Jean Weddings
Guests also found "survival tools" like bug spray and sunscreen, as well as information on dangerous plants, useful throughout the evening. "Because our venue has never been a wedding site before, and since it has natural ranch topography, we had to put in a lot of hard work to make it comfortable for our guests," Annie says.
Photo: Kara Jean Weddings
Friends and family feasted on a Mexican-inspired menu and enjoyed Annie and Samuel's two signature cocktails: The Napa Sunshine, made of tequila, grapefruit juice, and grenadine, and the Diego, made of bourbon and ginger beer, were crowd-pleasing picks that were representative of the couple and their venue.
Photo: Kara Jean Weddings
To end the evening the couple's 280 guests dined on slices of their wedding cake, which included flavors like carrot cake, vanilla and chocolate, and champagne.
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Private Residence || Day of Coordinator: Lovely Day Events || Bride's Wedding Dress: || Hair: Bloom Salon || Bridesmaids' Dresses: J.Crew || Groom's Attire: J.Crew || Groom's Tie: Chipmunk Point || Wedding Invitations: Rawaan Alkhatib || Florist: Garden Party || Catering: Villa Corona Catering || Wedding Cake: Butter Cream Bakery || Music: Pop Rocks || Photographer: Kara Jean Weddings
Did you love this Napa Valley wedding? Then watch another couple exchange vows at a California vineyard!