Romantic + Natural Outdoor Wedding at Calistoga Ranch

This natural and beautiful outdoor wedding at Calistoga Ranch is jaw dropping gorgeous. We love the way the endearing couple married the unreal landscape and views of Napa Valley with the lovely shades of purple, it’s so Pinterest worthy. Get ready to pin and be inspired by Mary and Mario’s love story because their wedding photographed by Julie Kay Kelly, is one to always be remembered.

How did you initially meet and what was the most memorable thing about each other when you first both met?

From the bride: “We met in college at Boston University and Mario walked up to me without ever speaking to me before and asked me to marry him. I swear this is true – those were his first words to me and while I rejected him at the time, I loved his audacity and thought he was pretty handsome.”

From the groom: “I was immediately attracted to Mary and went straight for the plunge!”

Their proposal

Mario and Mary are huge animal lovers, but living in Los Angeles at the time limited them to owning cats. They had one already that Mary adopted but both Mario and Mary were really wanting to find a friend for their cat, Kitten. Mario came home from work one special day and got on his knee extending a beautiful blue and green eyed Turkish Angora cat in front of Mary asking for her hand in marriage. She hardly noticed the ring obviously because she was enamored with her dream cat. It was the cutest proposal she could ever dream up. The proposal was followed by a beautiful dinner at her favorite vegan restaurant in Studio City.

What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony?

There were some special readings from Mary’s uncle and their personal vows.  “Most notably was when Mario recited Shakespeare like the Spanish romantic that he is. :)”

Can you tell us about your style and your favorite creative design details from your wedding day?

“We chose Calistoga not for its luxury but rather because it boasts such beautiful natural scenery – nature that we both appreciate and love to surround ourselves with. It was important for us to bring our family and friends together in a space that we cherish as a couple together. The colors and aesthetic throughout the wedding were inspired by those of nature – neutrals colors and soft textures to not steal attention from the stunning scenery and beautiful company around us. I preferred a bohemian style, yet Mario was inspired by a Catalonian eclectic influence. So we decided to weave these two ideas into our details – for example: the half circle alter piece where they wed, amethyst table number pieces as his grandmother gifts him every year, lavender inspired by his mom’s love for gardening herbs, delicate naked cake decorated with our favorite plant, succulents.”

What are some intentional details or traditions did you include in your celebration? How did you keep it authentic to you and your love story?

“Mario was born and raised in Barcelona and came to the states for the first time as a college freshman. To honor his culinary tradition, we had a Spanish style rehearsal dinner complete with paella and churros! Family is very important to us and to honor the matriarchs of our family, we had our grandmothers as our flower girls tossing lavender down the aisle together.”

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?

“Walking into our dinner overlooking the lake at golden hour and seeing the most supportive family and friends faces in front of us – second best to looking over at my husband grinning from ear to ear in amazement of our dream day!”

What advice would you give brides and grooms who are currently planning their wedding?

“Work together on your big day – you are a team after all! It can be such a beautiful process if you both weigh in and partner on the decisions. I truly looked forward to asking Mario’s opinion and having him help me make decisions when I was inevitably dramatizing certain details. The unveiling of all of these details on the big day made it that much more special to the both of us on our big day!”

Now that you’re married what have you learned so far about being married?

“We carve out a date night every week and make a real effort to celebrate our relationship with a home cooked dinner, night out, special date or whatever strikes our mood that night. It’s important to carve that time out as the rest of your life, work, stress, etc can easily get the best of you.”

PHOTOGRAPHY Julie Kay Kelly | FLORAL DESIGNER Fleurs de France | PLANNING & DESIGN Cole Drake Events | CAKE Patisserie Angelica | VIDEOGRAPHY Aaron Lee Films | BRIDESMAID BRACELETS Eriness | DESIGN & DECOR Rion Designs | FILM DEVELOPMENT PhotoVision Prints | LINENS La Tavola Fine Linen Rental | HAIR & MAKEUP Bella Bridal Napa Valley | RENTALS Five Star Events | Encore Events Rentals | Classic Party Rentals | MUSIC Entire Productions | LIGHTING Joe-Squared Productions | TRANSPORTATION Napa Valley Tours & Transportation