A Wine Country Destination Wedding
Stylish, classy and vibrant – these are the first words that come to mind when I think about KeShonda & Raynard and their fabulous Wine Country destination wedding. They and their family and friends journeyed all the way from Washington D.C. to celebrate their love California style!
Yin and Yang
KeShonda & Raynard complement each other perfectly. She enjoys reading and traveling, while he likes working out. She is a little more reserved and is the yin to his big personality yang. They definitely don’t take themselves or each other too seriously and spend some serious time laughing together!
The Garden Pavilion Sonoma – A Taste Of California
It was my first time shooting at the Garden Pavilion and I hope it’s not my last! From the vintage feel of the house, to the pool complete with a bridge, to the wild flowers that surrounded the bride and groom while they said their vows, to the vineyard out back, it’s the perfect combination of all things California. The grounds manage to look well tended and completely natural at the same time. It makes you feel like you’re in paradise!
Classic with a Pop!
The couple’s style was clean and classic, with gray and navy providing the perfect backdrop for pops of raspberry. It has to be said – KeShonda looked stunning in her La Sposa wedding dress! She is a classic beauty.
Tamara J Events did a fabulous job (as usual!) of blending the decor into the garden’s beautiful landscape so everything felt like it just belonged. Not to mention, the flowers from Seasonal Floral Design were a perfect finishing touch.
Best Party Ever!
The happy couple met at a birthday party – Ranisha, KeShonda’s cousin and Ray’s coworker (and one of the bridesmaids, naturally), gets credit for introducing them and kicking off this epic love story. Of course, since they met at a party, it’s only natural that their wedding was incredibly awesome and fun as well. Alex’s Catering brought the fantastic food and THE C.M.E took DJ to a whole new level.
Love Song Serenade
If you know me, you know how much I LOVE traditions, and culturally specific traditions in particular. This wedding was no exception. I waited all day for Ray and his Fraternity brothers to serenade KeShonda. It was so romantic! All of his brothers circled around the two of them and although I couldn’t quite make out the words I know he sang her a sweet, sweet love song. Once finished, the circle broke open and Ray led his brothers through the crowd dancing in perfect unison to “Sweet Like Candy”. AMAZING!!!
Droning On…
So I hear about them all the time and all the cool things they can do but until now I hadn’t had the pleasure. It flew around capturing the day from a whole new angle and it was so fun when it snuck up on us while we were taking some sweet intimate photos in the back vineyard. I even got a few snaps of it! I haven’t seen what it filmed yet, but I can’t wait.
KeShonda and Raynard, congratulations, you two! I wish you all the best – may your future be as beautiful and fun as your wedding was!
xoxo
Thank you Rachel from Capil Photography for shooting these awesome images with me!
VENDORS
Planner & Event Design: Tamara J Events
Venue: The Garden Pavilion, Sonoma
Caterer: Alex’s Catering
Cake & Desserts: Wendy Truffle Berries (truffleberries@aol.com)
DJ: THE C.M.E. (the.cme@gmail.com)
Florist: Seasons Floral Design
Make-up: Allie Yamaguchi
Hair: Shaun McElrath
Video: Dashawn Bedford
Wedding Dress Designer: La Sposa
Bridesmaid Dress Designer: David’s Bridal
Bride’s Shoes: BCBG
Bridesmaids’ Shoes: Nine West
Grooms Suit/Tux: Banana Republic
Officiant: Cheryl Ward Ministries (cheryl@cherylwardministries.