Elegant Wilson Creek Winery Wedding from Janelle Marina Photography

"I (the bride) always wanted a vineyard wedding. I thought they were romantic, magical, and beautiful. I luckily am blessed with a husband who allowed me to have free reign over the entire process (with the exception of what he and his groomsmen wore but he did a pretty good job with that) and because of that, I was blessed with the most amazing day and he loved it as well. Upon visiting Wilson Creek and seeing their Merlot Mesa site, I knew I had found the perfect look and ambience for my wedding and it definitely delivered. My favorite part of the day was the ceremony. It was completely without blemish or fault. It was perfect. We said our vows under God, our family, and our friends in the most romantic space in the middle of the vines with the sun setting. Everything about it was amazing, the look and feel of that whole part of the day I would not change a single bit. The overall ambience and beauty of the vineyard along with my florist, Pip, from RoseBubbs Events gave me everything I needed and more in terms of the look and feel I wanted for my wedding day. My husband, our love, and the love from our family and friends made it perfect despite any mishaps." -Yvonne & Tyler

From the bride: Despite the million mishaps, the day was about more than the reception. It was the day my husband and I became ONE and it was one of the best days of our lives. My guests still had an amazing time and overall, we did as well because of what it meant to us. We saw friends and family that we loved dearly that we hadn't seen in forever. We laughed and we danced. The venue may have been a disaster in their service but it didn't ruin the most important moments for us. My good family friend surprised us by singing one of my favorite John Legend songs ("Cloud 9") during dinner. Our first dance to a remake of "Heaven" by Brian Adams was magic, and the father-daughter and mother-son dances were so special. My flower girls made us pictures to hang in our home, they had dance battles with our guests, and "helped" me with my bouquet toss. My husband made me a beautiful slideshow of us growing up and our moments together for the past 3 and a half years including a video of our engagement. There was so much love and laughter.

Wedding planning advice: I (the bride) planned our wedding while in my final year of law school (and taking part in the activities and jobs that come with that) and studying for the CA Bar. Luckily majority of the planning was complete by the time I had to study for the exam but there was still little last minute details I had to plan. It seems like a lot (and it WAS) but YOU CAN DO IT. Whether you can afford a planner or not, if you can make the time to plan your own wedding you should do it. We could have set aside a part of our budget to have someone else plan the biggest day of our lives but instead, I wanted to put that money towards cigars for my husband and his friends and an extravagant wedding cake. This day is YOUR DAY. It will be a headache at times but START WITH A PLAN AND VISION and TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. Everything will fall into place for you. I was able to get everything I wanted accomplished and everything (that was within my control lol) came out exactly how I wanted. Also, someone told me things WILL GO WRONG on your wedding day BUT DON'T LET IT RUIN YOUR MOMENT. On my day, things went wrong but I didn't allow it to ruin our moment so it was still perfection.

Honeymooned in: Puerto Rico and stayed at the Gran Melia Puerto Rico Golf Resort. The weather was perfect for that time of year (we went the first week of October) and since it was down season, we had the resort mainly to ourselves until the weekend. The locals were also very accommodating and helpful. It is one of the few tropical places that does not go through hurricane season during that time of year.

We were able to rent a car for a reasonable price for the week and drive to and from Old San Juan, visit the old forts, eat at restaurants loved by tourists and locals alike, and also dance along the warm beaches. You must visit the old forts in Old San Juan, eat at the Home of the Pina Colada (down the street from those forts), take part in the awesome shopping (if thats your thing) and eat at a local restaurant that the locals love.

"*" denotes SCB Top Wedding Professional.

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Elegant Wilson Creek Winery Wedding from Janelle Marina Photography