Sonoma Garden Wedding

Vignettes from an unforgettably whimsical garden wedding at Beltane Ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma Valley, California.

Madeline and Matt

Her delicate dress of embroidered French cotton lace, buttons all down the back.

His whimsical olive linen suit lined with citrons.

Her crown of dried flowers affixed with a splash of orange ribbon.

The magical lane of Persian rugs leading down the aisle to the towering majesty of the live oak draped in a shawl of flowers.

The dulcet tones of their friend/officiant’s southern twang.

The ethereal light reflecting off her vows and onto her alabaster cheek.

The fine line between tears and riotous laughter that was crossed again and again as Madeline and Matt exchanged vows.

The air suffuse with dried flower petals as they ecstatically flew back down the aisle. As if all the world were filled with flower petals cascading through the air.

Whatever they told their guests to wear worked out just about right, cocktail hour a sea of floral prints and colorful summer suits scattered across the lawn, sipping Mavericks and Roosters.

Come Together, I Want To Hold Your Hand, And I Love Her, She Loves You, Here Comes the Sun, Strawberry Fields Forever.

Wally the sheep with his glorious floral crown somewhat bashful, nibbling the lawn, but also delighted by all the attention, especially from Madeline, his greatest fan.

The caricaturist hard at work sketching guests.

Her brother’s cow and sheep cufflinks.

The chickens promenading through cocktail hour, and round the reception tables.

Designed by Madeline, each escort card a flower petal, waiting to be plucked by a guest from its field of blossoms.

Stargazer, bluebell, marigold, poppy, peony demarcating each baroque tablescape with long paisley tablecloths, intricately detailed amber goblets. Everything designed and drawn by Madeline. One had the sense this was not the first tea party Madeline had hosted.

Chicken cake! Surrounded by holstein pops, cartons of cake eggs and cake chicks, mini hay bale cakes, carrot cakes in the shape of carrots.

A day so thoroughly governed by whimsy and the unexpected.

Delights at every corner.

Love Me Do, Eight Days a Week, Free as a Bird, Don’t Let Me Down, Octopus’s Garden.

Also, the pair of original songs with which Madeline and Matt serenaded their guests. Her gleeful recorder solo against the setting sun.

A rainbow of ombre tapers burning against the dying light of the head table.

And if all this, somehow, wasn’t quite enough, an exquisite sunset sidled in as Madeline & Matt’s wedding day came to it’s conclusion.

Who amongst us succeeds in bringing so many chapters of the magic of childhood into her wedding? Very few I say, none quite like Madeline & Matt in this past decade that I have documented.

Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, bride and groom in flower garden
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, florals on oak tree
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, garden party wedding dress  lace details
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, lace wedding dress details
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, wedding portraits
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, custom linen suit
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, detail linen green suit
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, dried flower crown bride
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, ceremony aisle, oak tree ceremony, napa, vineyard view
spring summer wedding florals, Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, spring summer florals
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, spring summer florals
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, ceremony, florals on oak tree.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, wedding ceremony guests
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, recessional, dried flowers
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, recessional
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, recessional detail.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, cocktail hour, documentary wedding photography
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, custom cocktails
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, cocktail hour, wally the sheep
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, wally the sheep, lamb
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, wally the sheep, lamb
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, wally the sheep, lamb
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, custom seating chart, DIY
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, custom seating chart, DIY
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, DIY seating table.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, garden party attire guests
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, garden party attire guests,
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, garden party attire
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, garden party attire, fancy cufflinks
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, garden party attire, caricatures, cocktail hour
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, garden party attire, caricatures, cocktail hour
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, ranch chickens
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, ranch chickens
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, whimsical table setting, garden party.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, whimsical table setting, garden party, tapered candles, bud vases
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, tapered candle tablescape.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, whimsical table setting, garden party. hand drawn table signs.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, tapered candle tablescape.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, tapered candle tablescape.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, florals
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, dessert tabling setting, chicken wedding cake
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, dessert tabling setting,
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, cake cutting.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, cake cutting.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, guest attire
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, garden party chic wedding guest attire
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, dinner time
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, dance
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, first dance
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, guests.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, speech.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, speech.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, speech.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, guests.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, speech.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, speech.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, dinner.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, speech.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, golden hour
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, dancing.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, dancing.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, dancing.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, dancing.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, dancing.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, live beatles band.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, golden hour, tent
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, couples portraits.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, speech.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, sunset golden hour.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, golden hour, dancing.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, golden hour sunset.
Beltane Ranch, Sonoma Garden wedding, documentary wedding photography, golden hour sunset.

Wedding Planning : Samar of Blissful Event Planning
Venue: Beltane Ranch
Flowers: Mae Flowers Sonoma
Sheep: Wally the Wooly Weeder
Rentals: Encore Events Rentals
Band: Ticket to Ride (Beatles cover band)
Catering: Sage Catering
Cake/Desserts: Supreme Sweets
Hair & Makeup: Santa Rosa Powder Room
Dress: Atelier Des Modistes


Beltane Ranch Wedding Sonoma, California

Beltane Ranch Wedding Sonoma, California – Cat & Ross

Cat & Ross were married at Beltane Ranch in Glen Ellen, California on a gobsmackingly beautiful April day. They opted for an elopement with only family in attendance. Over the weekend I was able to get to know them and their families a bit, especially so as I also photographed their rehearsal dinner at Round Pond Estate the night before. Both nights were celebrations of love, of course, but also of food, as Cat and Ross have a bit of a flare for the gastronomic. But, I’m getting ahead of myself here.

The truly remarkable thing that happened on that Saturday in April in Glen Ellen California under a live oak tree overlooking a vineyard, is that time came to a standstill. The wedding ceremony was proceeding as planned. Ross’s mother led him to the altar. Cat’s father led her to Ross. Ross’s brother, the officiant, spoke eloquently. Cat’s mother shared a reading. The wind rustled the ribbons tied to the chairs, and the leaves of the oak overhead, and all of the rows of grapevines beyond out into the horizon. And then Cat produced a small notebook and began to read her vows. Like that. Time stopped. It was everything I could do to continue making photographs. Cat’s words demanded the attention of all present, Ross, her family, the old ranch house, the chef, the farm kitten, but also, the clouds, and all of creation. I had never experienced anything quite like that before.

It feels strange to go on, but one must. We all found our legs again, and the two recessed down the aisle, husband and wife. Champagne was poured, toasts were made, hugs were dispensed with abandon. The sun began to reach for the horizon. Cat and Ross shared a first dance under the oak tree to the dulcet tones of a string trio.

Dinner was served at a long table flanked by heat lamps overlooking the vineyards. This wedding may only have had 10 guests in total, but there were seven courses on the menu. Wines from Sonoma Valley were poured to pair with each course. When golden hour struck, Cat, Ross and I hopped in an ATV with Lauren from Beltane, and headed off to the rolling hills of vineyards to make a few portraits. When we returned we were graced with an absolutely spectacular sunset to close out the night

Venue : Beltane Ranch
Photographer : Hazel Photo
Hair and Makeup : Ashley Jensen
Wedding attire : Grooms Suit: Jojayden, Bride’s gown: Jenny Yoo
Cake : Bouchon
Catering : Beltane Ranch
DJ/Band : BellaRosa String Quartet
Wine : Schramsberg , Davies Vineyard


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