A few weekends ago we had our engagement party at the Maysonnave House in Sonoma, CA. To say the least, it was an absolute dream come true. I’ve had many people tell me that one of the best parts about your wedding is having all of your loved ones at the same place at the same time, and we certainly felt that at our party.
We kept the party on the more intimate side, with only our close friends and family similar to how we have envisioned our wedding. The Masonnave House is a historic site in Sonoma, right off downtown plaza. It’s a recently updated home with beautiful gardens that I fell in love with.
We decided on an Italian theme of neutral tones with a pop of yellow lemons. We served my Dad’s wine, had the most delicious chef prepare a variety of Italian dishes, a gelato cart on a vespa to surprise our guests and homemade lemoncello as favors.
We called this the ‘calm before the storm’. The space was just so peaceful, and the weather was on our side! The tables were lined with a simple garland, white candles and pops of lemons.
We of course needed a dedicated spot for photos! This ‘AMORE’ sign was the cutest! It was so special to have our families together especially since Jeff’s parents live on the East Coast. It was so fun to have our friends and family meet and enjoy!
Each guest wrote us a little note in a Sonoma Wine Country coffee table book. We can’t wait to read it for years to come.
This is the real thing! Jeff, my Mom and I made lemoncello weeks before the party so that it could be ready to taste just in time. They were a huge hit, and the leftover’s weren’t so bad either.
Invites were made via Minted Weddings. We used on our of engagement photos for this, they turned out so nice!
A bottle of my Dad’s 2018 Chardonnay! He’s working his next vintage as we speak. We will be picking those grapes next month.
It was such a treat having Cafe Apae surprise our guests! They served gelato out of this cute little vespa! It was nice having more of an interactive dessert so the guests could get up from their seat, grab some gelato and mingle a bit more. Plus, the gelato was so incredible good and my Mom made homemade biscotti to accompany!
And time for speeches! I am crying all over again just thinking about them. They were all so special. Jeff also made everyone tear up as he asked his Dad to be his best man.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of our close friends and family who could join us. It was the most magical evening. I can’t even imagine how the wedding will feel!
Thank you Mom, Dad, Ann and the Bottom’s for all of your love and help making my vision come to life and MORE! You all worked so hard, it was unbelievable. We love you so much! And a BIG thank you to our vendors as well!
- Photography: Alexis Exstrom
- Venue: Maysonnave House, Sonoma
- Invitations: Minted Weddings
- Misc Paper goods: Paper Source
- Chef: David Walker
- Rentals: Bright Events
- Gelato cart: Cafe Apae
- Lemoncello bottles: Amazon
- Lemoncello tags: Zazzle
- My dress: V. Chapman via Revolve
What a beautiful blog and accounting of a wonderful evening! Thanks for including Joey and me, what a surprise! Love you Big as the Sky!
Of course I included you guys! It was incredible, love you! xo
What a beautiful party! Such great touches to make it so special.
Thank you so much! xx