At This Wine Country Wedding, the Bride Wore a Dress With an Overskirt That Weighed 30 Pounds

Sonya and Dean met back in February 2014, while he was out for a guys' night on the town; he spotted Sonya across the bar, and the rest is history. In March 2021, Dean planned a dinner at the couple’s favorite restaurant with their closest friends to enjoy the last of the season’s winter truffles. There, he surprised Sonya with a heartfelt proposal. The bride-to-be quickly launched into planning mode and started by enlisting some help from her friend, wedding planner Makela Allen of Cole Drake Events, to schedule a day of touring venues in Sonoma wine country. When they toured Montage Healdsburg, Sonya got the chills. “We live to enjoy food and wine,” she says. “This place just checked all the boxes.”

While choosing the venue was the easiest part of the planning process, Sonya and Dean admit that narrowing down their guest list to 105 was the hardest. It was worth it, though, when they were able to invite only their closest family and friends to celebrate their wedding on Friday, June 9, 2023. Since they envisioned a fairy-tale aesthetic, Makela knew she needed to offset the venue’s modern architecture with soft touches, wooden textures, and plenty of feminine floral details. Their festivities were complete with signature cocktails, live music, and not one, not two, but three wedding cakes. Check out this romantic, floral-filled event in photos by Sarah Folsom Photography.

Sonya and Dean hired Chez La Mariee to both customize their invitation suite and live paint at their wedding. The stationery featured a custom crest with the couple’s initials and a watercolor illustration of the venue on the details card and envelope liners. The invitations were finished with blush ribbons, custom wax seals, and wine-inspired stamps.

On the morning of the wedding, Sonya got ready in a white silk robe. As for her big-day beauty prep?Six months prior, she had a series of vampire facials. She also swears by Nu Skin products, particularly the Here You Glow Exfoliating Toner, the ageLOC Lumispa, and the ageLOC Tru Face Essence Ultra. For her hair and makeup, she wanted a classic, fresh look to let her dress be the star. “I always liked the look of Cinderella’s hair,” she says. “Dean also loves when I wear my hair up and I rarely do.”

Sonya wore a bespoke two-in-one lace Ese Azenabor gown with Swarovski crystal embellishments along the bodice; it weighed about 30 pounds, she guesses. “The way I got butterflies thinking about Dean seeing me in this dress,” she says. She shipped the skirt portion of her gown to the venue so Dean wouldn’t be clued in to how full her dress actually was. “I locked the smaller part of my dress in a carry-on suitcase and carried that while we traveled for the wedding,” she explains. “He had no idea about the details.” Those details included a custom Ese Azenabor veil complete with her grandparents’ names and Dean’s parent’s names inscribed in crystals. She held a vibrant bouquet of purple and pink flowers to polish off her look. “Sonya was not afraid of color,” her planner, MaKela, affirms.

Sonya had eight attendants in her half of the wedding party. Bridesmaids wore floor-length lavender dresses from Dessy in varying styles that fit them best. They held smaller versions of Sonya’s purple and pink bouquet.

Dean wore a classic custom tuxedo and bow tie from Mahtani’s Tailor paired with a purple boutonnière. The groomsmen also looked stylish in traditional black tuxes that they had custom made. The linings of their jackets were embroidered with the story of how they knew the groom.

The couple’s ceremony took place on the grass, where the focal point was the floral arch. “We knew Sonya’s dress needed something substantial behind her so she wouldn’t get lost,” MaKela says. They brought in an oversized floral installation to frame the couple and chose to line the back row of chairs with vibrant flower arrangements; they skipped aisle decorations to prevent Sonya from snagging her dress during her procession. As guests arrived, they were served Dom Pérignon Champagne to kick off the celebrations.

Synchronicity Strings performed Kona Granis’ version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” as Sonya walked down the aisle with her brother by her side. Dean’s niece officiated the ceremony; Sonya and Dean exchanged traditional vows in front of their guests. During their recessional, they stopped halfway down the aisle for a quick second kiss as husband and wife.

At the cocktail hour, bistro and high top tables were covered with lavender linens and floral centerpieces, while cozy lounge areas were set up in intimate corners of the venue for conversation. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres like lobster arancini, truffled stuffed mushroom, and kampachi sashimi. The couple also served three signature cocktails; a Cucumber Collins, a Violet Beauregard with tequila, and a Paloma Hermosa. Sonya and Dean enlisted BooVara Designs to create a custom seating chart that read “Our Favorite People” for guests to find their assigned tables for dinner.

Sonya and Dean’s reception took place on the venue’s grand lawn. Attendees dined with views of the vineyards, underneath a custom wooden pergola with linen draping. The couple’s planner designed the tables to feel approachable yet elevated, with tone-on-tone floral embroidered linens, contrasting black chairs, etched water goblets, and bright florals with lots of movement.

After taking some portraits in the vineyard, Sonya and Dean danced their way into the reception. For the moment, Sonya took off her wedding dress' overskirt to reveal the sleeker version of her gown. The couple shared their first dance to Robin Thicke’s “Lost Without You” before they shared a special spin with their children to Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love.”

The newlyweds wanted to make a statement when it was time for dessert, so they had not one, not two, but three wedding cakes. Their main confection was a four-tiered cake with lavender edges; the other two featured hand-painted floral designs. They chose olive oil cake with lemon and chocolate cake with toffee pieces.

The couple hired Georgia Bridgewater Orchestra to play for their reception and DJ Adante Mayo to helm their after-party; together, the musicians kept the intimate group on the dance floor. To couples planning their big day, Sonya says, “Mute the background noise! This is the one time you can be selfish—just focus on each other and have fun!”