Ashley + Sebastian’s Crooked Vine Winery Wedding (Livermore, CA)

10-15-2017
Photograph of a bride and groom silhouetted against a green wall of vines.

For all the checklists, preparations, and programming involved in putting on a wedding, ultimately, that wedding is about two people choosing life together. Ashley and Sebastian so clearly kept that truth in mind as they celebrated their wedding at the Crooked Vine Winery. And seeing such a classy and calm couple join in marriage just about made my summer.

I first met these high school non-sweethearts earlier in the year, when they called upon me to capture their engagement photography. I had a blast getting to know them. They met in high school but just didn’t stay in each other’s orbit. It wasn’t until years down the line that seeing a picture online caused Ashley to recall this dapper fellow, only with a newfound fondness. She reached out (accidentally–or was it?) and so began a story of love that matured in friendship, faith in God, fitness, and dog-ownership.

Ashley and Sebastian savored the sweetness of their relationship and knew they wanted to build a life together around God. Was marriage in the works? Oh yes.

Take a look at the images below for a peek at the story of their wedding day…

 

Photograph of the entrance to the Crooked Vine winery Courtyard
All was locked and loaded for a ceremony at the Crooked Vine Winery courtyard.

 

Stylistic photograph of a wedding ring and engagement band with water droplets.
The rings were ready to go.

 

Photograph of a wedding dress hanging from a tree, near a barrel
There were just a few details left for the bride to take care of…

 

Black and white photograph of a bride getting ready for a wedding ceremony. Her shirt reads "bride".
…Like getting ready.

 

Photograph of a bride surrounded by bridesmaids and friends.
That lady in the middle of the whirlwind? That’s our bride Ashley.

 

Photograph of a makeup artist helping a bride with her eyelash extensions.
Like they always say, “The eye(lashes) have it.”

 

Photograph of bridesmaids receiving a gift from the bride.
Ashley surprised her bridesmaids with mugs that featured illustrated versions of each of the ladies. Awesome to the max!

 

Black and white photographof a bride having her hair done.
Then it was time for the hair…

 

Photograph of a bride backlit while having her hair curled.
A little of this…

 

A photograph of a bride under an illuminated cloud of hairspray.
…A little of that…

 

Close up photograph of tight curls in a bride's hair.
…To make her hair look like this.

 

Photograph of a mother of the bride tearing up while looking at her daughter.
All this preparation and beauty got mom a little misty. Can you blame her?

 

Photograph of a bride having her hair done before a wedding ceremony.
Ashley took it all in stride.

 

Photograph of groomsmen joking with the groom.
Meanwhile, the boys had slipped into their finery, just in time to heckle our groom Sebastian about a letter and gift Ashley had sent his way.

 

Ethnically diverse groomsmen pose in blue suits in front of a background of foliage.
Then they pulled it all together to look more than a little suave.

 

A groom in a blue tux stands in focus while his groomsmen stand out of focus behind him.
Sebastian’s got suave down to an art. There’s that smoldering look…

 

Black and white photograph of a wedding officiant joking with a groom and his groomsmen.
Then it was time for Sebastian to slip into the Crooked Vine Barrel Room get that pre-ceremony pep talk from their friend and pastor.

 

A dramatic outdoor photo of a bride and bridemaid in matching robes.
But before putting their dresses on, the girls had to get their own squad photos going.

 

Group photograph of a bridal party wearing matching robes.
Sure, brothers gotta hug. But so do sisters! And there were plenty of sisters in the bridal party.

 

Photograph of a bride looking away from the camera, wearing a white robe.
Granted, Ashley looked plenty beautiful all on her own.

 

Photograph of a bride putting on her wedding dress.
But alas, the dress had to go on at some point.

 

A bridesmaid helps a bride finish putting on her dress.
She got by with a little help from her friends.

 

Black and white photograph of a bride getting ready for her ceremony, looking in a mirror.
T minus five… Ashley took care of the finishing touches.

 

Photograph of a bride's father seeing her in her dress for the first time.
T minus four… Ashley’s dad got the pre-ceremony first look.

 

Black and white photograph of the father of the groom taking a selfie at a wedding.
T minus three… Sebastian’s dad had been working out that selfie arm.

 

Photograph of the groom and officiant standing at the Crooked Vine Winery courtyard.
T minus two… Sebastian (and everyone) stood ready for the main event.

 

Two flower girls walk down the aisle just before the ceremony.
T minus one… The nieces/flower girls walked down the aisle, forgetting about scattering petals.

 

Photograph of a bride walking down the aisle with her father.
…And then she arrived.

 

Photograph of a latino groom taking his first look at his bride.
Sebastian’s first look, trying to hold it together.

 

Black and white photograph of bridemaids crying.
The bridesmaids, equally unable to hold it together.

 

Photograph of an entire bridal party observing a bride and groom exchanging vows.
Their moment had arrived.

 

Wide angle photograph of the courtyard at the Crooked Vine Winery.
All of their loved ones had made it here to the Crooked Vine Winery for this plunge into marriage.

 

A wooden sign plate quotes biblical scripture from 1 corinthians at a wedding.
Talkin’ ’bout love.

 

A bride and groom look at eachother while the officiant explains the meaning of marriage..
Face to face with each other, and ready for an incredible journey.

 

Black and white photograph of a groom looking toward his best man for the rings.
Now where were those rings, anyway?

 

Photograph of an officiant making a bride and groom smile during their wedding ceremony.
Cheers to their pastor for keeping the ceremony joyful and focused on God’s plan for marriage. Smiles are a good sign!

 

Photograph of a bride and groom's first kiss.
They did a bit of this, too…

 

A black and white photograph of a bride and groom walking out of their wedding ceremony.
Stepping out of the ceremony and into something new.

 

A dutch-tilt photograph of a bride chatting with her cute flowergirl.
Ashley gives one of her flowergirls some marriage tips, probably.

 

A bridal party photo featuring blue tuxedos and pink dresses.
Bringing the whole crew together: blue vs. pink.

 

Wide angle photograph of a groom making a speech to his guests.
A grateful groom welcomes his guests to enjoy the reception.

 

A bride watches her groom making a reception speech.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say the girl in white has a thing for that guy in blue.

 

A bride and groom pose against an old Studebaker automobile at sunset.
And then we snuck away to enjoy the sunset, you know, by the closest Studebaker we could find.

 

A bride and groom talk and laugh by the side of the road.
Only they didn’t get to drive that Studebaker around.

 

A bridal portrait taken between grapevines in Livermore, CA.
Her.

 

A groom portrait taken between grapevines in a Livermore, CA vineyard.
Him.

 

A bride and groom stand among the grapevines in a vineyard in Livermore, CA.
Better together, getting lost in the vines.

 

Close up of a bride and groom standing amongst grapevines in a Livermore, CA vineyard.
These two!

 

Black and white photograph of a bride and groom nuzzling under a wedding veil.
What are veils for if not for a bit of cozy privacy?

 

A natural light portrait of a bride and groom walking by a vineyard at sunset.
Putting the sunset in the “sunset sneakout”.

 

A silhouetted photo of a bride and groom at sunset, with veil blowing.
And soon that sun was gone.

 

Photograph of a wedding reception at the Crooked Vine Vineyard,
And back to the reception they went…

 

Black and white photograph of a groom listening to a toast.
…Just in time for toasts.

 

A young man in a blue suit toasts the groom at a wedding ceremony.
Toastmaster: Sebastian’s brother at work.

 

Photograph of a matron of honor delivering a toast at a wedding reception.
Speaking of toasts, this one was a tearjerker!

 

Photograph of a bride's father delivering a toast as the groom looks on.
And Ashley’s dad knew just the right way to welcome Sebastian into the family.

 

Photograph of bride and groom joining the toast.
These two had the champagne glass clinking thing down to an art.

 

A bride and groom share their first dance in the barrel room of the Crooked Vine winery.
And fortunately, they also had their dancing shoes on for that first dance at the Crooked Vine Winery Barrel Room.

 

Black and white photo of a bride and groom's first dance.
The dance was even stunning in black and white.

 

A groom dips his bride at the end of a first dance inside the Crooked Vine Winery Barrel Room.
The big finish!

 

Photograph dancing with his daughter on her wedding day.
Then dad cut in for a dance of his own. Not an easy task for a dad!

 

Photograph of a mother dancing with her son, the groom, on his wedding day.
Sebastian’s mom got in on the fun too.

 

Black and white photo of wedding guests out on the dance floor.
It felt like the whole room joined them out on the floor for “The Twist”. Or was it “Despacito”?

 

Motion-blurred photograph of a young woman dancing at a wedding.
She danced, danced like it was the last, last night of her life.

 

A bride and groom enjoy dancing with their guests at the Crooked Vine Winery Barrel Room.
Honestly, I’ve not been to a wedding with a fuller dance floor.

 

A bride looks at the camera, full of joy, during a dance on her wedding day.
It’s safe to say Ashley was having a good time.

 

Photograph of a bride and groom preparing to cut their cake.
After burning some calories, it’s time to put some more in.

 

A groom looks on as his bride eats wedding cake with frosting smeared on her face.
Sebastian may have missed Ashley’s mouth a bit when inserting that first bite.

 

A bride prepares to throw her bouquet during the wedding reception.
Up…

 

A bride tosses her bouquet at her wedding reception.
…And away!

 

A groom prepares to remove his bride's garter.
Who’s going to remove her garter if not this guy? He seemed eager for the work.

 

A groom prepares to throw a garter back to the single men at his wedding.
Up…

 

A garter toss photo at a barrel room wedding reception.
…And away!

 

A bride dons a pair of headphones pretending to be a DJ.
Two turntables, but no microphone. Ashley takes over DJ duties!

 

Black and white photograph of a bride and groom resting, cuddling.
As the night drew to a close, it was time for a breather.

 

A bride and groom sit inside the veranda at the Crooked Vine Winery, where they were married just hours earlier.
Alone together at the spot where they said “I do” just hours earlier. That first kiss wasn’t enough, evidently.

 

A silhouetted photograph of a bride and groom standing in front of a wall of vines.
One fantastic wedding celebration, brought to you by the color green and a new husband and wife.

Ashley and Sebastian, far beyond having the photographs I captured, you have my respect. I’ve got high hopes for the adventures ahead of you, thanks to the foundations you’ve built your love upon. Congratulations on your marriage, keep on chasing after each other and the Lord with every ounce of strength you’ve got…you fitness junkies, you!

 


Stellar service provided by:

Venue: Crooked Vine Winery

Catering: On the Vine

Dress: Flare’s Bridal + Design and Madison James

Makeup: Leya Oakley

Hair: Leeanne Alfaro

Tuxedos: De La Rosa’s Bridal

Rings: The Shane Company

DJ: Amos Productions

Cake: Primrose Bakery


 

Interested in having us photograph your wedding at the Crooked Vine Winery? Take a look at our wedding photography packages and let’s connect!