Courtney and Daniel's DIY Dream Wedding at Asti
Courtney and Daniel originally dreamed of being married at the place where her parents were married. Unfortunately, when the wedding date came around, the venue was no longer hosting weddings. After searching around the Napa and Sonoma valleys for a new venue, they decided on Asti for their DIY wedding. Not many people have heard of Asti; it is a quaint, charming winery that used to be a Swiss-Italian colony site and is not open to the public. The original buildings and statues are truly amazing and make for a very romantic location for a wedding. Daniel's wedding tied in hues of orange, brown, and white, dinner in a romantic courtyard, and a dessert bar complete with M&Ms with Courtney and Daniel's faces on them! Guests dance the night away to the original tunes of Trebuchet. If you are a lover of all things DIY, then this wedding is going to be one that you HAVE to check out! Thank you to Borrowed & Blue for featuring Courtney and Daniel's wedding on your website, and what a gorgeous wedding it was! R
If we haven’t met yet, hi! I’m Lindsey Nickel, and I’m a local Sonoma and Napa wedding planner and the owner of Lovely Day Events. Since 2010, I have helped stylish, fun-loving couples (and their dogs) plan destination weddings. Our clients want the ceremony to be outside, the food to be outstanding, and the dance parties to be epic. If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place, so you might want to learn more about our wedding planning services.
K2B Creative Photography
About This Wedding
Courtney & Daniel enjoy DIY projects, and the two of them created many of the decorations and accents for their ceremony and reception. While their wedding was in the middle of May, the color palette that they chose for their wedding was reminiscent of fall, and looked beautiful in front of the mountains, as though they were mimicking the beauty of the peaks in autumn. Courtney's bouquet was a lovely, bright coral, orange, peach, and white combination that absolutely popped against her white, lace gown. K2B Creative Photography captured a poignant moment of the ceremony, when Courtney's mother walked her down the aisle, as her father had passed away when she was only nine years old. Following the ceremony, Courtney & Daniel had some gorgeous newlywed portraits throughout the vineyard grounds. Their reception was absolutely gorgeous, and a DIY lover's dream — a perfect ending for Courtney & Daniel's big day!
K2B Creative Photography
K2B Creative Photography
K2B Creative Photography
K2B Creative Photography
The Couple
Him
Daniel loves to brew his own beer, learn about the brewing process, and the science behind it all. Daniel also loves to build items from scratch and be handy at fixing things around the house.
Her
I love sewing, doing crafts, and generally being creative. I love to cook, bake, and make people’s tummies happy.
Together
Daniel and I have been through a lot in our eight-year relationship. After Daniel's long illness, we have laughed, loved, and appreciated each other more and more. We love being together, but also enjoy cheering each other on in our separate hobbies. I think what makes us work is that we are truly best friends, we love being together, but aren't afraid to do things alone, either.
K2B Creative Photography
Their Love Story
We met in college, but the stars were not ready to align just yet. My college roommate introduced me to Daniel, and we stayed friends for over two years before Daniel made his move. For our first date, Daniel took me apartment hunting. I know, great first date, but it had to be done. We laughed the whole time and just had a ball. From then on, I knew there was something special about him. After making it through some hard times, it only made us grow closer; if we could make it through that, we could make it through anything. Daniel surprised me by proposing at the same site where my parents exchanged vows — my dad passed when I was 9 — which is a very special place. Then, he had all my family waiting at my mom's to surprise me with dinner. Our relationship has thrived on love, laughter, and being open communicators. Laughter has been our #1, and his sense of humor has made me love him more and more each day.
Do-It-Yourself
We did a lot of DIY projects for our wedding, including making letters out of cork that spelled love, since I grew up around wine country, and we were getting married at a winery. We made a memory board to honor those who couldn't be with us. We made everything from wedding invitations, table numbers, thank you cards, table settings, and escort cards. We had help making boxes, out of old fence boards from my mom’s house, for the table centerpiece flowers, and our friend helped arrange the flowers. We gave out bottle openers as our favors, as an ode to Daniel's love of brewing beer. We had pictures of us from all the years we have been together throughout the venue.
WHAT'S NEXT
Right now, just enjoying each other and working to save up to buy a house — once we decide where we want to settle. Our goal is to move closer to our families, so we can enjoy more time with them. Maybe start a family of our own, but that is up in the air right now, and time will tell what will happen with that.
Wedding Partners:
Photographer - K2B Creative Photography
Wedding Planner - Lovely Day Events
Florist - EV Floral Design
Catering - Mavericks
Sound & Lighting Design - Twilight Design
Transportation - Napa Valley Tours & Transportation