This Couple Hosted a Joyful Double Wedding Dinner Celebration

Megan & Drew — Photo:
Rebecca Yale Photography

When Drew started at a new engineering company in June 2015, he was assigned a desk across from Megan, who was to help with his training. But the two got more than they bargained for: A serious friendship bloomed. "We were friends immediately and stayed that way for the first six months or so," Megan remembers. Later that year, they started dating—and five years after that, they worked together to design an engagement ring using a stone from Drew’s great-grandmother’s ring.

Even so, "we actually didn’t know if we would ever get married or have a wedding; for years, it didn’t feel like a necessity to us," Megan shares. "After the early days of the pandemic, though, we changed our tune and loved the idea of having an opportunity to gather and celebrate our love with our friends and family." But they didn’t want the traditional blowout affair. "Our vision was to have the best dinner party of our lives—beautiful surroundings and delicious food—with all of our favorite people." The Canadian couple pegged Napa Valley as the destination and kept the guest list to just 50 loved ones. They actually hosted not one but two dinner parties: a welcome dinner and a wedding reception, each with its own unique aesthetic.

Their biggest priority? "It was important to us that the entire weekend felt relaxed and welcoming while still being elevated and special," Megan says. "It was also important that everything felt joyful. We have both seen weddings in the past that are very serious and even borderline somber. We knew we wanted to keep everything feeling celebratory!"

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A Robust Color Palette

Letter-pressed invitations tied in all the various hues from the couple’s color palette. "We knew we wanted something colorful and joyful and didn’t want to restrict everything to a set few colors," Megan says. They incorporated green, beige, pink, yellow, orange, and blue. "The stationery was really beautiful and special while setting the tone that the weekend wasn’t going to be super traditional or formal."

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The To-Be-Weds

For the welcome dinner at hip restaurant The Charter Oak in St. Helena, Megan wore an airy white dress by Chicago-based designer Azeeza, and Drew wore a gray plaid jacket and suede loafers.

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An Inspired Accessory

Megan's look was all about the styling. She paired her Azeeza dress with pink Amina Muaddi sandals, Jennifer Behr earrings, and an Olympia Le-Tan clutch featuring a William Morris design. "I fell in love with William Morris’ prints while studying interior design, so it felt like a cool opportunity to include something I’m passionate about into one of my looks," she says. "Overall, I wanted this look to feel a bit more modern and playful than the wedding-day look."

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The Setting

"We fell in love with the brick courtyard, trees, and vine-covered buildings at The Charter Oak," Megan says. They knew the food would be good—it’s one of their favorite spots from previous trips—but there was another reason they chose it. "It was important to us that the welcome dinner and following wedding day didn’t feel like repeats of one another. The Charter Oak provided a more casual meal and a different aesthetic that complemented the wedding day without giving away exactly what to expect."

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Pops of Marigold

To keep the events cohesive, they pulled one color from the wedding-day palette and blew it out for the welcome dinner. The hue? Vibrant marigold, which appeared in florals, stationery, and more. "We loved the monochrome yet textural effect it created in The Charter Oak courtyard. It felt a bit more modern and edgy than the wedding day design, but kept with the natural and easy vibes we wanted."

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A Family-Style Meal

"To really differentiate between the two meals, we chose to have a family-style welcome dinner," Megan says. They picked their favorite items from the menu: raw vegetables with fermented soy dip, salads, pastas, trout, and more. Pavlovas with olive oil custard and fresh berries were served for dessert.

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A Garden Venue

"We loved the beautiful outdoor garden setting at Beaulieu Garden," Megan says. They also valued the privacy the venue offered. "After seeing a few spaces that looked beautiful in photos, we realized many were very public, and we didn’t like the idea of people passing by and watching our wedding."

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An Organic Bouquet

Megan gave her florist free rein with the bouquet. "She knew our vibe and I just wanted her to run with that," Megan says. "It followed the same concept as the rest of our florals, being colorful and slightly undone."

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An Ethereal Gown

Megan didn’t cry when she put on Monique Lhuillier’s ethereal Ambrosia gown—but everyone else at her dress appointment did. "I just knew it was the one," she says. "I loved how it draped and how lightweight it was despite being pretty big. I just felt good in it."

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A Floral Veil

It was the matching floral-embroidered veil, however, that sealed the deal on the dress—and became a jumping-off point for the decor. "The color palette tied into all the colors we used throughout the wedding weekend," Megan says. "We included a floral element in the envelope liner of the invitation suite as a nod to the floral design on my veil. I appreciated the few eagle-eyed guests who put it together and realized the connection after seeing my veil at the wedding."

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The Dapper Groom

Drew wore a dark blue suit and a dotted beige tie. "I added classic pearl cufflinks and a Raymond Weil watch that was an engagement gift from Megan," he says.

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A Private Vow Exchange

They met for their first look in one of the gardens. "It was one of my favorite parts of the day," Megan remembers. "We decided to exchange our own vows privately. Neither of us loves speaking in front of a crowd or being the center of attention, so keeping this part between the two of us and keeping the ceremony shorter felt like the right combination of personal and private for us." They laughed and cried throughout the exchange and felt their nerves subside.

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An Informal Ceremony Site

Rather than use one of the venue’s many manicured gardens, the couple chose a tree-lined drive for their ceremony. "We wanted the ceremony to feel special but not stiff or formal," Megan says.

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Wild and Free

"We opted for a floral ground arch and florals lining both sides of the aisle," the bride adds. "We asked for the flowers to be colorful and have a wild quality and movement to them. [Our florist] Amanda and her team definitely delivered!"

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Colorful Refreshments

Later, guests sipped passionfruit-pineapple margaritas and elderflower-ginger mocktails, "but we also had a selection of nonalcoholic drinks offered before the ceremony: hibiscus agua fresca, Arnold Palmers, and sparkling water," Megan says. The wedding day was hot—over 100 degrees!—so refreshments were key.

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A Family Affair

Megan and Drew each walked down the aisle escorted by their parents. "We opted not to have a wedding party; however, we wanted our family involved in some way," Megan says. "Our parents walked us down the aisle, and our brothers married us!"

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Signed, Sealed, Delivered

After making it official, the couple recessed out to "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" played by a string quartet.

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A Floral Fantasy

The second dinner party of the weekend had an entirely different vibe, as intended, and it started with the tablescape. "Our table florals continued the colorful and organic vibes from our ceremony flowers; I loved how Amanda included different sizes and styles of vessels for a result that was collected yet intentional," Megan says. "We were having a hard time selecting lighting. Amanda suggested a hanging floral installation instead of [a chandelier], and it felt so natural and organic. We felt so lucky to get to have dinner with our loved ones sitting underneath the beautiful florals, with twinkly lights woven through the trellis."

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Colorful Place Settings

Creamy neutrals and peach hues took center stage in the linens and place settings. "It added nice dimension and texture to the table without distracting from the florals," Megan says. "The centerpieces had little kumquats tucked throughout them, which I loved!"

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Choose Your Own Adventure

They did things differently in terms of timeline, too. "We didn’t have a set program during the reception—no speeches, no first dance—but instead, we had the bar, a soft serve station, and a coffee cart so guests could get up and mingle after dinner and settle into a lounge space with some coffee, ice cream, or a drink. We loved that this kept things casual and comfortable for guests."

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A Gourmet Meal

Dinner began with a peach, Parmesan, arugula, and basil salad and a pasta course of cacio e pepe. Guests then chose between grilled sea bass or beef tenderloin.

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After Dinner Drinks

Guests grabbed espresso drinks served in monogrammed cups at the coffee cart after dinner. "Later in the evening, we passed sweet and savory snacks: sliders and mini fried chicken sandwiches, lemon bars and homemade chocolate bars."

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A Late-Night Look

Megan stayed in her wedding dress throughout the reception, but as everyone prepared to leave the venue, she snuck away to change into an after-party look. "We went to a dive bar in Calistoga after the wedding, so I changed into a Carolina Herrera white silk minidress with floral beading on the bodice," she says. She finished the look with a floral beaded headband, one last nod to her dream garden wedding. "As much as possible, plan an event that you are looking forward to attending," the bride advises other couples. "Take out the parts that aren’t important to you, or modify traditions so they work for you. The whole weekend felt really authentic in terms of who we are as individuals and as a couple."

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