Redwood Courtyard Vows & Far Niente Sunset | Kevin & Amy | Napa Valley Wedding Photographer
I've known Amy since she was in middle school — back when she and my best friend's sister used to visit us on the Concordia University campus in Portland. She was a kid then. And watching her walk down the aisle at St. John's Lutheran in Napa — the church she attended growing up, in the redwood courtyard she knows by heart — hit differently than most weddings I photograph. In the best possible way.
St. John's Lutheran has a redwood courtyard that is one of the most naturally beautiful outdoor ceremony spaces I have photographed in Napa Valley. Tall redwoods, warm stone, lush greenery — it has a quiet, sheltered quality that makes everything feel intimate even with a full guest list. Amy walked down the aisle on her father's arm in a lace ballgown that was made for that setting, and Kevin waited at the end of it with the kind of smile that tells you everything you need to know about how this story ends.
A few things that made this wedding completely theirs. Their dog attended the ceremony in a bow tie and behaved with considerably more composure than most humans at weddings. Guests went home with succulents as favors, which is exactly the right call. And the garter toss — done on a 49ers football.
The florals were classic and clean — white roses and baby's breath, eucalyptus, simple and elegant against the redwood backdrop. The ceremony arch with its white draping and white rose garland, the K&A letters at the sweetheart table, the single-tier cake with the custom topper.
And then the next day, we went to Far Niente.
If you are not familiar with Far Niente Winery in Oakville, let me introduce you to one of the most stunning properties in all of Napa Valley. The stone manor, the manicured gardens, the pathways lined with agapanthus blooming in the evening light — it is the kind of place that makes you want to slow down and stay. We moved through the grounds as the sun dropped, and every corner gave us something worth stopping for. Kevin spinning Amy in front of the stone manor. The two of them in the gazebo with the valley stretching out behind them. A dip kiss on the garden path with purple flowers blurring in the foreground. Lying in the grass laughing like nobody was watching.
That last hour of light at Far Niente is something I will be talking about for a long time.
Ceremony: St. John's Lutheran | Napa, California Day-After Session: Far Niente Winery | Oakville, Napa Valley
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