Kathy and Michael were originally going to be married in 2014. That was before Kathy found out that her brother, David, who is a Marine, was going to be shipped out. It was so important to both Kathy and Michael that David be there that they changed their date to July 20, 2014. Kathy planned an amazing weekend for everyone. They had a barbecue at Moon Mountain Estate in Glen Ellen for the rehearsal dinner with a whole roast pig and all the fixings.
The wedding day was stunning. Kathy and Michael were married under the beautiful stone archway at Sebastiani Winery. With string trio, Musical Heart Strings, playing in the background, the fabulous Sebastiani wine trolley brought the girls to the fountain courtyard. There they were met by their groomsmen who escorted them, one at a time, to their place up front. Then Kathy was brought to meet Michael by her father. She carried a vibrant bouquet of locally grown DeVoto sunflowers. Father Skip Sikora of the White Robed Monks performed the ceremony. Several of Kathy and Michael’s relatives also gave their individual blessings to the marriage.
After the ceremony, Kathy and Michael were whisked away to the prestigious Cherryblock Vineyard for photographs while their guests enjoyed Bubble Tea, wine and hors d’oeuvres in the rose garden. Then the guests were invited into the romantic Sebastiani Barrel Room. After Kathy and Michael made their grand entrance from the top of the staircase that winds around the world’s largest wine barrel, they immediately went into their first dance. Then the guests and they dined on a scrumptious whole lobster dinner served family style by Park Avenue Catering.
Both Kathy and Michael changed into traditional Vietnamese dress between courses and spent time visiting each of their guests’ tables. The guests also enjoyed having pictures made in the Sonoma Room with Sonoma Photo Booth’s Tracy Page.
While Kathy’s wedding cake was gorgeous, it was her surprise groom’s cake that stole the show. It was in the shape of a sand castle with a little surfboard next to it.
But there was an even bigger surprise to come. Directly after cake cutting, the guests were entertained by Jason Valdez and his Lion Dance Troop. But the most special thing turned out to be that one of the “lions” was Kathy’s brother, David! Imagine their parent’s surprise when he popped out of the costume.
Everyone enjoyed dancing to Max Alegria of Mixwell Entertainment. Then after the bouquet and garter toss, the guests went outside to the fountain courtyard to bid Kathy and Michael goodbye aboard the Sebastiani Trolley.
