May 12th. 2011 by Abby Larson | 4 comments

I’ve always said that one of the best decisions I ever made was hiring a cinematographer to film my wedding. I still pull it out time after time to relive the day, to see our moment in a way that is so incredibly tangible. So real that it seems like I’m right there in that pretty white dress all over again. So every time we get a video to accompany a real wedding feature, we smile. And if that film happens to be from Joel Serrato, well. That smile turns into a school girl crush kind of happiness.

ashley & michael from joel serrato on Vimeo.

See what I mean? Beyond. Beyond. Beyond gorgeous. Before we jump into our buying guide, I had to share with you one more set of images from Jose Villa. We get pretty wrapped up in the details here on SMP, as we’ll always be a blog that focuses on the design and the inspiration behind all of the perfect little touches. But these images completely reminded me that sometimes the most beautiful details are the little moments of love, of beauty, of pure art behind each and every photograph.

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From Jill La Fleur… I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country, Santa Ynez, CA…the wine country region of Santa Barbara County. People come from all over the world to visit this area for it’s perfect climate, rolling hills studded with oak trees, incredible sunsets and of course the wine and wineries!

This wedding was at a beautiful winery in this valley, Foley Winery, and the couple chose one of the most beautiful times of the year to have their wedding here…in October. This is harvest time here when the grapes are full on the vines and the sunsets fill the sky with oranges and yellows each evening. That’s where the term Harvest Moon comes from! Ashley & Michael love this area, in fact they moved here since their wedding, and so they decided to embrace the colors of the sky and the season in their wedding, which is what I loved about planning their wedding so much! The colors in their photos and film just remind me of the beautiful sunsets of this area and we incorporated lanterns, wine barrels, rustic farm tables, vintage fruit crates and lots of colorful floral to really pull together both the location and the season. And to keep the beautiful scenery and starry sky in our sights all evening, we rented a clear tent to bring in the amazing views all night!

I think these amazing photos and this romantic film capture it all! Congats to Ashley & Mike…best wishes for a colorful, beautiful future together and welcome to paradise!

Event Planning & Design: Jill La Fleur /Wedding Photography: Jose Villa / Cinematography: Joel Serrato/ Wedding Venue: Foley Estates Vineyard and Winery / Lighting: Ambient Event Design /Floral Design: Camille Panzarello of Modern Day Design / Mar Romero of Team Hair & Makeup / Event Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Music: Jon Harris of JSH Music Productions / Wedding Cake: Decadence Fine Cakes & Confections / Wedding Gown: Monique Lhuillier / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Perry Ellis / Wedding Invitations: Jessie Zinke of Zinke Design
Joel Serrato Films, Jose Villa Photography, La Fleur Weddings & Events, Ambient Event Design, Modern Day Design, Monique Lhuillier and Zinke Design are members of our Little Black Book. For more information on how members are chosen, click here.
Monique Lhuillier and J.Crew are members of our Look Book. For more information on how members are chosen,click here.