A Backyard Black-Tie Wedding at a Private California Estate (2024)

In 2010, Drew—then a high school senior—saw a sophom*ore girl crying on a bench outside school. “He came up to me to make sure I was okay—we had never met before,” says Courtney, who was grieving a breakup at the time. For the next four years, the couple stayed just friends, despite Drew’s feelings for Courtney. “He always had a crush on me, but continued to be patient while I did my thing and dated other people,” says Courtney. “I came back for summer after my freshman year of college and he finally asked me on a date. We’ve been together ever since.”

After six years together, Courtney knew a proposal was coming—but Drew still caught her off guard with the when and where, filling Courtney’s parents’ backyard with rose petals while Courtney was walking their dog. When she saw the petals on the ground, she says, “I may have slipped out a cuss word in that moment, as I was in Uggs and leggings, no hair or makeup done, no nails done, nothing! As I walked through the backyard, Drew was standing there surrounded by rose petals and a photo of us on our very first date that was taken in my parents’ backyard. I had never been so surprised and so happy.”

One of Courtney’s interior design clients offered the couple their private estate as a wedding location—a perfect backdrop for the “timeless and romantic” affair the couple envisioned. “The property is just stunning,” says Courtney. “The front and back were both so lush and green, creating a beautiful garden-style soirée.” Wedding planner Jenn Robirds handled every detail, from the elegant black, white, brown, and green color scheme to the classic checkered dance floor. “The planning process was really smooth,” says Courtney. “I highly recommend hiring a wedding planner; it takes out so much of the guesswork and makes it so much easier to find the right vendors for you. It was so seamless.”

As the couple finalized the details of their 175-guest wedding, held on October 9, 2021, and photographed by Elizabeth Warrick, they stayed on budget and justified every cost, from the music to the drinks, by trimming any element that “didn’t feel personal to us and our story,” says Courtney. “We made sure we were at the heart of every decision.” And though they found the planning process “really smooth,” the countdown to the big day presented enough challenges and tasks to burn out even the calmest bride. When Courtney told Drew how overwhelmed she felt, he lightened her load with the same kindness and concern that had pulled him toward her on the school bench years ago. “All of a sudden, my phone was completely silent for multiple days in a row,” says Courtney. “He had reached out to our planner, our moms, and some of our vendors to let them know to reach out to him with any questions going forward, and he didn’t tell me until the day before our wedding. It was so thoughtful.”

Invitations from Valley Press Co. incorporated the garden theme via floral envelope liners; the geometric shape of the couple’s reception signage; and the formal color scheme. “Jenn picked up early on that my favorite color was black, so she found unique and chic ways to infuse black while still keeping our style inviting and soft,” says Courtney.

After following Grace Loves Lace on Instagram for years, Courtney had the boutique—and two specific gowns—at the top of her must-try list. For the ceremony, she chose a high-necked, ivory lace gown; for the reception, she donned a floor-length silk slip dress. “I have screenshotted these two dresses more times than I can count,” she says. “I was looking for something timeless, and considering how long I had loved them already, I just knew I would continue to love them for years and years to come.”

She opted for an equally timeless beauty look: loose curls—”My go-to hairstyle,” she says—and understated makeup “with a light pink lip.” “I wear very little makeup normally so I didn’t want to stray too far from my norm,” she says. “Everything I chose, I wanted it to be something I would look back on and still love a decade from now.”

The bride’s embellished Manolo Blahnik heels were a nod to Courtney’s everyday style. ”Black has always been a staple in my wardrobe—my friends have always joked they were surprised I didn’t choose a black wedding dress,” she says. “They felt very me!”

Courtney’s round bouquet of all-white roses from Organic Flora was another wedding detail she had planned well in advance. “I had known this was what I wanted for as long as I can remember!” she says. “I love the structured look of an all rose bouquet. It felt clean and classic—a non-negotiable for me.”

The bride shared a first look with her dad, who also escorted her to the altar during the ceremony. “My dad is my best friend and my person,” she says. “We did a tequila shot together right before we walked down the aisle. As we started to walk we both got teary-eyed and I looked up at my dad and he told me, ‘You got this.’ It was so special and a moment I will cherish forever.”

Courtney and Drew shared a first look in a secluded part of the estate, backed by blooming white flowers. “We loved getting this moment together before we walked down the aisle,” she says. “It was emotional, exciting, and a chance to just take a breath and slow down just us two. It was one of our favorite moments of the day.”

Drew added a personal touch to his classic black tuxedo pants and jacket with French bulldog cufflinks, a nod to the couple’s pup, Jax. His grooming routine was simple: “He had his barber come the morning of the wedding to style his hair,” says Courtney.

The men and women in the couple’s wedding party also work black: Show Me Your Mumu gowns for the women and The Black Tux tuxedos for Drew and the other men. Even the couple’s three-month-old ring bearer stuck to the dress code: “He wore a baby Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo,” says Courtney.

A green floral arch studded with ivory and coffee-colored roses was placed at the entrance to a stone walkway anchored the couple’s ceremony. “I wanted it to be lush and full so you felt like you were in a garden,” says Courtney. They created a “meandering aisle,” which received a last-minute upgrade that Drew secretly coordinated with the couple’s planner. “I had mentioned two days before our wedding that it would be pretty to have white rose petals down the aisle,” says Courtney. “When I walked down the aisle the day of our wedding, there were white rose petals. It made the moment feel even more romantic. He listened, and our wedding planner made it happen.”

Drew’s uncle officiated the ceremony, which included vows Courtney and Drew wrote themselves and shared publicly, instead of during their first look. “We are so happy we chose to do them in our ceremony,” says Courtney. “Someone said to us earlier in the year that vows are what set your ceremony apart from others, they create a feeling—and that really resonated with us. We all laughed, we cried, and it just made our ceremony personal and unique to us and our love.”

Drew’s vows were one of Courtney’s favorite parts of the day. “He had asked me if there was a format or something he was supposed to follow and I had said, ‘Your vows are about what our love and our story means to you.’ He listed every silly, simple, big, small thing that our love means to him, and it was perfect,” she says. She also felt so overwhelmed by emotion after sharing her own promises that she forgot the traditional ceremony order. “After I had read my vows, I leaned in to kiss Drew before he read his. He dodged me so fast and said, ‘Not yet!’” she says. “We still laugh about it.”

The backyard held a draped tent for dinner and dancing and a separate bar, connected to the dining area with intentional lighting. “This served us well as guests stayed and danced late into the night,” says Courtney. A bow tie-inspired escort display and custom signage on the bar used the same rounded shape, which coordinated with the arched table numbers and the curved dining chairs inside the tent.

The bentwood and rattan chairs, floor-length linens, and black-and-white dance floor mirrored the couple’s personal and professional style. “It felt modernized and very consistent with how we approach home design: a mix of timeless moments with some contemporary accents,” says Courtney. An installation of greenery across the ceiling of the tent enhanced the garden aesthetic. “I love the way it turned out,” says Courtney.

The couple’s favors—fresh pears sourced from the farmer’s market—doubled as place cards, complementing the mixed materials and formal color palette of the tablescapes. “Jenn totally understood our vision and sourced gorgeous matte ceramic plates, velvet linens, black-dipped flatware, and crystal chandeliers that certainly fit the black-tie theme,” says Courtney.

The newlyweds took the floor for their first dance to “Cover Me Up” by Morgan Wallen. “A favorite of ours!” says Courtney. “Whenever it comes on, Drew still grabs me to slow dance with him, no matter where we are.”

Toasts and speeches from the couple’s best men, matron of honor, and parents during the reception—and from friends at the welcome party—were another favorite part of the wedding. “We wouldn’t change these moments for the world,” says Courtney.

The couple served a four-tiered, textured wedding cake in three flavors—chocolate, red velvet, and carrot—from Ettores Bakery. “It was exactly how I had envisioned it: the perfect amount of movement throughout the frosting,” says Courtney.

As the couple spent the rest of the evening celebrating with their friends and family, they settled on their best advice for other brides and grooms. “Enjoy every single second of your day!” they say. “Don’t worry about any of the details or planning on the day of. Take moments to just take it all in, because it goes by so fast.”