Menlo Park Church Wedding

Menlo Park Church Wedding: Backyard weddings have always been a personal favorite of ours, but this one might just take the cake… or actually the gelato! This bright and cheerful day had all of the heartwarming personal touches woven throughout, starting with the venue itself.

It was a pretty easy decision for the bride and groom on where they wanted to celebrate. The groom’s family home not only looks like it came straight out of a Northern California fairytale with the mountain high redwoods complete with birds sweetly chirping in the distance, but it is also the place where he and Sophie first met.

You see, Calvin moved to Portola Valley, a quaint nook of the Bay Area, back in high school. When his parents finished building the home, he decided to host his very own housewarming party while his parents were out of town. It was on that night, that Sophie and Calvin met.

They were friends for years but didn’t start dating until after college. Fast forward six years later, Calvin proposed in their San Francisco apartment with the help of Sophie’s best friend and sister.

From the perfectly mismatched bridesmaids dresses in sweeping shades of french blue, to the hand-painted stationary created by the bride’s artistic sister, to the punchy pops of bright pink and yellow florals by Golden Fields Floristry, to the personal thank-you notes written to all 120 guests – every moment of this wedding, planned and designed by Vanessa Pence Events and captured by Paulina Perrucci Photography, will bring you back to summer love.

Vanessa Pence Events said… When Paulina and I first visited the property with our bride, Sophie, and her mom, Nelly, I was immediately enamored; not just with the space but with the story behind it.

I wanted to place focus on that story, Sophie and Calvin’s bubbly and warm personalities, and their close friendships and create a day that was true to them.

I found inspiration in Tuscan summers where the nights are long and warm and the countryside turns gold and there’s an abundance of life, laughs, fresh food, and gelato.

The bride and groom exchanged their vows at a beautiful Menlo Park church down the road in Menlo Park surrounded by 120 of their closest family and friends.

Guests then traveled to the groom’s family home where they took in the sunset while enjoying drinks and small bites from the stone patio complete with a roaring fireplace before an intimate dinner on the lawn.

When DJ Tyrone of Denon & Doyle kicked into gear, the dance floor stayed packed for hours.

Instead of cake, Sophie and Calvin opted for a gelato cart from Gio Gelato, their favorite authentic gelato spot on Union Street in San Francisco. A refreshing way to end a magical summer night.