Destination Wedding Videos

David+Joy // Viansa Winery Wedding

12/4/2024

Sonoma, California. This venue is becoming a regular stop for me during the summer thanks to the amazing team of planners with Orchard Avenue Events. Viansa Winery is a piece of Tuscany nestled in the foothills of the Napa Valley. Perched on a hilltop overlooking the sprawling vastness of vines below. This place is truly breathtaking. I arrived on property bright and early, where I met Sara, our lead planner, in the ballroom laying linens and setting up the decor for the evening ahead. We chatted for a bit as I got my cameras set up. I typically arrived much earlier than necessary, this time before the bride and groom. I used the extra time to get some establishing shots of the property. This place isn't short on photogenic content. David, the groom, soon texted me that they were 10 minutes out, so I made my way down to the courtyard to film their arrival. There are certain small details that a venue can have that make my job extra easy. One of the biggest is location proximity, whether that be the location of the ceremony to the reception, or cocktail hour to the portraits, or in this case, the bride and groom's getting-ready areas. Luckily, this venue checks all of those boxes, and every location is just steps away. I captured David and his groomsman as they made their way to their getting ready area. I laughed as David immediately broke the fourth wall, smiling and waving at me as he approached. For those of you wondering, the fourth wall is when the subject of the shot acknowledges the presence of the camera. I know the term "nicest person on earth" gets thrown around a lot, but I think David actually could be the heavy favorite for nicest person on earth. It's pretty perfect that his soon-to-be wife is named Joy, but we will get to her in a bit. The groomsmen wasted no time in pouring a glass of champagne, and David toasted to the day ahead. David's father, Milos, helped David with his tie and into his jacket as I wrapped up my coverage with the guys. Joy soon arrived at the venue, and this is where things get a little tricky. As I mentioned earlier, the bride and groom's suites are located just a few feet from one another. Being so close, the bride has to walk past the groom on her way to her suite. With the help of a wall of groomsmen, we made sure no peeking from David would transpire as Joy made her way to the bridal suite. Along with the bride, the photo duo of Willow and Ben had also arrived. I introduced myself before Willow and I made our way to grab the bride's dress and details. I typically try to mix up my locations for detail shots, but the wine cave at Viansa is just too cool of a location to shoot the dress. We passed the dress back to Joy so she could step into it. Once covered up, we transitioned out of the suite and into the cave for the rest of the process. With the help of her mom, Ling Ling, she completed her bridal look. Tucked away once more, we placed Joy's father, Jeremy, for my favorite moment on a wedding day, the father-daughter first look. There is something about the raw emotion from this moment where it seems the entire life of the bride flashes through her father's eyes as he sees his girl in her wedding dress. Outside, David patiently waited for his bride's arrival for the other, more traditional first look. Joy made her way across the courtyard, and the two shared their first look with one another. There are some first looks that are quick and lack emotion, and then there are first looks like this one where it would seem the two could spend the rest of their lives living in that moment. Luckily we had a furry trick up our sleeve to move the moment along, Pua. Pua, for the record, is the couple's ADORABLE dog. Pua was released and was eager to have her own moment with the couple. I'm seriously considering a doggy discount on my services if you choose to bring your dog to your wedding. After some photos with the bridal party and family, guests began to arrive, and the couple was tucked away for the ceremony. The couple chooses to blend a traditional American wedding ceremony with an Asian tea ceremony. Following the procession, the couple shared a glass of tea with each of their parents in exchange for a gift. Sometimes these tea ceremonies happen really early in the morning, so I'm always thankful for the sake of coverage when it's incorporated into the main ceremony later in the day. The couple also opted to write their own personal vows, which turned out to be some of the best I have ever had the privilege to witness in my career. I know they are good when I start building the edit in my head while they are delivered. I think this is one of the rare instances where I didn't cut the vows down to a manageable length. They were just too good! Following the vows, Pua made her triumphant return with a full zoomie sprint down the aisle with the couple's rings in tow. Adorable. The two shared their rings and a kiss before the conclusion of the ceremony. Cocktail hour kicked off as the couple finished up some portraits and signed their marriage license. Before their grand entrance, they shared their first of many champagne towers with a quick message thanking their guests for attending. I must add, the light for this moment was absolutely breathtaking from a creative nerd's perspective... but I digress. After making the rounds outside on the patio for a bit, the couple gathered for their formal grand entrance as guests took their seats inside. David and Joy entered in full hype mode before taking part in one of the most creative photo dashes I've yet seen. At each table there were two bottles of Champagne and a tower of flutes. David and Joy sprinted from table to table pouring the bottles of Champagne down each tower while snapping a photo with each group of guests. As fun and creative as this was, it was a bit exhausting! With all the glasses filled, the couple shared a formal toast with their guests. We rushed outside to take in the last of the sunlight before making our way back inside for, honestly, one of the most anticipated moments of the night. The couple's first dance. If you watched the film, you would notice the couple practicing their first dance several times throughout the day. Luckily I was able to capture a few of these moments and include them in the film. The practice paid off because the two absolutely nailed their first dance together as husband and wife. DJ Angelo seized the energy left by the first dance to kick off the open dancing, which brought my coverage to a close. Don't worry, I'll be back to Viansa VERY soon for the next adventure :)