Rainy Wedding Day in California at Cordiano Winery | Patty & Brad
Rainy Wedding Day in California at Cordiano Winery
This is a beast of a blog post, but I couldn’t not include all my favorite images from Patty and Brad’s wedding at Cordiano Winery. This is a couple I really feel like I was in the trenches with planning and re-planning their wedding due to Covid and at this point we were on like plan f. But everything came together so beautifully, and Cordiano Winery ended up being the perfect location because it surprised us all and poured down rain most of the day! I am truly obsessed with this couple and these images are so special to me - I’ll let Patty fill you in a bit on their planning through all the pandemic pivots, venue closures, and international family that couldn’t physically be there. If you wanna see more of these two, check out their engagement session!
1) What did you love about your wedding location(s)/venue(s)?
Well, it was OPEN and allowing ‘modified’ weddings! Most venues I contacted were either closed or only allowing ceremonies. We got lucky because the views were beautiful!
2) Do you have a favorite memory from the day?
Our favorite memory was the dance floor. We weren’t supposed to be dancing because of restrictions, but somehow it happened anyway. It was brief, and it was FUN and our happiest memory of 2020.
3) Tell me a bit about planning a wedding during a pandemic. How did it affect your plans, how did it change your plans, etc etc etc. What did the journey look like?
It was stressful! But now it’s fun to be able to look back and laugh at how insane it was. Our original wedding date was May 24 and when COVID hit in March, we naively thought things would settle after the 2 week lockdown and we could still have a May wedding. Then, Brad’s family and friends from Australia contacted him to say that Qantas already cancelled their flights. That’s when we made the decision to postpone because they were VIP’s and we wanted them at our wedding. At this point, we picked the date of November 8 because SURELY that would be long enough for things to settle down and travel restrictions to lift. HAHA. Over the next few months, facts and information evolved and it became a little more clear that even a November 8 date would not work with our current indoor venues, nor would the Australians be allowed to travel for quite a while - so we cancelled our original venues and plan. This was in September, and under the San Diego guidelines at the time, wedding receptions were considered ‘gatherings’ and were not allowed. We had a lot of tough conversations, but ultimately decided to keep the Nov 8 date and try and come up with an outdoor Plan B or C (basically whatever we could come up with)! For us, planning anything was better than postponing AGAIN and carrying the stress of wedding planning into the unknown of 2021. I had 7 weeks to come up with a different plan, so I searched for VRBO’s and Airbnb’s that would allow gatherings, but most of those were restricted as well. I contacted 46 outdoor venues in the greater San Diego area - Some were closed, some were only doing ceremonies, and most thought I entered the wrong date and was inquiring about Nov 8, 2021 (NOPE). Luckily, Kim from Cordiano Winery got back to me and said that they were able to do a ceremony and dinner with a limited number of people, so that’s what we went with!
4) What advice would you give to future couples who are getting married? During a pandemic or in general? You have to do what’s best for you and your situation. Try not to think too hard about all the details or worry about other people’s opinions because whether it’s plan A, B, or C, you will have an amazing day!
5) How did you two stay positive / keep what's important in mind through all the planning craziness of 2020? We are so blessed that our family and friends were supportive of us and our decision to have a wedding in the middle of the pandemic. It’s a decision that could be judged harshly given the state of the world, but we were confident it was the right thing to do for us. I think that was reason enough to stay positive and hopeful. Outside of wedding planning, we had some bright spots in 2020, like getting our puppy, Willa, and we went on an epic 3 week camping/road trip over the summer and saw the most stunning scenic places in the US.
6) How did you still include people who couldn't be there physically?
We were so sad about Brad’s family and friends not being able to come, so we tried to include them as best as we could. We had a few cameras going - 1 for livestream and another for recording backup in case the livestream failed. Then on the other side of the world, Brad’s Mom organized a breakfast for his family in Australia and they wore their fancy clothes like they were going to the wedding. They had a large screen set up so they could watch the livestream. We were also able to FaceTime with them right after the ceremony. I came up with a few surprises for Brad - big head cutouts of his mom, dad, brother, and best man and they ended up being a big hit on the dance floor. I also put together a video with messages from his Aussie family and friends and speeches from his parents and groomsmen.
7) Is there anything else you'd like people to know about your experience?!
We are so happy we left wedding planning in the year 2020! It’s hard postponing a wedding that is supposed to happen in 8 weeks, and then waiting and hoping things will work out, only to re-plan a completely different wedding within 6 weeks. We have wedding gifts with both May 24 and November 8 dates. Brad’s best man changed 3 times because of travel related problems (the last one 3 days before the wedding). There were countless hiccups along the way, but during a pandemic, things happen that are beyond anyone’s control. We just chose to adapt and make the best out of the situation we were given and now it’s all part of the wild story that was 2020. We had the best day and will cherish these memories forever.
Vendors:
Venue: Cordiano Winery
Photography: Kami Olavarria
Florals: AHR Florals + Sisti & Co.
Hair: Jillian Rae
Makeup: Elizabeth Root
Music: Dart Collective
