Here is an absolutely stunning wedding that I had the honor of capturing recently, set against the picturesque backdrop of the CIA Greystone in St. Helena, nestled in the heart of Napa Valley. The wedding of Carmen & Frank featured both a Western ceremony and a Chinese tea ceremony, complete with a tang suit and qipao, along with uniquely breathtaking night portraits of the starry sky at the end.
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena is an incredibly beautiful venue - while it normally functions as a school for the culinary arts, their weekends are often filled with celebrations and wedding events. This venue, surrounded by the rolling hills and lush vineyards of Napa Valley, offered a serene and exquisite backdrop for the wedding. The historic stone walls and the elegant architecture of the Greystone added a timeless aesthetic to every photograph.
The venue also held quite a bit of personal significance for the couple, as Frank strongly considered attending the culinary institution before ultimately ending up at UCLA. A good thing he did end up a Bruin though – that's how he and Carmen met! I also had the privilege of taking their graduation portraits in Los Angeles back then, so it's been an incredible experience for me to photograph their wedding many years later (I'll include one of these at the end).
I've included some highlights from the beautiful event below – enjoy!
As promised, here are a few images from their graduation portraits back at UCLA! Similar to how we captured some incredible night photos on campus, we wanted to capture the beautiful night sky at their wedding.
I also want to give a quick shoutout to the wonderful vendor team that made this event possible!
Venue: Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena – Contact: Kelsea Albrecht
Wedding Planner: Briana Martinet – alyssabrayevents.com
Hair & Makeup: Alice Tang – alicetangmakeup.com
Florist: Petal Town Flowers – petaltown.com
DJ: The Celebration DJ / DJ Goyo
Cake: Flour & Boom – flourandboomcakes.com
Harpist: Krista Strader – @kristastraderharpist
Dress: Allure Bridals, East Meets Dress – allurebridals.com, eastmeetsdress.com
Tuxedo: Bespoke Mr James, Huntsman Savile Row, Michael Andrews Bespoke – huntsmansavilerow.com, michaelandrews.com
Photography & Videography: Stanley Wu Photography – stanleywuphotography.com
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