Marianne & Ryan

Sept. 5, 2009
Berghold Vineyards and Winery
Lodi, CA
 

Marianne Guasch wasn’t one of those women who’d kept an album of wedding ideas since she was a little girl. In fact, when she got engaged in May 2008 to Ryan MacLachlan, all she wanted was a quick wedding on the beach—it was Ryan who wanted a big wedding with all the bells and whistles.

Marianne eventually gave in, and the couple said “I do” in late summer at Berghold Vineyards and Winery in Lodi. “I was looking for something that had a romantic feel and that wasn’t your ‘run of the mill’ wedding locale,” says Marianne. “I had visited the vineyard late one afternoon, and way the sun lit up the vineyards was amazing . . . without a doubt romantic.”

The winery setting allowed the couple to have the ceremony and reception in one location, within driving distance of Sacramento. The wife of one of the winery owners acted as an on-site coordinator, and the fee included unlimited wine and nonalcoholic beverages. “The place was breathtaking at sunset,” exclaims the bride. “The staff and owners were friendly and knowledgeable. We thought it was just a hidden gem!”

When Marianne began the wedding planning process, her photographer, Beth Baugher of True Love Photo, directed her to Shannon Cosgrove-Rivas of Flourish for her flowers. The two vendors ended up playing much larger roles as planners. “I call them my rocks,” says Marianne. “Without them, I would have gone crazy, even on the day of.”

Marianne first approached Cosgrove-Rivas with only a vague idea of the flowers and colors she liked. “I showed her green, red, orange, white,” the bride recalls. “They don’t sound like they go together, but she said they would work.” And work they did. When Cosgrove-Rivas presented Marianne with a few mockups, “that’s the point where it all came together, and I knew this wedding was really going to happen. She has a phenomenal vision.”

Her advice to other brides? “Don’t stress,” says Marianne. “It might not go perfectly, but you can laugh about it later. If I wasn’t so stressed, I could have sat back and enjoyed it more.”