An Elegant, Rustic Wedding at a Private Residence in Orange County, California

The well-kept vineyards, modern farmhouse and backdrop of rolling hills at this private residence in Orange County, California, had the ideal wine country setting for this rustic, elegant wedding. "We wanted to celebrate the property and accentuate the landscape," Annette Rustung (45 and an accounting manager) says of her marriage to Dan Johns (45 and an executive chef and operations director). "The ceremony was held among the vineyards and allowed for us to incorporate the 'growing' and 'tending' of the vineyard metaphors into the ceremony." The natural surroundings of the outdoors were combined with an elegant palette of purple, white, pink and silver to achieve the look Annette and Dan had envisioned. Wooden chairs faced the hilly backdrop where the ceremony took place. It was captured by Elizabeth Burgi Photography, with no additional decor to keep the focus on the vineyards. Annette held the bridal bouquet of ivory, pink and purple roses accented with eucalyptus tied around the stems with a dark purple ribbon, adding a pop of color to her classic ivory wedding dress. After guests found their white escort cards in wine-cork holders, they were seated at dining tables set with burlap napkins and purple menus next to bunches of lavender. The ivory four-tier wedding cake decorated with fresh flowers had our mouths watering—an orange butter cake filled with lavender fromage and fresh blackberries, covered with white chocolate buttercream frosting. A tip from Annette: "It's important for each partner to understand and empathize with the other's limits. Remember, you are best friends going in and throughout this process, and will be best friends after your nuptials."