napa wedding idea | Bridechilla Blog

We’re so thrilled to spend our Sunday wishing our Bridechilla™ , Michelle, and her husband Drew a very happy anniversary. Below we remember some of the special moments of their chill day, and we also sit back and let the bride, herself tells us how she stayed relaxed and so anti-zilla while planning, how married life is, her anniversary plans, and what made her wedding, styled by Mary Ellen Murphy of Off The Beaten Path Weddings, so special and chill.
All photos taken by onelove photography.

Happy anniversary! Any big plans?
We are excited to be celebrating our one-year anniversary in Napa this weekend! We have a loooong list of restaurants and wineries to visit, but I think that’s the best kind of “to-do list” to have. We can’t wait to relax and take in all the beauty of the valley together.

What was the best part of your wedding day?
Drew and I had to talk this one over because we felt there were so many “best” parts…but if we have to narrow it down to one, we think it was the dinner. There is something so special about sharing a delicious meal with loved ones, and the setting around us was absolutely breathtaking. I loved that the food was local, prepared with such care, and passed around family style. It didn’t feel stuffy at all; just a big group of people we love, gathered together to celebrate.

Tell us about your planning experience.
Planning the wedding was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it! I’m definitely a “planner” in all aspects of my life, so it felt natural making all the decisions and coordinating details. I can’t stress enough how priceless it was to have Off the Beaten Path Weddings guide me through the process, though! Trust me, even if you’re type A, totally organized, and love to throw parties, you need a wedding planner! It was especially valuable on the morning of my wedding day–instead of being stressed out trying to make everything perfect, I took a long walk, leisurely got ready, and spent time with my wedding party.

Any advice for brides trying to avoid stress while planning?
I suppose my answer above would work here, too 😉 my advice: HIRE A PLANNER! Also, using Pinterest was great! It was helpful to have visual examples of ideas to share with the wedding party, planners, and vendors.

One year of chill love – congratulations! So far, what has been the most valuable lesson learned in keeping a strong marriage?
The most valuable lesson we’ve learned so far in keeping a strong marriage is that it’s important to not only say “I love you”, but to do things that show it, too. A month or two before we got married, I left a little love note hidden for Drew in his office. He found it and thanked me, and then a few weeks later I found it hiding for me! Since then, it’s become a little game to find a new place to hide it, and it’s such a nice reminder when you’re doing something mundane to find a love note unexpectedly. Even after being together for 6 years I still feel like a giddy school girl when the note shows up!