A Full Weekend at Sand Rock Farm, Guests On-Site

Vows in the Redwood Grove at Sand Rock Farm

The ceremony was in the redwood grove, the estate's shaded clearing where a small fountain runs and the light comes through the trees in pieces, the gold arch standing at the front. Tiffani Hughes of Secret Garden Ceremonies officiated in a deep maroon dress. The flower girls came in first with their lavender baskets, then Chris with his mom, and finally Natalie on her father's arm, walking the wooded path in his black tuxedo and her long veil, a bridesmaid in rust satin stepping in to lift the train.

Thirty-seven guests filled the chairs under the redwoods. Natalie carried a bouquet of blush and peach roses, white blooms, and eucalyptus with trailing ribbons. When it was over, they recessed back up the aisle to "Home," and the whole party stayed right on the grounds they'd been living on since the day before.

“They read their vows to each other in a first look, the most private moment in a weekend built around everyone else.”

Portraits Across the Sand Rock Farm Estate

Family portraits came right after, then Natalie and Chris slipped off for their own around the property. Sand Rock Farm was Santa Cruz County's first winery, back in the 1880s, and the old estate still carries that history in its stone walls and its redwoods — plenty of spots within a short walk, which is exactly what you want when the whole group is already sleeping on-site.

They wandered the wooded paths, the bride's floral-appliqué train trailing behind her, the groom's navy tux dark against all the green. They came back as the light dropped behind the trees, the gold arch still standing where the vows had been.

Dinner in the Barrel Room

They cut the cake against an ivy-covered stone wall — a small two-tier white cake trimmed with peach roses on a wood stand set atop a wine barrel, a red-handled server in hand — and then the reception moved into the Barrel Room. The estate's private chef sent out dinner, and the cake, included with the venue, came later in the evening. Speeches went around the table: the maid of honor, the best man, both dads, and the mother of the bride, wine topped up between them.

Ivy Hill Entertainment ran the music. The first dance was to Tyler Childers' "All Your'n," then Natalie danced with her father and Chris with his mom. When the last song ended, no one had far to go — the guests who'd made a weekend of it were already home for the night, on the same grounds where Natalie and Chris had just gotten married.