A Rustic, Romantic Wedding at a Private Property in Moraga

Nestled far back in the Las Trampas hills of Moraga, the 4-acre property owned by the bride, Jennifer Herskowitz and the groom Daniel Esposito, served as the venue for their beautiful rustic, romantic wedding. 

With a palette of soft hues like blush, cream, and taupe accented with lush greenery to tie in the beautiful nature surrounding them, the tone was set for their guests the moment their invitations were sent out.

Somewhere in-between the invitations being sent out and the couple exchanging their vows, the couple took a very large undeveloped and overgrown pile of dirt and through countless hours of hard work they turned it into a one-of-a-kind wedding location. From creating multi-levels to accommodate a ceremony location, a cocktail reception space, and a flat area for a 2,500 square foot tent, to building custom stairs for the brides walk down the aisle, the space was completely transformed.

​The majority of the space was kept feeling rustic with compacted dirt, so Jennifer made sure to remind guests that this was a strictly outdoor wedding and encouraged their female guests to ditch the heels and put on some boots instead! Jennifer took her own advice and paired her gorgeous lace gown with a pair of fabulous studded ivory Chloe boots. The gown was a vintage lace sheath with a delicate open-back design and a small puddle train. With the help of Status Salon, the bride wore her hair in a simple half-up style with lose waves that was accentuated by a gold and pearl detailed floral headpiece. Dan kept on shoe-trend, also, and wore Tecova Ostrich skin boots in pecan with a blue Ted Baker suit. The brides two sons who took the roles as Ring Bearers also wore blue suits from Nordstrom.

With the amazing eye of photographer, Kate Kelly, of Kate Kelly Photography, every detail from the brides shoes to the delicate bud vases to the couple exchanging their vows under their favorite tree, was beautifully captured. Kate made a point to capture the couple in their element, relaxing while talking to friends, their sweet embraces candidly photographed.

Kate was able to capture the beauty of this unique ceremony location showing all of the hard work that was put into it. While the ceremony site stayed simple on the decor letting the couples favorite “Vow Tree” make the biggest impact as the backdrop for their vow exchange, floral elements by Busy Bees Floral Design were added to help enhance the space. Jennifer, the owner and floral designer behind Busy Bees, created beautifully elegant floral arrangements that sat atop two reclaimed wood posts which formed an intimate alter space for the couple and their officiant. Each chair down the aisle had sprigs of eucalyptus tied to them as a nod to many of the trees surrounding the property.

Guests were greeted with a welcome sign handmade by Letterly Design upon exiting the shuttles that the couple hired to transport guests from various pick-up locations to the venue. Along with the welcome sign, Lorin also created the wood seating chart sign, the reserved signs for the ceremony and the table numbers. Keeping in the rustic theme all of the signs that Lorin were made were left natural wood to add to the overall wedding theme.

Though the wedding theme was definitely rustic, there were some pretty major elements that contributed to making the wedding both elegant and romantic, also. The couple hired a Prosecco cart, Pour du Jour, to serve their guests sparkling wine, Prosecco, and two of their favorite beers on tap throughout the evening. Scattered around the property were rustic-vintage inspired lounge areas to allow the guests to relax and take in the scenery. As the evening progressed, the guests dined in a 2,500sqft tent with clear walls allowing them to take full advantage of the unobstructed breathtaking views around them. Draped from the tents ceiling were delicate cafe lights to add to the ambiance of the reception all from Pleasanton Rentals. The guests sat at either a farm table accented with a lace runner topped with fresh green garland and an abundance of clear glass candle holders or a round table with a simple taupe linen with a floral arrangement in all of their wedding colors flanked by rose gold candle holders. The couple chose to host a family table for them and their immediate family who all sat at farm tables with garland draping to the floor. Everyone dined on traditional Italian fare catered by one of their favorite local restaurants. After dinner everyone enjoyed the delicious 3-tier wedding cake by Katrina Rozelle along with a fully stocked espresso cart by Maya Espresso Catering. Later in the evening everyone was surprised by a late-night S’Mores bar, also!

The newlyweds, along with all of their closest friends and family, danced the night away under the stars listening to their favorite songs played by the great cover-band, Capital 4. After their last dance of the evening the couple exited through a sparkler send-off to complete the magic of the evening; the couple definitely hosted an unforgettable affair!

Planning & Design: Events by Pins & Petals
Photography: Kate Kelly Photography
Florals: Busy Bees Floral Design
Rentals: Pleasanton Event Rentals
Signage: Letterly Signs & Lettering
Grooms Suit: Ted Baker
Ring Bearer Suits: Nordstrom
Brides Shoes: Chloe
Hair & Make-Up: Status Salon
Cake: Katrina Rozelle
Bar: Pour du Jour
Music: Capital 4
Catering: Tomatina
Espresso Cart: Maya Espresso Cart Catering