Real Wedding Spotlight: California Dreaming

Ask Nicole Avery and she’ll tell you there were two things that stood out about her now-husband Chris, senior video producer at Apple, when they first matched on Bumble in 2021.

“Chris told me he had been a first-grade teacher for four years, and I found that to be so sweet and endearing,” says Avery, the marketing manager at Decorative Plumbing Supply, her family’s luxury kitchen and bath showroom. “When he said he was in the process of adopting a golden retriever puppy, I was hooked!”

After a whirlwind year of nonstop dates, the couple became engaged co-parents to Zaza, their beloved pup. And, as Nicole began thinking about where she wanted to hold her ceremony and reception, she instantly landed on Filoli Gardens in Woodside, California, a historically preserved Georgian revival-style mansion on 654 acres known locally as the Downton Abbey of California, and a place that is near and dear to the family.

“Filoli was always a dream spot for me,” Avery says. “I knew I wanted the wedding outside in a garden and, when we learned they had a date that worked, I knew it had to be there.” To book the venue, Avery was required to use a wedding planner and as soon as she met Elise Antrobus, the Bay Area owner of By Elise Events & Design, she knew she found someone to help her zero in on her vision.

A pool party starts the festivities In keeping with their fun-loving spirit, the couple opted to kick off the wedding with a late afternoon Amalfi Coast-themed welcome party at Filoli the day before the wedding with a twist — the 70-plus guests were invited to swim in the pool on-property — with changing cabanas and towels at the ready for anyone who wanted to take a dip.

“Some guests were swimming during and after dinner and others were eating and drinking the entire time,” Avery says. “It was such a great way to begin the celebration.”

The next day, 210 guests, including eight bridesmaids and eight groomsmen, gathered for a late-afternoon ceremony officiated by Jeffrey Steves, Nicole’s father, who got certified online by the American Marriage Ministries. The perfect ceremony for Avery: One that included handwritten vows and a service that would be “short but impactful.” Installing a white carpet walkway, an elevated platform, and a bountiful floral altar of sorts, added to the grandeur, too.

“Having the ceremony in this space, known as the Garden House Lawn, was dreamy,” Antrobus says. “We really wanted the ceremony to feel like guests were experiencing a lush floral moment, right in the middle of the gardens.”

That feeling of being immersed in nature continued during the cocktail hour, when guests could either stroll the verdant grounds or pause and marvel at an especially clever nod to the family business.

“We thought it would be fun to incorporate a gorgeous plumbing fixture so we took one of my favorite handcrafted copper tubs and filled it, so it was overflowing with wildflowers,” Avery says, adding that their seating chart, framed in wood and perched right behind the tub, included the words ‘Overflowing with Love.’

During a candlelit farm-to-table dinner, full of toasts and laughter, the couple sat among their guests at long candlelit and floral-filled tables — all under a gorgeous blanket of strung twinkle lights that made it look like a sea of stars was hovering above the crowd.

For Avery, dancing with everyone until midnight is one moment she and Chris will never forget, especially since hiring a great band was Chris’ ‘one and only request.’

“The dance floor was packed the entire night,” she says. “No one wanted the night to end.”

But end it had to, and as guests left this magical garden, they were greeted with one more whimsical touch to a laidback but elegant reception: A pizza station featuring a cut-out photo of Zaza with a pizza slice in his mouth.

“Elise had the brilliant idea of calling it Zaza’s Za Bar,” Avery says, adding that their beloved pup was the only guest who was unable to join in the fun as Filoli doesn’t allow dogs on property. “It was so adorable and the perfect way to give our guests a late-night snack to take home. Everyone loved it!”