After Lorin Joel ecstatically said yes to Austin Joel’s marriage proposal at her family’s lake house, the happy couple immediately knew they wanted Houses & Parties to plan their wedding, as Lorin’s sister, Kimberlin, was also engaged and already working with their fantastic team. Since Lorin and Austin love traveling, a destination wedding was an obvious decision, and they landed on hosting their weekend at Beaulieu Garden in Napa Valley. “I really wanted to celebrate somewhere beautiful where we could enjoy the natural landscape,” Lorin explains. Cheree Berry Paper & Design created the custom invitation suite and Kamu did the calligraphy.
On her wedding day, Lorin stunned in an Oscar de la Renta cut-out dress in optic white silk faille—it was the first look she ever tried on. Lorin’s sister actually pulled the dress, and when Lorin expressed no interest, Kimberlin only pressed it more. “She was right,” the bride says. “I was obsessed. It was so unique and unlike anything I’d seen anyone else wear.” Bridesmaids complemented Lorin in blue floral dresses also by Oscar de la Renta that mimicked the arrangements of delphiniums that decorated the parterre garden during the ceremony.
The weekend began at Round Pond Estate in Rutherford with a bridesmaids’ luncheon. The tablescapes featured an abundance of flowers and fruit picked from a nearby orchard. Everyone sipped cocktails between the vineyard and vegetable garden while popping fun party crackers. “My mother gave me and my sister matching sets of Puiforcat timbales as a wedding gift. She shipped them all the way from Atlanta for a sentimental toast,” the bride remembers. The next day, Lorin and Austin hosted a welcome party at Castello di Amorosa, a Tuscan-inspired castle and winery. Kathleen Deery Design channeled Caravaggio for vibrant floral arrangements that accented each space throughout the weekend.
On August 13, 2022, an installation of blue lovebirds placed amidst a wonderland of blooming roses led guests down a path to the ceremony in the sunken garden. “I felt like I was in a Tim Walker dream in my lace dress and parasol. He inspired this flock of fancy,” Lorin shares. Bristle + Bride and Jessica Marie Beauty created Lorin’s fresh-faced wedding look. Then, the bride shared a drink with her father before walking arm-in-arm down the aisle.
Following the sentimental ceremony, guests delighted in specialty drinks at a cocktail party infused with an array of custom blue and white–striped fabric inspired by the look of a bedroom in a French country estate. Even the bartenders and the string quartet donned the material—“like Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins!” Lorin laughs.
In the evening, everyone sat for dinner under a vine-covered pergola. “The reception was incredible. Rebecca and Kimberlin turned the arbor into the most dreamy al fresco dinner party that I have ever seen,” the bride remembers. “The gauze lanterns with silk-knotted tassels, lush flowers, exotic fruit, and various patterns of Ginori china all made a punchy environment for celebration.” A six-course Paula LeDuc Fine Catering feast was served before chocolate chip cookies and espresso martinis prepared everyone for the dance party to come.
Turnip Blood Entertainment had guests on their feet all night long. Lorin featured a second look, a sequin Oscar de la Renta paillette fringe, mini dress, while beautiful ballerinas wearing sparkling butterfly wings gave a surprise performance. After spending ample time on the dance floor, the newlyweds strutted through a neon tunnel before heading to a silent disco after-party in Downtown Napa.
