Rosanna + Lee by Angela Jazmin Studio

We really wanted to find spaces that reflected us.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Living in West Sonoma County on 5 acres, we spend a lot of time outdoors both for work and fun. Lee is an open fire event chef, and Rosanna has a history in styling and works in the visual arts, so our favourite thing to do is to gather our friends on our property and host. This is where our passions and skills really overlap. Rosanna is usually either art directing on set and running her creative Agency out of the bay, or riding her horse Guapo. Lee is either cooking outdoors or creating beautiful wooden things for our home. We are always working to improve our home together, one project at a time. We are loving creating a space together. We also really enjoy taking our pup out on adventures, a good road trip, and seeking out a delicious meal.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met in Marfa, TX, at the Transpecos music festival. We were each there in work settings with friends (as freelancers, we work with our friends a lot…), Rosanna as a stylist and Lee as a chef. Fast forward to our wedding, and it turns out both of the businesses we were working for ended up hosting our wedding ceremony and reception. We love a full circle moment. Although we met there, the real love connection happened 6 months later in the Bay Area when we were connected by a mutual friend to host a dinner together at Rosanna’s studio. Lee brought R an artichoke from the farmer’s market to that first date, which has since become the food we eat when we celebrate anniversaries, etc. We incorporated artichokes both in our ceremony, floral styling, and invitations, so they definitely feel symbolic in our relationship.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

Our vision started much more with a feeling than a specific colour palette or styling element. As people who work in both events and visuals, we really wanted to find spaces that reflected us and did not need much styling. We wanted our celebration to feel relaxed, true to us, and to represent the talent and beauty in our community. We wanted it to be elevated and for our guests to feel taken care of, but also not be fussy or complicated. We did not want to fall into any wedding traps and really tried to prioritise the things that were important to us rather than to feel beholden to trends. What was so beautiful and fun to see come together is the fact that it became a cohesive vision simply because every element and vendor was someone or something we were drawn to. It’s almost like we reversed the order and started just pulling together favourite things and people, and out of that a final theme was born.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

Like we said, we very much wanted to prioritise getting married in spaces/places that already felt like they had the design elements that we love, so that we could keep our vendors and external elements simple. Both of our locations are owned by friends with exquisite taste, and we both felt neither space needed much at all. We were also lucky enough to be able to call on many friends to make beauty happen for us. From our ceremony flowers to bridal make-up to a custom wedding vinegar made by our friend Chris at Tart Vinegar as a party favour for guests, almost every single element came from the hands and minds of our nearest and dearest. This made the day feel intimate and special, and our guests really felt that too, or so we’ve heard!

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

Sugarcoating aside, the planning process is a big and diﬃcult task. As an art director and producer, Ro made many lists and spreadsheets that helped keep us on task to chip away at all the details. The process inspired many conversations between us about what our individual visions were. We were able to imagine the day together and really connect with what we wanted. Looking back, those conversations are cherished because they really helped build the day to come. All of the small decisions helped pack the day full of meaning for us. And we were very clear on NOT doing things that we felt we had to because of stock expectations. Rather, everything felt like a conscious choice. We also brought in a planner, our dear friend Malka Sender of To Gather, who was able to take the vision from execution to execution and freed us up to just enjoy the day and be fully present. We couldn’t have done it without her. We are big fans of hiring professionals for the jobs at hand. Why spend all that time prepping, only to not fully let go on the day? We really decided to trust everyone involved to the fullest, which we highly recommend!

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

We were just completely blown away by the support from all of our friends and vendors. Angie, our photographer, absolutely went above and beyond and prioritised shooting film for our special day(s), and completely over-delivered! She captured the essence of our time so well. We just couldn’t believe what she was able to achieve in such a short amount of time before our ceremony- she also made us feel so comfortable! So many of our guests mentioned afterwards that she felt like one of our friends and blended in seamlessly. Our friends at Scribe Winery created the most incredible meal for us- a meal we still talk about and wish we could sit down and fully enjoy all over again without the distraction of everything wedding day. Our next day party reception was hosted by our friends, who built an epic pool club in the woods of Northern California – River Electric. It was a perfect all-inclusive experience with excellent spaces, food, bevs, vibes. We had our friend ScoF Baird from Jumbo’s Win Win cook up burgers over a grill at the end of the pool day- everyone showed up in an insane way! Our friends Dani and Maverick of Dani Padgett Weddings created a beautiful Super 8 film as a wedding gift. Alessandro Giannatempo flew all the way from London to create the most epic cake to date, bestie Hannah created floral beauty and a hand-fasting cord for our ceremony… We are so blessed. So many wonderful people are involved.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

For Lee, his look came very unexpectedly. We were in LA at the Pickwick Vintage Show, a monthly travelling vintage market. We stumbled upon a bone colored, raw silk suit, made in the Palm Desert at Carny Couture. He tried it on and it almost fit perfectly, so he got the suit tailored and had a shirt made bespoke from Tailors Keep in SF. Tim Marvin of Tailors Keep helped him style the rest of the suit with a continental style bowtie from La Bowtique Bowties(UK) and loafers by Cheaney(UK), shopped at Leﬀots in NYC. Rosanna had a full look planned that suddenly didn’t feel right 2 weeks before the wedding…so she panic ordered this Victoria Beckham dress online, it fit perfectly without tailoring, and she sold her OG wedding dress to a gal in London. It’s so important to feel good in whatever you end up wearing. Lee found pieces of abalone on the beach at his bachelor party, gifted them to Ro, and we then used them to make jewellery for the ceremony. As someone who could have imagined wearing a suit, a giant girly dress, or a sleek modern dress, it was hard to figure out the final look —and ultimately, I just went with something classic and timeless, with a little edge. Vintage elements like the veil and other family jewellery, as well as a bouquet of white tulips honouring my Dutch heritage, really felt like they tied the look together.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Both Rosanna’s engagement and wedding rings were made by a very close friend, Megan Rugani of Maiden Voyage Jewellery. We used to live together as 20-something-year-olds, riding motorcycles all around the western United States. It feels incredibly meaningful to have someone so talented who knows me so well, having practically grown up with her, creating these pieces for me. She pretty much designed them based on the direction “art deco, timeless, empire cut, Egyptian pyramid.” Lee’s wedding band belonged to Rosanna’s great-grandfather, and the wedding date on the inside is 23-1-1916. Both feel deeply personal in their own ways, one a family heirloom, and the other a future family heirloom.

Day After

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

We wanted good food, drinks, music, documentation, and vibes. I feel like our money was pretty evenly spread, with perhaps more money spent on venues that already “Had it all”, so we did not need to be fussy and deal with the hassle of renting tons of smalls, do extensive florals, etc.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

There were many moments, but one that stands out is when our last song started playing —“Dreams” by the Cranberries —and all our friends surrounded us, holding hands and chanting (screaming) every word. It felt animalistic in the most communal and beautiful way. I will also personally never forget walking down the aisle in the most precious olive grove, and having every person I love stare at me with love-filled eyes and hearts. The level of presence we both felt during the ceremony was intense, deep, and unlike anything either of us had ever experienced.