An Angwin Wedding at CADE winery built of Dreams, Vision, and Incredible Fate

Depending on how you look at it, you could say that Maddie’s father built her wedding venue from scratch. Okay, that’s a tiny bit misleading. Nonetheless, it’s true that the seeds for Maddie & Sam’s wedding this past June were planted all the way back in 2005, when Maddie was just a girl.

Back then Maddie’s dad John, along with partners Gavin Newsom and Gordon Getty, decided to launch an extremely ambitious project - the first CCOF-certified, organically farmed, LEED Gold Certified Winery in the Napa Valley.

Maddie’s dad and his partners named their new venture CADE Estate, and its construction was woven into Maddie and her sister’s childhood, as they visited frequently and watched as the winery was built from the ground up.

By 2009, the CADE Estate vision was realized. Still, John could not have known back then that, more than a decade in the future, he would watch his daughter Maddie marry the love of her life in that very place.

John and his partners started CADE’s vineyards with an exacting program of natural cultivation in order to convert it to an organic vineyard. “Change is good, green is good, organic is good,” John has said. Read the whole story here.

For one thing, CADE is not a wedding venue. In this very special case, though, CADE made an exception.

Maddie actually got ready in and just outside of her dad’s work office….

Maddie getting ready right outside her dad’s office at CADE Winery

while Sam got ready inside CADE’s fermentation gallery

Sam with his groomsmen inside of CADE’s fermentation gallery

Who could have foreseen that the story of CADE, and the story of Maddie & Sam, would intertwine in this beautiful way?

And yet, this was only one of the amazing stories behind Maddie & Sam’s wedding. Wait until you hear the next part, of how Maddie and Sam met in the first place.

The photograph above probably gives you a clue. Yep, in 2015, while both were living in Virginia, they both swiped right. So, imagine Maddie’s surprise when, not long after swiping, she saw Sam walk into the very restaurant where she was at work, hostessing. Was it a coincidence? Had Sam figured out where she worked somehow?

Maddie was floored. All evening long, she found excuses to hang around the table where Sam was eating with friends, dying to see if he would look at her or recognize her.

“I was definitely creeping,” she admitted, laughing, when she recounted the episode. And yet, Sam showed no signs of recognition. Was he just trying to play it cool? Had he seen Maddie and decided he wasn’t interested?

It wasn’t until they messaged one another later on the dating app that Maddie learned it had been a complete coincidence (if you want to call it that), and that Sam realized that the beautiful hostess who had been hovering near his table all evening was the same woman he had swiped right on earlier.

The two decided to meet in person - this time intentionally. Once together, they knew that both instinct and fate were exactly right. They hit it off immediately.

These two are super ambitious and smart. Because Maddie was working hard to finish up her law degree during most of the year leading up to her wedding, I didn’t get to talk to her much. Thankfully, her mother and amazing planner Jennifer Stone of La Grande Fete stayed in close touch so we could make sure everything went perfectly on wedding day. Additionally, Maddie’s parents graciously allowed me to visit the beautiful Cade Winery ahead of time so I could get familiar with it in every way - its design, lighting, etc.

Wedding day itself was perfect. High up on the mountain, overlooking an infinity pool and acres of vineyards and the valley below, it felt like we were in a dream world. Incredible flowers from Valley Flora enhanced that feeling - airy and wild, with pops of periwinkle and dusky pink and gatherings of cosmos, delphinium, garden roses, and more.

Breathtaking views from Maddie & Sam’s sweetheart table

More breathtaking views during cake cutting

One of the more moving parts of the day (and there were many) was watching Maddie’s grandmother smile ear to ear the entire day. Not many of my clients have living grandparents, so seeing her there, having the most amazing time, was wonderful.