The Wiltse Rehearsal Dinner❤️ Castello di Amorosa, Napa Valley, CA (Wedding Diary Part 1)

So something pretty exciting happened this month – I am officially married to the man of my dreams! I have been reliving this amazing weekend over and over again. I decided I needed a place to put all my memories down so I can continue to look back on such a magical time. Here is part one, our rehearsal dinner full of romance, love… and wine!

The evening of Thursday July 6th…

Our guests arrived at Castello di Amorosa. The entrance has a winding driveway lined with Italian Cypress trees and vineyards as far as the eye can see. Our friends and family walked up the stone stairway and entered through the grand front entrance of the castle, it truly was something out of a fairytale! The amazing Castello team greeted everyone with sparkling wine and guests walked down the long hallway towards our cocktail hour. We had a bar full of our favorite Castello di Amorosa wine, plus a lot of food (including a fresh Mozzarella and Bruschetta station)!

Our guests had the option to do a tour of the castle upon arrival. I will never forget my first time visiting the Castle with Cameron on one of our many Napa wedding planning trips. Our planner, Cole Drake, had suggested the venue to us so we went to check it out. It is just incredible! The castle was built in the 1990s by Dario Sattui using authentic European stone and medieval techniques. If you ever find yourself in Napa, it is a must-see!

Following the cocktail hour we invited our guests into the dinner space, which was on the top terrace patio. Our amazing design team truly took our breath away with the design! Cameron has always been a traditional red roses guy. He has bought them for me for every big occasion, including our proposal in 2021! When Cole Drake and Jennifer Cole pitched us the idea to have sprawling, romantic red roses for the rehearsal we immediately agreed! I never would have imagined it would be elegant and grand! We had long black tables lined with roses and candles, a wall of climbing roses, and Italian string lights floating over the romantic layout. It was truly what dreams were made of!

Our dinner was pure romance…

Our guests found their tables on our seating chart that was hand written on a gorgeous gold mirror. Last minute, our planner had the idea that Cameron and I should watch everyone from the top of one of the castle’s towers. It was a special moment seeing everyone from above as they entered through the space. Cameron and I walked in and did a welcome toast before beginning the dinner portion of the evening.

We all sat for a family-style dinner (with wine, of course… did I mention there was wine?). I remember looking out into the crown of 62 of our friends and family – about half of our total wedding guests – who had come all the way to Napa to celebrate Cameron and I. I felt so overwhelmed with love! We enjoyed our food, friends, family, and took in the beautiful night!

On one of our visits to Napa, Cameron and I picked out a giant bottle of wine from Castello Di Amorosa and had all of our guests sign it at our rehearsal. The Castello team poured wine out of it all evening, it was such a fun detail that I will never forget! Not to mention, the wine was amazing!

Special moments…

During dinner Cam and I surprised our moms with flower bouquets as a thank-you. My mom’s was a replica of her wedding day bouquet from exactly 30 years ago! It was a memory I will always cherish! We went around chatting with friends and family and enjoying the night. All the food from Tre Posti was incredible! We had a family style layout of grilled chicken breast, wild king salmon, spinach and ricotta ravioli, cast iron potatoes, farro and wild rice salad, an arugula salad, and roasted veggies. For dessert we had a mini tiramisu, mini strawberry shortcake, and chocolate avocado mousse!

As the sun set, Cam’s uncle Tray gave a heartwarming speech that I will never forget. I am marrying into such an amazing family that has made me feel loved from the start! It was the perfect start to our fairy-tale weekend. I was completely in awe that this was only the beginning! I have truly never felt so blessed.

A full heart…

An unforgettable start to an unforgettable weekend. My heart is still so full from all the love our friends and family gave us. We truly have the best support system surrounding us, and being able to share this amazing adventure of a weekend with them meant so much to us. Cameron and I have experienced a lot of blessing and adventures in our lives, but this truly was the best one yet!

By the way – my red dress was my sister’s idea when I showed her the vision board for the event! I am so glad I listened to her because I love how it popped with the decor! I will share some more photos below!