Some couples have a clear vision of their wedding before touring a single venue. But for Charlotte Cortina and Matt Rek—who recently moved to Westlake Village, California, after meeting and living in New York—everything crystallized only after visiting Sunstone Villa, set on a vineyard in Santa Ynez, about 35 miles northwest of Santa Barbara.
This privately-owned home built out of reclaimed 19th-century limestone from the south of France was clearly the one—and it inspired an impeccably designed event that was a seamless blend of rustic and formal. “I kept coming back to the idea of a fancy, black-tie wedding with a natural, organic feel,” says Charlotte, a designer and brand manager for a restaurant company. “I thought the juxtaposition made it a lot more interesting.”
The biggest challenge was equipping the raw venue space—as couples have to bring in everything needed for the event; nothing is supplied. “It’s essentially an empty house with the exception of these amazing artifacts. We had to create a kitchen, and bring in a generator for power, every piece of furniture, and bathrooms,” she says. With the help of one of BAZAAR Bride's best wedding planners, Joy Proctor, and florist Kelly Kaufman, it all came together seamlessly, captured by BAZAAR Bride top photographer, Ryan Ray.
How They Met
It’s a good thing Charlotte’s friend convinced her to trek to a bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, one fateful August night in 2011, or she never would have met her future husband—that is, after her friend almost snagged him first. “I’m on the shy side, but she called him over,” Charlotte says. “I started talking to his friend just to be polite, but I was very much interested in Matt. He was so magnetic.”
At some point in the conversation, Matt’s friend asked Charlotte her age, and when he realized she and Matt were both 24, he suggested they switch places.
“We ended up talking for the rest of the night,” says Matt, and architect and developer. “I couldn’t stop staring into her eyes, and I didn’t want our conversation to end. It finally did when the bar closed at 4 a.m. We covered the most obscure subjects ranging from our favorite X-Men characters to our mutual obsession with crispy Brussels sprouts. I was completely hooked after that.” They moved in together about five months later.
The Proposal
The couple traveled a lot together over five years of dating—to Southeast Asia, Japan, the Caribbean, and all over Europe—so when Matt planned a getaway to Hawaii in August 2016, Charlotte didn’t suspect a thing. They were staying on Maui, and he arranged an excursion that took them on a windy dirt road to a trailhead. “The entire time we were hiking, I was trying to keep the ring hidden in my shorts pocket,” Matt says. “It was really humid and the hike was a lot longer than we thought, so halfway through Charlotte was asking to go back to the car.” They finally came to a sign that prohibited visitors from continuing for safety reasons—despite there being a beautiful waterfall right ahead. “But lo and behold, this family arose from behind the sign and told us there was a better view, so we went and it was just the two of us when I proposed.”
After consulting Charlotte’s mom and sister, Matt purchased a cushion cut diamond from a California-based jeweler and then designed it locally—adding a tiny halo and thin band—at Marisa Perry in the West Village. “He knew I wanted something super delicate, and it has the smallest band they could have done with the stone,” Charlotte says.
Choosing California as the wedding locale was easy. Charlotte explained, “I’m from there, and have a huge family, whereas Matt’s family in New York is tiny, so it was easier for them to fly out.” Charlotte, Matt, her sisters, and parents took over all five bedrooms in the Sunstone Villa, while guests stayed in various boutique hotels in the charming, nearby town of Solvang.
The Rehearsal Dinner
Charlotte’s grandfather owns a ranch on the highest point in Santa Ynez, with 360-degree views of vineyards and the ocean; holding the rehearsal dinner there was a no-brainer. Every wedding guest—145 people—attended the Mexican feast. “There were women making fresh tortillas by hand, and it had this rustic vibe,” says Charlotte, who wore an Alexander Wang white silk slip dress with lace details. “My dad is half Mexican, and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Mexican food.”
The Ceremony
In the middle of the Sunstone Villa vineyard, the owners had previously cleared out an area where there’s a huge oak tree. “Guests had to walk through the rows of grapes to get there, and it was really beautiful and had this element of surprise,” says Charlotte. A local pastor led the ceremony, which took place under a lush floral arch of garden roses, hydrangeas, delphiniums, larkspurs, and Queen Anne's lace. “Seeing Charlotte coming down the aisle was the most special moment,” says Matt. “It was an explosion of emotions, and I won’t forget it.”
Matt’s best friend recited lyrics from The White Buffalo’s Love Song No. 1 and Charlotte’s friend read E.E. Cummings’s poem "I Carry Your Heart with Me." After the couple exchanged vows, a New Orleans-style jazz band began playing and led everyone to cocktail hour in front of the house, where they sipped on blackberry-and-thyme margaritas and Prosecco with summer peach and fresh thyme. Snacks included fresh crudité and artisan spreads. “The table looked like this overgrown farmer’s market,” Charlotte recalls.
The Dress
Charlotte worked in the fashion industry for nine years, so selecting a dress was not something she took lightly. “My main goal was to choose something timeless and avoid all current trends. I also needed to find something with a bit of an old-world feel that made sense for our venue,” she says. She initially started working with a designer on a custom gown 10 months before the wedding date, but, she says, “by the time June rolled around, I realized something was awry when the dress was not close to completion. In a panic, I started exploring other dress options and went to every dress store in the city.
The Monique Lhuillier flagship store on the Upper East Side was a lifesaver, allowing her to put in a rush order on the Kate dress, made of French Chantilly lace with floral appliqué overlay and a classic fitted corset. They customized it in just six weeks, adding lace detailing on the hemline and 36 more inches to the train, which changed the overall silhouette.
“I picked up the dress 48 hours before the wedding and it was perfect,” says Charlotte, who paired the dress with a custom-made cathedral-length Monique Lhuillier lace floral appliqué veil, Aquazzura lace pumps, and a pearl clutch from Santi. She turned to her family for jewelry, wearing her grandmother’s diamond necklace (only in the family portraits) and her mother’s vintage blue aquamarine and white diamond halo earrings.
The Reception
After changing into a Valentino beaded butterfly Guipure-Lace dress and silver sequin Chanel peep-toe heels with flower applique (and a new white button-down for Matt to wear with his custom tuxedo by Suit Supply), the newlyweds made a grand entrance to "All You Need is Love" by The Beatles.
“Everyone was standing and cheering and going wild,” Charlotte says. “It was the perfect moment.” It was also the first time the couple got to see their reception vision brought to life. “We really wanted to wow the guests,” she says.
“There were three super-long tables lined with flowers and full centerpieces, plus fairy lights and olive trees sprinkled throughout. It set this magical, enchanted scene.” After speeches and dinner, the party really got started, thanks to music by the 10-piece Downbeat LA band. “Instead of playing typical wedding songs, they learned a lot of our favorites, which were great for dancing,” Matt says.
The couple shared their first dance to "I Can’t Help Falling In Love" by Elvis. “We had both pictured it as our first dance song before we even met each other,” says Charlotte. “It was very special for us to live out a moment we had separately dreamed about.” Adds Matt, “We had learned this whole dance routine, but when we got to the middle of it, we just forgot everything.”
The Food
Two words best describe the dinner menu: local and organic. “Everything was sourced from farms nearby, and garnished with edible flowers from the area,” says Charlotte, who worked with Santa Barbara-based caterer Feast and Fest. Her family is in the seafood business, so her dad arranged to fly in Pacific steelhead, which was served with crispy sage, puttanesca, summer beans, and yellow pepper dressing. (Roasted lamb with garlic herb seared sausage, mustard seed, and spicy mint chutney was the other option, but the fish was the clear favorite.) Organic olive loaves and gluten-free tumeric rolls were provided by Oat Bakery in Santa Barbara.
For dessert, guests chose between three gluten-free cakes: coconut, which is Matt’s favorite, a vegan carrot, and lemon-raspberry—all created by Lilac Patisserie in Santa Barbara. Another option on the dessert menu? Sheep’s milk gelato, for those who prefer to skip most dairy products. “It was lavender flavor because there was a lavender field around the venue,” she says. “It was incredible, and people still talk about how much they loved it.” And the final touch: pressed-flower vanilla shortbread cookies by Lori Stern.
The After Party
Santa Ynez has a strict noise ordinance, and the venue held firm on its 10 p.m. cut-off. “I kept expressing how upset I was that it had to end so early,” Charlotte says. “The owners wouldn’t let us do an after-party in the house because there are so many fragile artifacts.” Her dad had the idea to convert the villa’s garage into a silent disco—and that’s exactly what they did, complete with soundproof curtains, disco balls, and hot pink lighting. Each guest got a set of wireless headphones and could hear what the DJ was playing. During dance breaks, guests could snack on popcorn or pizza from the truck outside.
On Sunday morning, everyone was invited back to the villa for brunch, where the same caterers from the rehearsal dinner set up a huevos rancheros bar. “I thought everyone would love that the next morning,” Charlotte says.
The Honeymoon
Charlotte had traveled to Paris many times for work, but had never been to the south of France—and neither had Matt. “It seemed like one of the dreamiest places,” Charlotte says. They spent two weeks bouncing around the region, staying at Chevre D’or in Eze—home to a Michelin-starred restaurant—and the legendary Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes before exploring a few towns in Provence. “My favorite was Villa La Coste. It’s set on a vineyard, and has really amazing art throughout the property, including a large-scale installation by Frank Gehry,” Matt says.
Last July, just short of their one-year anniversary, the couple got to celebrate another major milestone: the birth of their daughter, Sophie.
