Betty and Troy are big fans of the movie, “Lord of the Rings.” They wanted to incorporate this love into their special day without having guests come dressed in Hobbit costumes. So, the couple decided to have their wedding in Napa Valley because of the rolling vineyards, the oak trees, the pond and a farmhouse that reminded them of New Zealand, where the movie was filmed. Dennis and Jaime, of Viera Photographics, captured the day’s events and details.

Troy and Betty give us an inside look at their wedding day…

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story:
Across the CD aisles at Amoeba Records in San Francisco.

What was the theme | design inspiration for your wedding?
We didn’t want a kitschy “Lord of the Rings” themed wedding so we settled on an atmosphere of vintage & pastoral.

Tell us about the bridal attire:
My lace strapless dress with a puddle train had the simplicity and elegance I wanted to project. My vintage drop earrings and bracelet gave me the glamour and the silk custom-made flower in my hair provided the romance. And the lace pumps produced (but discontinued) by All Black were graciously custom manufactured by the company upon my request. I was elated when the shoes arrived!

Favorite design element of your big day:
I loved the bow ties that my husband, ring bearers, and the flower boy wore! It was classic!

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?
I’m a bit compulsive by nature so I had to resist researching everything to death and just make a decision!

What advice would you give to a couple planning their wedding?
Have fun with the process and do things together! I came up with the idea of the lantern centerpieces but midway through the project, I lost steam. My husband finished it off and they were beautiful! Insist on certain design elements that are most important to you but relax on others. Delegate some projects to your significant other. I gave him creative license on making signs for the wedding and I was astonished at how creative he could be!

Whether in the “toast,” or in a ceremony reading, or just in passing, what was the best advice someone gave you at the wedding?
Work on communication!

What’s your most favorite part of the wedding?
My favorite part of the wedding was when my brother and sister sang at our wedding. I was so proud of them and honored too!

Any specific reasons behind certain choices you made for your wedding? Maybe flowers that were your mom’s favorite or your first dance song was the first song you ever heard together…that kind of thing?
Almost everything about our wedding was personalized. I was really adamant that the food was exceptional since we both love food and cooking so we were really happy to see people enjoy the food!

Tell me something about your photographer.
Dennis has a great sense of goofy humor which relaxed us and made us actually enjoy the experience of being photographed. Dennis and Jaime of Viera Photographics are incredibly talented photographers. We are thrilled by the pictures!