Yee-Haw! The Collection Goes Country at Emarie's Barn Yard Bash!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 5:00AM 
We knew that The Collection's own Emarie and her husband Nick's shared 30th birthday celebration had to be a good one. We went country! The setting? A rustic barn on gorgeous farmland in Winters, California. Nick says, "We're fortunate to have a close family friend in Craig McNamara, a local organic walnut farmer and founder of the Center for Land-Based Learning, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching young people to appreciate the natural environment and the land that provides our food and sustains our quality of life. We've attended events there in the past and knew that their barn, and the beautiful orchard and gardens that surround it, would be the perfect backdrop for a country birthday bash."
We called on event planners, Megan and Emily, the awesome ladies behind Enjoy Events Co., to outfit the barn in a down-home vibe. "We used lots of blues and indigo hues and tons of recycled elements like doors, quilts jars and tin cans," Megan says. "Because it was in a barn we wanted the concept to blend but still seem slightly staged."
Partygoers could grab a hat from the "cowboy hat wall," dance to the band under the hanging mason jar lights and lantern installments or grab some grub and sit on the hay bail makeshift tables. We were lucky to test drive a pair of varietals from a new Sonoma winemaker Von Holt. The 2008 Hoppe-Kelly Syrah and 2009 Pinot Noir were favorites. Ah and the self-serve bourbon bar, of course! It had all of the makings for an epic party: a rockin live band, an assortment of homemade seasonal pies and strawberry shortcake, pulled pork sandwiches, '90s radio hits {so danceable} and a big 'ol barn to get down.
Nick was kind enough to share his take on the raucous festivities with us. "We wanted it to be a rockin party! The ladies at Enjoy Events did a great job in turning an ordinary barn into an amazing event. My favorite touches, personally, were the shot glass wall arrangement, the thoughtfully curated bourbon bar and, of course, the well stocked vintage fridge. Whose idea was that? Oh ya, mine. You're welcome. All kidding aside, Emily and Megan proved that they're adept at taking a basic theme and interpreting it in their own creative, photo-worthy way." Why thank you, Nick.
Emarie says, "Nick didn't get to eat any of our wedding cake three years ago and Kelly from Inticing Creations remembered him complaining about it. She gifted Nick his own cake this time. I didn't have to tell her anything...she just knew to do the bottle of bourbon!" 
At nights end, standing beneath a sky aglow with fireworks, all of us couldn't help but think "this is better than a wedding!" Head over to Forget Me Knot Weddings and Enjoy Events Co. for even more design details and photos, captured lovingly by Scott Andrew! Thank you friends and family for bringing the good times!
Venue: The Farm on Putah Creek, Winters, California
Photography by Scott Andrew Studio
Event Design: Enjoy Events Co.
Flower Design: Enjoy Events Co.
Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen
Catering: Buckhorn Catering
Cake: Inticing Creations
Dessert bar by Emarie's fabulous mother-in-law & Aunt-in-law
Live Band: Hardwater
DJ: DJ Sol
Scott Andrew Studio, La Tavola Fine Linen and Inticing Creations are members of The Collection Event Studio.
Reader Comments (2)
Things really escalated quickly that night. A perfect storm of good bourbon, cheap beer, pulled pork and Bell Biv DeVoe.
Gorgeous! Looks like an amazing birthday celebration :)