WEDDING PLANNING
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DESTINATION WEDDINGS
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WINE-COUNTRY WEDDING STEPHANIE COLE, CO-FOUNDER OF NAPA VALLEY’S AWARDWINNING COLE DRAKE EVENTS, PUTS YOU ON THE PATH TO YOUR PERFECT CALIFORNIA DESTINATION CELEBRATION
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W R I T E R N ATA S H A G A R B E R
ith their sprawling vineyards, brilliant sunsets and world-
local venues alike. And with her forays into French living, her background
and Sonoma valleys both top the destination wish lists of
cally determined passion for parties—her mother is an event-industry icon
famous farm-to-table cuisine, Northern California’s Napa
countless to-be-wed couples in Houston, and, indeed, all over the world. But with their many unique sub-regions, often-complex venue rules, and endless array of options in local vendors and activities, California wine-
country weddings can be tricky to navigate. Which is where the expertise
of Cole Drake Events comes in. One of the region’s premier event planning firms, Cole Drake has a deep knowledge of the area and its wedding choices, and a commitment to service that wins raves from clients and
in oenology (that’s the study of wines to you and me), and her geneti-
who plans major bashes for nonprofits and California cities—co-founder Stephanie Cole (she launched the business in 2013 with partner Sarah Drake) spends each working day guiding wedding couples through the
hills and valleys of wine-country wedding planning. Here, she offers a bit of that renowned Cole Drake know-how to Houston to-be-weds—one of
her most beloved destination demographics: “They’re always so much fun to work with!”
PHOTO: BRIANA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY 150
weddingsinhouston.com