Introduction
Some weddings arrive fully formed, like they could never have looked any other way.
Nicole and Matt’s summer wildflower wedding at Zorvino Vineyards on June 6, 2026 was one of those. Sunflowers and cornflower blue. Loose, unfussy arrangements that looked like they’d been gathered that morning. A gazebo draped in blooms with the vineyard running green behind it. And woven through it all, small personal details that belonged to no one else: a nebula painted onto their wedding cake, two precious cats sitting on top of it, a processional played live by family, and games hidden inside the centerpieces.
For 123 guests in Sandown, New Hampshire, it was an evening that felt effortless — which is always the hardest thing to pull off.
The Setting: Zorvino in Full June Bloom
There is a version of Zorvino Vineyards for every season, and June is the one where the property feels most fully itself. The 80 acres run deep green, the gazebo stands framed by full-leaf trees, the vineyard rows stretch toward a long summer horizon, and the outdoor patio opens onto the kind of New Hampshire evening that makes guests linger far past when they meant to leave.
Nicole and Matt used the whole canvas — the venue, wedding suite, gazebo, and outdoor patio. Their ceremony took place at 6:00 PM at the gazebo, with cocktail hour flowing onto the patio from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. A water station waited for guests as they arrived, a quiet gesture that set the tone for how thoroughly this evening had been considered.
The First Look: Before the Ceremony, Before the Crowd
Nicole shared a First Look with her father, Michael — a private moment between the two of them before anyone else saw her. A few moments later, she and Matt had their own, alone on the Zorvino grounds, captured by family friend and photographer @jproberts.
Their portraits took full advantage of the property, including Zorvino’s vintage black truck parked among the vines. Nicole in a fitted lace gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline and a soft cathedral veil, Matt in navy — and between them, a bouquet of sunflowers, blue delphinium, and lavender that looked pulled straight from a summer field.
Fun Fact: First look moments like this allow for couples and bridal parties to participate more in the celebration later on, as they get to share these private moments for capturing memories prior to the guests arrival.
The Ceremony: Family, Live Music & the Gazebo at Dusk
Beneath Zorvino’s gazebo — draped in an arch of sunflowers, blue hydrangea, and white garden blooms by @fordflower — Nicole and Matt exchanged their vows.
The music was entirely customized, in the best possible way. Aunt Jess played violin for the processional. Uncle Christian and Josh played guitar alongside her. Three family members, live, scoring the walk toward a moment that mattered. It is one thing to hire a string quartet. It is another thing entirely to be played down the aisle by the people who raised you!
The bridal party — bridesmaids in deep purple, groomsmen in black — included three on each side, plus a flower girl and ring bearer, with Arianna as Maid of Honor and Thomas as Best Man. Petals lined the brick aisle. Hanging ferns swayed from the gazebo posts. Behind it all, the vineyard ran green to the treeline.
Nicole and Matt exchanged vows vows under a floraled gazebo with the vineyard in the background.
The Details: Wildflowers & Hidden Games
@fordflower designed the centerpieces — loose, generous arrangements of sunflowers, cornflower blue, lavender, and white, the kind that look gathered rather than arranged.
But the detail every table talked about was not the flowers themselves. It was what was hidden inside them.
Tucked into the center of each arrangement sat a trinket: a small game, a keepsake, something to discover. Guests found them, played them, and competed over them across the evening, and certain tables took their game home at the end of the night. For 123 people, it turned a reception table from somewhere to sit into somewhere to stay.
Nothing was accidental. Everything had been thought through.
Wildflower centerpieces, gold chargers, and cosmic place cards filled the reception hall | Photography: @jproberts
The Feast: A Reserva Menu
Cocktail hour opened on the patio with the Tuscan Grazing Table — Italian cured meats with crostini, imported and domestic cheeses, spinach dip, crudités with Boursin, seasonal fruit with honey vinaigrette, marinated mushrooms, and mixed olives — alongside four passed hors d’oeuvres.
Dinner opened with a Caesar salad with herbed croutons before guests chose between Zorvino Chicken — breaded cutlet with mustard butter, tarragon, and lemon, which Nicole and Matt split together at the sweetheart table — Filet Mignon with herb butter, or Cauliflower Puttanesca with roasted garlic for the vegans. Every plate was served with fresh bread and butter, mashed potatoes, and green beans.
At 8:30 PM, Espresso Dave arrived with the specialty cart for two hours of lattes and cappuccinos, carrying the room through the final stretch of dancing.
And at 10:00 PM came the moment nobody forgot: the Mac and Cheese Martini Bar. Macaroni and cheese served in a martini glass, with assorted toppings — tomatoes, extra cheese, bacon, scallions, sour cream — and the freedom to build it exactly how you wanted. Unexpected, a little bit funny, and gone within minutes.
The three-tier cake by Chickadee Hill Cakes, with a hand-painted nebula tier and two cat toppers | Photography: @jproberts
The Cake: Chickadee Hill Cakes
If there was one object in the room that captured Nicole and Matt, it was the cake.
@chickadeehillcakes built three clean ivory tiers and then wrapped the middle one in a hand-painted nebula — deep blues, violets, and burning oranges bleeding into one another like a galaxy rendered in buttercream. On top, two cats sat back to back. It was elegant and playful in the same breath, and unmistakably theirs.
The cake was served with a coffee and tea buffet, alongside cake pops, gluten-free cupcakes, and funfetti birthday cupcakes. Three specialty flavors were made to honor specific people in that room: chocolate cookies and cream for the Father of the Groom, banana ganache for the Mother of the Groom, and banana ganache for the Mother of the Bride. A detail that specific tells you everything about how carefully Nicole and Matt thought about every person who came.
Nicole and Matt’s first dance beneath the string lights and timber beams | Photography: @jproberts
The Music: Get Down Tonight Entertainment
@getdowntonightentertainment — Russ and Brandon Sheehan — ran a full two-DJ production, with a photo booth set up in the rug area and foam light sticks lighting the dance floor.
From the First Dance and parent dances through two toasts and speeches, the cake cutting, a group photo, and a floor that stayed full until the bar closed at 11:00 PM, Russ and Brandon kept every transition invisible and the energy relentless. The event ran until 11:30 PM. Nobody was in a hurry (can you blame them!?).
The Photography: JP Roberts
@jproberts — photographed the day from the afternoon’s First Look through the final dance. Exactly the right person for the job, already woven into the story. The Zorvino grounds in June gave the lens everything it needed: the gazebo at dusk, the vintage truck among the vines, the vineyard rows, the patio at cocktail hour, and the string lights over the dance floor.
The Vendor Team
| Role | Vendor |
|---|---|
| Photography | @jproberts |
| Florals | @fordflower |
| Wedding Cake & Desserts | @chickadeehillcakes |
| DJ & Photo Booth | @getdowntonightentertainment |
| Espresso | Espresso Dave |
| Venue | Zorvino Vineyards, Sandown, NH |
Congratulations, Nicole & Matt!
To the couple who filled a vineyard with sunflowers, hid games in the centerpieces, painted a galaxy onto their wedding cake, sewed the sweetheart table by hand, and were played down the aisle by family —
You did it exactly right. It was our honor to be part of your special day. Thank you for choosing Zorvino Vineyards.
Learn About Weddings at Zorvino Vineyards
Ready to plan a celebration entirely your own? Explore our wedding packages, read more wedding stories, and schedule a venue tour to see the vineyard for yourself.
Zorvino Vineyards | 226 Main Street, Sandown, NH 03873 | (603) 887-8463 zorvino.com/weddings | Instagram: @zorvinovineyards
