Kate and Sean's Yellow and Gray Rehearsal Dinner in Napa

Good things come to those who wait. Take Sean and Kate, for example: The pair met as teenagers during high school in Mesa, Arizona, but put off dating until Kate's senior year at college. Fast-forward three more years, and Sean popped the question on top of Camelback Mountain outside of Phoenix. Kate said yes, and six months later, the couple left their home in Los Altos, California, to gather with friends and family at The Carneros Inn in Napa, California, for a destination-wedding weekend that kicked off with a rehearsal dinner on July 26, 2013.

The couple chose The Hilltop Dining Room for the rehearsal dinner because of its unbeatable panoramic views of the surrounding hills and vineyards. After an intimate ceremony rehearsal at the inn's Apple Orchard, the couple and wedding party joined the rest of the guests.

"The opportunity to mingle outside before and after dinner fit the ambience of the entire weekend, which was to see family and to spend as much time with them as possible," said Kate.

Kate wanted a clean, sleek look for the rehearsal dinner, so she incorporated the architecture's striking white into her gray-and-lemon-yellow color palette.

Various patterns and textures added to the look of the event.

Kate dressed in palette in a BCBG strapless number that she paired with sky-high Brian Atwood heels, a Tiffany & Co. necklace, and Michael Kors earrings. On her left wrist, she fashioned her late father's ID badge into a bracelet. Sean wore Aldo kicks with Calvin Klein pants and an Ermengildo Zegna shirt.

California-based floral designer Kathleen Deery helped with the design of all three of the couple's wedding weekend events. Here, a variety of greenery housed in a modern white vase.

Kate wanted all three of her wedding weekend events to feel completely different from one another, both in palette and style. For this party, she chose a simple aesthetic with a geometric touch, letting the lemon shade carry the decor.

A framed menu outlined the drink offerings.

While enjoying the sweeping Napa Valley views, guests enjoyed passed appetizers outdoors, including Caprese skewers, saffron risotto, fontina arancini, and seasonal vegetable ragout in filo shells.

It was important to the couple that the festivities start early enough to include the family kiddos. Two of these five were part of the wedding party.

This "kids-only" lounge tent had games galore and on-site nannies to supervise activities. This way, parents could enjoy the evening just as easily as the children.

Two white walls were added to the inn's patio and decorated with yellow blossoms for a pop of color.

Kate's friend calligraphed the seat assignments that were displayed in frames found and painted by Kate's mother-in-law.

Rather than have a reception full of rectangular tables, Kate chose a mix of shapes, which kept the room from feeling stiff and still honored its geometric architecture.

Brightly painted table numbers aided the 60 guests in finding their seats.

Menus were wrapped around the colored linen napkins at each seat.

The family-style meal consisted of a Mission fig salad offered alongside rigatoni carbonara, spinach ricotta ravioli, or organic chicken.

To add a personal touch to the tablescapes, Kate framed black-and-white prints from their engagement shoot.

Kate replicated Sean's favorite sweet, the Baskin-Robbins mint-chocolate-chip ice cream cake, and finished it with Etsy cake toppers, choosing the Batman-dressed bride because she's a fan of the superhero.

Photography: Josh Gruetzmacher
Location and Catering: The Carneros Inn
Event Planning: Alison Events
Flowers: Kathleen Deery Design
Cake: Baskin-Robbins
Hair: Diana Lyons, Napa Valley Hairstylist
Lighting: Jeffrey Stone, PSAV Presentation Services
Nannies: Joanna's Nannies