ruth bernstein, in a reem acra gown, weds Matt levin under an elegant chuppa, joined by the pair’s parents and sisters.

For help with his proposal to celebrity publicist Ruth Bernstein, management consultant Matt Levin looked to a trusted advisor: his 9-year-old niece. “It really was her brainchild,” he says.

The setting was a joint family barbecue at Matt’s sister’s house. After dinner, the couple’s two nieces and nephew performed an original play whose plot hinged on a prince looking for his princess—a role assigned to Ruth. Matt stepped in as prince, getting down on his knee with a delicate round diamond engagement ring from jeweler Lorraine Schwartz.

The pair, who met through a set-up in 2015, chose Crossroads Estate in Los Olivos as the venue for their May nuptials. “Being away from everything—in an organic environment where you really can appreciate the people you’re with and the experience you’re having—was the most important thing,” says Ruth.

Guests flood the dance floor.

A week before the first fitting of her off-the-shoulder lace Reem Acra gown, she discovered one more reason to celebrate: They’re expecting a baby girl, due at the end of September.

The morning of the wedding, the bride awoke in a house on the property (where she, Matt, their sisters and their families all stayed together—“one of the best parts of the whole thing,” she says), and handmade the place cards and table numbers. “Doing what I do for a living, balancing things coming together in a lot of little details is normal, so it wasn’t stressful as much as a fun project,” says Ruth, whose clients include Kristen Stewart, Katy Perry and Patrick Dempsey.

Guests gather around the fire pit under bistro lights.

She walked down the aisle to her friend Sara Mann’s live performance of Rachel Platten’s “Better Place.” The couple’s first dance, to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” set the tone for the reception, held in a barn dotted with chandeliers and filled with verdant arrangements. What began as an intimate moment erupted into a sing-along that brought the entire party to the dance floor, where they stayed until the very end. They did, of course, break for cake: a vanilla buttercream confection from The Solvang Bakery—complete with a topper featuring a bride with a becoming bump. 

PLANNER Leanne Elliott of Soleil Events FLORIST Haute Blossoms ENTERTAINMENT DJ Michelle Pesce RENTALS Town & Country Event Rentals HAIR Adir Abergel MAKEUP Beau Nelson DRESS Reem Acra SUIT Tom Ford CATERER Chef Cordelia

Photography by JOHN SCHNACK PHOTOGRAPHY. 
Written by MELISSA GOLDSTEIN.

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2017 issue of C Weddings.