Big Dog Vineyard Wedding | Curry + Nuñez

Article by Marissa Martinez & Meredith Curry Nuñez
7 MIN READ

The wedding of Meredith "Mer" Curry and Michael Nuñez began not the morning of Sunday, April 24, 2022, and not even a month prior when they had to last minute confirm a vineyard as the venue, not 2 years earlier when Mer proposed to Michael -- it all started 8 years earlier when Mer and Michael were set up on a blind date.

​Mer is currently the Executive Director of the Northern California College Promise Coalition (NCCPC) and is the founder of AdvancED Consulting, LLC. Michael works as a consultant working with local firms like AdvancED Consulting after previously owning and operating several health clinics around Silicon Valley. They are both dedicated to supporting college access and career development for Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) students, young adults, and entrepreneurs in the local community and across CA. No wonder close family brought them together back in 2014! It started with a blind date at San Pedro Market in downtown San Jose, a place they both loved to frequent long before they met. That first date quickly blossomed as they toured the City of San Jose together, fell in love with its local parks, and even managed local and national events as consulting event coordinators. How fitting that 8 years later they would work together to coordinate the biggest event of all -- their own wedding!

Credits: Miguel Ozuna Photography 
Engagement photos, Alum Rock Park in East San Jose, CA

Fast forward to Spring 2022 and the happy couple was ready to exchange their vows in a San Jose park, looking forward to starting their new chapter in the heart of their city. Not unlike any wedding, theirs had a hiccup or two -- but when they found out that the park could no longer meet the needs of their big day, 42 days before their scheduled wedding, they had to pivot fast. 

Fortunately, as with everything Mer & Michael do, they solved the problem, made the most out of the situation, stayed local, and found an absolutely beautiful venue in Big Dog Vineyards. 
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Big Dog Vineyards is a locally-owned boutique winery nestled in the Milpitas Hills. This was the first time the bride, groom, and most of their family and friends had ever visited the vineyard. Mer & Michael are now members because of how much they enjoyed their experience and the wine.

​Thanks to Kayla Andres and Jessica Jay, Mer & Michael had all the support they needed to capitalize on every square foot of the gorgeous venue, from the front lawn to the house, to the back patio.

Credit: Miguel Ozuna Photography
Big Dog Vineyards, Milpitas, CA

The wedding ceremony was hosted on the front lawn, overlooking the beautiful Silicon Valley. It was picture-Esque watching the wedding party walk down the aisle and see the bride and groom share their love in front of the majestic tree. ​

Credit: Miguel Ozuna Photography

Throughout the ceremony, evening, and reception the theme of the night was not only Mer & Michael’s love for each other but also the love they have for their family and friends and the love their community has for them. They had their own logo which appeared on the invitations, wedding website, printed programs, and even coasters, thanks to Angel Trazo. The ceremony was officiated by Michael’s best man, cousin, and prior business partner JT White. The talented styles of Astralogik, a Queer Pinay Duo from the Bay Area, played all night with hits from the oldies to the 90s, including serenading Mer with “At Last” by Etta James as she walked down the aisle. 

​Dinner and appetizers were provided with care by family and local caterer Porras Solutions, with amazing attention to detail from Chef Carlos Porras. Their menu included delicious dishes like Adobo Braised Brisket and Coconut Braised Lentil Empanadas, Latin Adobo Roasted Tri Tip, and Patatas Bravas. Each of their dishes had signature sauces like salsa verde, honey tamari, and pepper aioli.

The desserts were both handmade and baked locally by K’s Desserts which serves the 408 and 209 area codes in the Bay Area. She crafted cupcakes that looked like succulents, chocolate dipped pretzels and donuts. 

Filipino delicacies like lechon and lumpia were generously provided by Mer’s family Elenore and Bernie Dupitas, who have a Filipino restaurant called Pinoy BBQ ATBP in Milpitas. Thank you to family who also contributed homemade cookies!

Credit: Miguel Ozuna Photography
(Left) Astralogik  |  (Right) Porras Solutions

The wedding party’s boutonnieres and bouquets were all lovingly hand-made by Michael with help from his family and friends. The opening prayer was led by Adelina Tancioco, a friend of Mer’s who partnered with her in June 2020 to host a 7-day virtual Pop Up Healing Center. Roderick Bersamina, a long-time friend of Mer's, recited spoken word poetry written just for the occasion. ​

Credit: Miguel Ozuna Photography
Succulent bouquets by Michael Nuñez

​After the couple said “I do,” guests were ushered to the back patio for the cocktail hour. The lumpia and empanadas were tasty and the sangria and wine were flowing. It was the perfect start to the evening as the emcee Susan Ramsey, host of The Sansu Show and long-time family friend of the Currys, introduced the wedding party and the married couple. 

​The reception was hosted back on the front lawn just as the sun was setting. The handmade, local vibes continued as the dinner tables and gathering spaces were decorated with the wedding favors: succulent arrangements by Michael and his mother Rose, mini canvas paintings by Michael’s dad Ray and his uncle Richard, and lemon-scented custom candles by Michael’s aunt Ramona Cresci. Mer’s friends Alerie Flandez and Amparo Diaz graced the event with their own creative stylings, from Alerie’s gorgeous gift card box to Amparo’s crocheted ring pillow and flower child baskets. You could tell just by looking all around you from the tables to the decorations that everything was thoughtfully created. Thanks to Miguel Ozuna Photography, every beautiful moment from the rehearsal dinner to the wedding day was captured.

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Credit: Miguel Ozuna Photography
Centerpieces by Michael Nuñez, Rose & Ray Nuñez, and Ramona Cresci

Credit: Miguel Ozuna Photography
(Bottom left) Ring pillow by Apple's Handmade Creations

The entire day (and the weekend) was a literal labor of love. As a couple rooted in their passion for nature and commitment to serving their community, the local vineyard with the attention to detail by so many local caterers of color was the perfect setting for the first day of Mer & Michael’s next chapter. 

Mer & Michael send all of their love and gratitude to the family, friends, vendors, and community that made their wedding day, and their relationship, so special and unique. 

Credit: Miguel Ozuna Photography

​Memorable Moments from Mer & Michael

• The bridal party hangout leading up to the wedding getting ready in the Bridal Suite and the Groom’s Room, both part of Big Dog Vineyards BDV Bridal Suite. 
• The joy that the bride and her entourage felt getting ready upstairs with Roan Make-Up and Lulu’s team of hair and makeup stylists.
• The sunset over Silicon Valley during the dinner, especially when Mer surprised Michael by singing “Unconditionally” by Katy Perry with her family and friends dancing a flash mob in the background.
• The dance party under the tree, stars, and patio lights as the wedding came to a close.​

Credit: Miguel Ozuna Photography

Mer & Michael’s Inspirations

Michael has had a green thumb (more like his whole body!) since he was a young child. Throughout his life, he has had a passion and unique talent for growing succulents and crafting beautiful arrangements. That’s why everything from the bridal party flowers, to the table centerpieces, to the cupcakes, to Mer & Michael’s signature logo was adorned with succulents. The blending of various succulents and cacti mimic the blending of Mer & Michael’s families, both mixed: Mer a Black and Filipina, and Michael with Mexican, Native American, El Salvadorian, and Sicilian roots.

Mer loves to plan events. And she loves to plan events with local small businesses that are women-, immigrant-, and/or BIPOC-owned. She was grateful to work with local vendors to design a wedding that was more beautiful than her wildest imagination, thanks to coordinators Beth Norber of BN Events and Victoria Hurly. She believes that when you take a breath, set an intention, and take a step back to let things fall into place as they will, as they certainly did in the 42 days it took to plan the wedding, it’s a sign that the universe is at work to manifest those intentions. Mer also believes that she was able to react with calm and composure to the drastic changes in her wedding plans because of her years-long meditation practice, which you can learn more about in her blog article One Thousand Days of Calm.

Credit: Miguel Ozuna Photography

Our Tips (from Mer & Michael)

• Work with an Event Coordinator, or ideally, a Wedding Planner. Even with our experience, we wanted to be able to step back, be an audience member, and not care about all the finer details. Having someone to assign some or all authority to makes a big difference. Most wedding planners will have templates and resources to help you build your task lists, run of shows, invitation lists, etc.
• Use an online wedding planning tool whether or not you have a coordinator to provide a one-stop-shop for your guests and wedding party. We used Zola.com but there are several options out there. 
• Make sure to manage and closely track your budget. Track what you budgeted against what you actually paid. Include expenses even if you already have them or family/friends are covering/donating them, it’ll help you know whether you are saving money or not. So you don’t have to start from scratch, check out the M&M Wedding Budget (for copying).
• Crowd-source your DJ song list and share that with your DJ ahead of time. So you don’t have to start from scratch, check out the M&M Wedding DJ song list Google sheet (for copying).

Coordinator Pre-Wedding: BN Events  |  Coordinator Wedding Weekend: Victoria Hurly  |  Venue: Big Dog Vineyards  |  Makeup Artist: Roan Make-Up  |  Desserts: K’s Desserts  |  Catering: Porras Solutions  |  Music: Astralogik  |  Photography: Miguel Ozuna Photography  |  Rehearsal Dinner: Mama Mia’s Restaurant  |  Wedding Logo: Angel Trazo 

Credit: Miguel Ozuna Photography

Credit: Logo by Angel Trazo