How I Argaux: Wedding Planning with Co-Founder Margaux

We interviewed co-founder Margaux, who recently got married, about the wedding planning process and what wines she chose to pour during cocktail hour and throughout dinner. Read the full interview here below…

Can you tell us a bit about the wedding weekend? Where did it take place? Our wedding took place in Ojai, California. Ojai is an old, historic ranch town 80 north of LA. and it’s a place David and I often escape to. 

Why did you choose that location? What does it mean to you? Ojai is our special place. My husband went to high school in Ojai and lived there for a few years after college. It is one of his favorite places in the world and when we started dating it became our weekend getaway spot. It’s beautiful, the pace of life is slow, and there is this artsy/creative subculture that has emerged from this old ag town that makes it charming and interesting. When we decided we wanted to get married in Ojai there were two main things that were important to us. We wanted it to feel authentically Ojai and we needed to be able to bring in our own wine of course. Lucky for us, we have some very generous friends who offered up their beautiful home. Their house sits up on a little hill surrounded by a vineyard, orange orchard and vegetable/flower farm. It is a magical place and felt like the perfect setting for our intimate evenings. 

When was your first visit there with David? The first time David took me to Ojai was for my birthday in 2019. We spent two nights there and then headed to Santa Barbara for Arden and Tommy’s engagement! David was the stealthy photographer and I was the sobbing best friend in the corner. It all came full circle having Arden as our officiant (she KILLED it by the way).

Is there a favorite restaurant in town? Were you able to incorporate this into your wedding weekend? The Ojai food scene has had a major facelift. Ojai Rotie, The Dutchess and Rory’s Place are all new spots that have really raised the bar. However, one of our favorite takeout spots is La Fuente. It’s this little Mexican spot in town and we love their burritos. For our wedding we had them drop off 100 bean and cheese burritos at 10pm. The perfect late-night snack!

How did you go about choosing wines for the rehearsal dinner versus the wedding day? Our rehearsal dinner was at our favorite Italian restaurant in town, Nocciolo. David and I love Italian wines so it was easy for us to select some of our favorites for the evening. Our menu had a few different options for guests to choose from so I paired one white with the seafood and veggie options and two reds as the meal moved from truffle and duck to wild boar and NY steak. 

2018 Fiano di Avellino Rocca del Principe 

2018 Ottomani Chianti Classico DOCG 

2016 Eraldo Borgogno Barolo 

Let’s talk about the wedding menu – What was the highlight? How did you decide what you wanted the guests to eat? How did you choose what wines you wanted to pour? What did you end up choosing? What was the wedding wine line-up? I had a lot of fun when it came to creating the wedding menu and choosing the wines. David really wanted to serve burgers (which I loved) so I had fun working with chef Jimmy trying to make the menu of burgers and fries feel elevated and sophisticated. We did that by starting the evening with oysters and 2019 Domaine De Oliveira Lecestre Petit Chablis and magnums of Piro Pinot Noir. For dinner I decided to highlight the simplicity of the menu and give everything a “moment” if you will… including the french fries. 

Course 1

OJAI CITRUS SALAD ojai pixie tangerines, wild arugula, shaved fennel, mint, parsley pickled fresno chili & ojai olive oil 

Wine Pairing: 2020 Edaphos Alder Springs Petite Arvine

Course 2

FRENCH FRIES classic & sweet potato fries with ketchup & chipotle aioli 

Wine Pairing: 2019 Domaine Rougeot ‘Clos des 6 Ouvrées’ Bourgogne Blanc

Course 3

DOUBLE SMASHBURGERS ground sirloin burgers with 18 mo. fiscalini raw white cheddar iceberg lettuce & secret sauce on toasted brioche buns

FAMILY STYLE CONDIMENTS sweet & spicy pickles, warm caramelized sweet onion & bacon jam sport peppers & pickled red onions 

Wine Pairing: 2017 Storm Slide Hill Syrah

Let’s talk about wedding outfits! Was everything vintage? Almost! My rehearsal dinner look and my outfit change for the wedding were both vintage pieces. My wedding dress had a vintage glam look to it but was a new, fun evening piece by Taller Marmo.

What were you most excited about waking up on your wedding day? To get married to the love of my life of course!! 

Did you sip on anything specific while you were getting ready? 2018 Domaine Rougeot Meursault-Charmes Premier Cru! The wine we were drinking when David proposed.

Tablescape. Tell us about your vision for the tables. From the flowers to the orange peels and the place settings… Like I mentioned above, we really wanted the evening to feel authentic to Ojai. I didn’t want things to feel out of place so I was really inspired by the property itself and wanted to bring those elements to the tables. That meant pixie oranges, fresh herbs and wildflowers. My florist, Nicole Chapman did an incredible job. She took my vision of Ralph Lauren meets Ojai to the next level. 

How do you decide how much wine you need for a wedding? I went with almost a bottle a person. I knew that was overkill but I couldn’t risk us running out! I usually recommend estimating two glasses per (drinking) person. 

Did you have his/her cocktails? We had one specialty cocktail. It’s called the Orange Grove! It’s our favorite gin cocktail from the Raymond Restaurant in Pasadena.

How has it been post wedding day? How is married life? It is amazing! I love being done with the stress of planning and we got gifted a “year of firsts” which reminds you to continue celebrating all the little milestones of your first year of marriage. It has been super fun, a sweet little surprise to continue celebrating your love. 

Lastly, any wedding planning advice for those getting engaged? Decide what your priorities are before you start planning, be partners in stress, and enjoy the bliss of being engaged! It’s such a fun time.

Having been engaged, and now being married – What have been some favorite gifts you’ve received? Our Year of Firsts: Engagement Edition Gift Set and our Chez Panisse water glasses 🙂 David and I went there on one of our first dates and he bought two of the glasses on the way out. Now we have a full set!

Vendor List

Planning & Design: Nina Moore

Photography: Tyler William Parker

Florals: Nicole Chapman Design

Chef: Stafford Prime

Wine: Argaux 🙂

Stationary: Fancy Cat Studio

Rentals: Theoni Collection, Bella Vista Designs, Found Rental Co.