January 21, 2016 By Lili Göksenin Vogue
“I feel like I have two good ideas per year, and this was one of them,” says Nicole Systrom (@nicole), née Schuetz. Though this is certainly not the case for the CEO of clean-energy investment firm Sutro, transforming her wedding to Instagram cofounder and CEO Kevin Systrom (@kevin) into a jazz age–themed black-tie masquerade ball in Napa was, unquestionably, a lightning-bolt moment. The October 31 nuptials featured one memorable idea after another, from the bride’s walk down the aisle to the tune of “The Spy Who Loved Me” to the band that played their daytime reception: a Wisconsin high school jazz group that the groom discovered on YouTube.
The pair met at their alma mater, Stanford (“somehow I was charming,” she demurs) and got engaged on Thanksgiving two years ago. The engagement took place at their home in Tahoe, surrounded by friends, family, and—of course—their Insta-famous dog, Dolly. In fact, Dolly indirectly facilitated the whole thing: “Kevin tricked me into thinking that our puppy had run away. So I stormed out of the house in my apron and slippers and he proposed in front of the incredible sunset.”
But they’re busy people, and they didn’t really get to planning until the following April, when Nicole realized they needed to shake a leg. “I started to get nervous,” she said. “It’s a big project to plan a wedding!” Once they nailed down a date (Halloween) and picked a location (Napa was always high on their list), they made a list of priorities. Topping it was “great food and great wine,” which they knew they could get in California’s wine country. And from there the event really took off.
Following an alfresco ceremony at the Beaulieu Vineyard, the guests enjoyed brunch under a canopy of vines. Here is where the high school jazz band came in and kicked off the jazzy festivities. The bride and groom enjoyed their first dance and cake (her self-proclaimed favorite food group) before retiring for a few hours and a disco nap. The 180 guests returned to their hotel to discover custom masks had been delivered to their rooms in their absence—a subtle nod to Halloween, which managed the tricky feat of adding an elegant playfulness to the proceedings without devolving into camp. (“We didn’t want anyone showing up in, say, a police costume,” said Nicole with a laugh.) For the evening’s party, the bride changed into a pearl-and-sequin-embellished number (by Lihi Hod) with a swingy, ’20s vibe. The night began in the wine caves of the Clos Pegase Winery, which had been decked out in heavy, draped burgundy curtains; jewel-toned velour seating areas; and tall candle-burning chandeliers. The feel here was more Victorian than roaring—lush and romantic with a hint of gothic. But the couple maintained the jazzy theme with a roaming brass band, which set the tone with traditional New Orleans jazz.
Donning their own masks, they led their family and friends out of the caves to the tented dance floor (a hidden nightclub complete with “floating” candles), where they all remained for hours, sipping cocktails and snacking on—what else?—handmade Halloween candy. “We wanted to do something that people would remember forever,” said Nicole. #Success.