Inside Lauren Rothberg and Michael D. Ratner’s Star-Studded Napa Valley Wedding
Even though Lauren Rothberg and Michael D. Ratner attended the University of Pennsylvania at the same time, they didn’t really connect until a mutual friend hosted a dinner in Los Angeles in 2017. “Our friend would host dinners at Craig’s in West Hollywood whenever she was in town from New York City,” Lauren remembers. “I attended one of these dinners and met Michael for the first time. My initial thought after my first conversation with him was ‘Who is this guy and how have I not met him before?’” Michael is the founder and CEO of OBB Media, known for directing and serving as the executive producer on Justin Bieber: Seasons and Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil. Lauren runs her own consulting company LER Consulting and is Head of Brand of Hailey Bieber’s skin-care line Rhode, where Michael is the founding partner. The two started off as friends, going out together with groups on the weekend, then began officially dating in February 2018.
In October 2021, the couple was visiting London when Lauren, who grew up there, took Michael to see her childhood home for the first time. As they walked up, Lauren was surprised by a setup of rose petals, flowers, and candles on the front steps. “He organized the whole thing, without my knowing, with the current homeowner, and had a photographer there to capture it all,” Lauren recalls. "We celebrated that night with dinner at Scott’s, and then met some of our best friends at 5 Hertford Street for more drinks and celebration.”
From the start of the planning process, the two knew they wanted to get married in California since it’s where they met. “We had started traveling to Napa as a couple during COVID as it was relatively close, and it quickly became one of our favorite places,” Lauren says, “as food and wine lovers, and we felt like it was a perfect destination for our wedding.” Their planner Mindy Weiss found the perfect venue in Stanly Ranch, a newly opened property in the area.
Once they’d settled on the venue, finding a simple, classic wedding dress was Lauren’s goal. Ultimately she turned to Vera Wang, pairing her understated gown with a jagged-edge veil. “I wanted to add visual interest to the back of the dress as that really is the focal point of the ceremony so I added an additional diagonal strap that I thought felt unexpected,” she explains. Manolo Blahnik crystal pumps in a cream swiss dot fabric completed the look along with jewelry borrowed from her mother and her grandmother. The bride’s fresh-faced hair and makeup were by Becca Mader and Becca Janian.
Michael wore a classic Tom Ford tux with a peak lapel and patent Tom Ford shoes. The groom carried his grandfather Mike’s gold money clip in his pocket during the wedding ceremony. “They share the same initials of MR, and he loved his grandpa very much,” Lauren says. “One of the reasons Michael went into filmmaking was because of his memories of watching movies and TV shows with his grandpa.”
During the ceremony, both Lauren and Michael’s families gathered with them under the chuppah for the Jewish ceremony led by Rabbi Leder of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles. “We used Michael’s father’s tallit and drank wine from both our parents’ kiddush cups—one was even from my parents’ wedding,” Lauren says. “It was an incredibly emotional ceremony with lots of crying. Luckily my dad, as always, was extremely prepared and had tissues for all of us to share.”
Mindy and Kathleen Deery Design created the green and white floral arrangements for the chuppah and the aisles. Lauren wanted the chuppah to feel “slightly overgrown, as if it belonged in a wild garden.”
“I felt calm during the ceremony,” the bride says. “I had been mentally preparing for a complete emotional breakdown, but when I held Michael’s hands during the ceremony, I knew everything would be OK. I had been nervous about writing and reading my own vows as I don’t love public speaking, but it was beautiful to say how I feel to Michael in front of our family and friends and I’m so glad we decided to do this.”
After the ceremony, the newlyweds took photos together. Then the bride’s dress was bustled, and they made their way to the reception. “When we walked in, the room went crazy, and we went directly into our first dance,” Lauren says. “It was so special and overwhelming to feel all the love in the room and hold each other for the first time. We quickly moved into our hora—which seemingly went viral—and is a testament to the fun and excitement that was palpable that night in the room. It certainly was an unexpected tone setter and a lot of fun!”
For the after-party, Lauren and Michael wanted to create a fun escape from Napa, so Mindy and her team sourced disco balls and lounge seating. “My mom sent me a photo of a little white Oscar de la Renta party dress months earlier that was covered in paillettes and a floral pattern,” Lauren says. “I spent months trying to track it down and luckily got my hands on one! I danced in it with Michael until we were told we had to go—and it was simply perfect.”
Photo: Norman & Blake1/94Arriving to the rehearsal dinner. We’re so excited the weekend is finally here!
Photo: Norman & Blake2/94We hosted our rehearsal dinner at Beaulieu Gardens in Napa, a private estate that only hosts a handful of events a year. The night started with cocktails in the sunken garden.
Photo: Norman & Blake4/94Dinner was set under a canopy of leaves adorned with twinkle lights. I had always loved the way super long tables looked and was so happy that we were able to seat all our guests at two tables that spanned the entirety of the canopy.
Photo: Norman & Blake5/94I wore a green Miu Miu dress embellished with silver and green beading with silver Prada shoes. My mom gave me a pair of amethyst and diamond earrings that matched perfectly with the dress. Michael wore a blue Prada suit, black Prada saffiano leather shoes, and a silver pocket square.
