One of my favorite photos in this wedding is the candid shot just after Madeline and Nick have been married and made their way past the congratulating crowd – the photographer captured them in a moment of pure joy. You can see they are so thrilled to have become husband and wife only moments ago. This beautiful couple, who met at church when Nick had just started a job as the director of a college faith group and Madeline was a senior in the program, held their wedding at Wilson Vineyards, in California. The light filtered beautifully through the grape vines, creating a breathtaking scene for the newlyweds to stroll through, and it was the perfect backdrop for their rustic, elegant details and décor. The ceremony arch, with yellow ranunculus stems hanging from it, is a wonderful and simple idea to bring a bit of whimsy and rustic charm! The vintage truck, homemade pies, flower seed sachet table assignments, and even a little frog prince that tried to stow away on Madeline’s gown made it a very memorable event, captured by their dear friend Evan Chung Photography.
From the Bride…
The Proposal Story:
We were in San Diego (where my family lives), and Nick planned a surprise day of events for me (the fact that I was going to be surprised throughout the day gave me a hint that it may be a BIG day). After a delicious lunch over-looking La Jolla Shores, we parked at Torrey Pines Beach to go for a hike. Oh, one minor detail, it was pouring rain! So we went on a muddy and slippery hike and ended at the sand on the beach. Nick set down a towel and it was only a matter of minutes before he was on his knee proposing. After a long walk back, we went to my house where I was surprised by all my loved ones to congratulate us (Nick was behind the whole thing)!
Inspiration for the wedding day details:
We were looking for a rustic elegant feel – so we looked at a lot of blogs and magazines to find what that would look like for our wedding day. Also, my mom and I took ideas from previous weddings that we attended and put our own twist on it. It was mostly inspiration from the internet, other weddings, and our own desires for what we wanted the feeling of the wedding to be.
Most memorable moment/s:
There are several:
- Practicing our first dance in Nick’s apartment to different songs in order to figure out the best song for the big day.
- The First Look
- The intentionality of the ceremony
- Nick picking me up and holding me in the air during the song ‘time of my life’ like Patrick Swayze held up Jennifer Grey in ‘Dirty Dancing’
Any advice to couples in the planning process?
Planning a wedding is like going to the grocery store hungry – you want to buy and eat everything that you set your eyes on, but since your budget can’t afford it, you gotta be okay with settling with the important necessities. Stay away from the ‘processed foods’, the necessities will make it perfect. In layman’s terms – pick three things that you love for the wedding and hold the rest loosely.
Photography: Evan Chung Photography / Venue: Wilson Vineyards / Flowers: Cristina Ballard of Bloom Flowers / Dress: from BB Bridal / Hair + Makeup: Kelly McCabe Hamilton / Suit: Banana Republic / Catering: Ludy’s BBQ / DJ: Golden Bay DJ