Initially, Michelle felt a bit out of her comfort zone, but it took her no time to warm up to the camera during our “Cinderella” styled shoot! We all loved working with her to create this gorgeous shoot, even more than she loved the light blue dress she got to wear. Read on to see her in her favorite dress, and to find out more about this classic beauty!
RW: What made you want to model for this shoot?
MS: I will admit that I was a little out of my comfort zone, but my dear, talented friend Danielle with Danielle Roe Events encouraged me to participate, and I am so glad that I did!
RW: What was your favorite part of modeling?
MS: It was incredibly inspiring to see so many artists—whether it was design, hair and makeup, photography, etc.—work hard at their crafts and create a gorgeous result. I also did this shoot very early in my wedding planning process, so trying on all the dresses made me very excited for all that is to come.
RW: What was your favorite part of this shoot? Did you relate to the concept?
MS: I loved the light blue dress that I got to wear—it was an ode to classic “Cinderella” but a step away from a traditional wedding dress. Similarly, I related to the concept in that it was a fresh take on a classic tale, something that I hope to emulate in my own wedding.
RW: What do you do for a living?
MS: I work as an attorney.
RW: What do you do for fun?
MS: I try to tap into my creative side through painting, hand lettering and writing. I love all things paper-product related! I am social and lucky to be surrounded by many great friends, but I also appreciate my alone time and can often be found immersed in a good book or wandering through a bookstore. Nothing centers me more than travelling to a foreign country where I know nothing, and no one. Needing to recharge my batteries, I recently travelled in Greece alone. My fiancé and I enjoy cooking, hiking, and travelling together. I also enjoy running and am a big San Jose Sharks fan!
RW: Tell us about your love story. How did you meet? What was the proposal like?
MS: Barron and I met during our freshman year at UC Davis, where he played Division 1 water polo, and I studied International Relations and Spanish. We hung out in similar circles and we would occasionally hang out in groups, but he really drew my interest one night when I found out that one of his favorite bands was also one of my favorite bands: Sigur Ros, a fairly obscure group from Iceland. I remember wondering if maybe there was more to him than met the eye. Our friendship grew. We bonded over music, World Cup Soccer, and a shared love for Hunan’s (a hole-in-the-wall Chinese food restaurant in Davis, CA.) We were clearly interested in each other, but we initially kept it between us, because I think we were afraid of what it could mean for our friend group (we were not as good of secret keepers as we thought, it seems). One early Summer night, we went to a concert in the park in Davis with our friends. The lead singer of the band said something like, “If there’s someone here that you think is beautiful, you should kiss them!” Barron walked over to me and kissed me in front of all our friends.
Barron proposed the night before our ten year dating anniversary. We spent the weekend in Carmel and we had a lovely day even aside from the proposal. We had driven up and down the coast making spontaneous stops to go on small hikes, admire views, and find waterfalls. One thing that really stands out to me is that one of our favorite bands, Radiohead, had just released their latest album and as we were driving we listened to the album on repeat. That album still takes me back to that day. At the end of the day, I was really tired, but Barron was unusually insistent that we needed to go to a specific spot on the cliff’s edge to watch the sunset. As we walked down the hill to the cliff’s edge, I noticed that Barron’s hands were a bit sweaty and that he was breathing hard in a nervous manner. This was strange because he is the coolest, calmest, most collected person I’ve ever known, so that’s when I realized what was happening. I decided to tease him and said “Wow, walking down that hill really took a lot out of you, huh?” He laughed. After a few moments, he popped down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. It was perfect, private, and genuine—I would not have had it any other way.
RW: Tell us about your own wedding.
MS: We just want our wedding to be a big party, because over ten years we have certainly had many important people in our lives. It will be elegant with a Mediterranean flair, and lots and lots of deep colors. When we first got engaged I did not have a good idea about what I wanted, except that I knew our color scheme would include shades of blue, and burgundy flowers. Colors move me, so it has been an important part of our aesthetic. Barron embraces my Persian heritage so we want to share my culture with all our guests, but we also want our American cultures represented. The perfect balance (with lots of fun Persian dancing!) is what we hope to achieve. We will have a traditional Persian “Sofreh Aghd” as well as American traditions as part of our ceremony, but we will write our own vows.
RW: If you could offer any advice to future brides, what would it be?
MS: Always give your family and friends the benefit of the doubt during the planning process, because every thing they’re doing, they do it because they love you.
—Interviewed by Kelley Saia
“Cinderella” was produced by Danielle Roe—Danielle Roe Events, DeAnn Rodarte—Rodarte Floral Design, Susie Baggett and Wendy Sipple—Real Weddings Magazine.
The Details //
Venue
The Willow Ballroom and Event Center | 916-548-3511 | thewillowballroom.com
Photographer
Jim & Stephanie Sutherlin Wedding Photographers | 530-308-3534 | jimandstephaniesutherlin.com
Design, Styling and Coordination
Danielle Roe Events | 925-890-5724 | danielleroeevents.com
Styling and Floral Design
Rodarte Floral Design | 916-799-3625 | rodartefloraldesign.com
Cakes
Batter Up Cakery | 707-439-8299 | batterupcakery.com
Catering
Catering by Design | 916-792-6485 | cateringbydesignrocklin.com
Hair and Makeup
Lisa Harter Hair and Makeup Artist
Lisa Harter, Hair and Makeup | Rachel Baldwin, Beauty Assistant
530-559-7292 | lisamharter.com
Gowns
Second Summer Bride | 916-330-4422 | secondsummerbridesac.com
Shoes
Macy’s | macys.com
Arden Fair Mall | 916-925-2845 | Downtown Plaza | 916-444-3333
Sunrise Mall | 916-962-3333 | Westfield Galleria at Roseville | 916-771-3333
Hair Accessories (Michelle’s Main Look)
Kirsten Kuehn Designs | shopkirstenkuehndesigns.com
Jewelry (Michelle’s Main Look)
Pink Beauty Bridal | 916-402-0785 | pinkbeautybridal.com
Hair Accessories (Michelle’s Additional Look)
Ellen Marie Design | ellenmariedesign.com
Jewelry (Michelle’s Additional Looks)
Style Avenue Studios | 916-812-1114 | styleavenuestudios.com
Sara Gabriel | saragabriel.com
Paperie, Hand Lettering, Hand Painting and Custom Artwork
Pigment & Parchment | 916-705-0782 | pigmentandparchment.com
Furniture, Goblets and Décor Rentals
Botanica Events | 916-673-8650 | botanicaevents.com
Arch, Flatware, Accent Plates, Chargers and Champagne Glass Rentals
Celebrations! Party Rentals & Tents
916-773-2133 | 775-773-8900 | celebrationspartyrentals.com
Linen Rentals
La Tavola Fine Linen Rental | 916-321-9333 | latavolalinen.com
Custom Décor Pillows
Swoonable | swoonable.net
Videographer
Justin Buettner Wedding Photography | 916-220-0159 | jbweddingphoto.com
Special thanks to our real bride model, Michelle, and all of the professionals who contributed to this feature!
Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Associate Editor Emily Peter.
Photos by Jim & Stephanie Sutherlin Wedding Photographers / copyright Real Weddings Magazine.
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