Call it kismet that Kate and Kenneth Miller met. He was searching for a song on MySpace in 2005, and she had it playing on her profile. He asked to be included as a friend though she was a bit leery. After he sent a couple of funny and charming emails, she agreed. They communicated via the Internet and telephone for months until they finally met face-to-face. When he entered the Onyx Club in Roseville that fateful night, he faced ten of her closest friends. She wanted backup in case the meeting didn’t work out. He braved the group and really enjoyed their laid-back style.

It was his first gift to Kate that was unusual —not every guy gives a gal a fresh pineapple on their first date. “It was not a romantic moment,” Ken says, defending his present. “A friend told me that in Hawaii a pineapple means friendship.” The fruit was a sentimental symbol for Kate, and she refused to cut and eat it. “It sat on the counter in my kitchen,” Kate explains, “that is, until it rotted.”

To honor their “pineapple roots” they incorporated the fruit into their wedding. Her wedding day gift to him was a pair of pineapple shaped cuff links. And the cake they cut during the reception had pineapple filling.

Ken knew Kate was the one for him. “I found someone who shared a lot of my eccentric tastes,” Ken says. “She is the one that could help me build the kind of life I wanted for myself.” Kate echoes her husband’s sentiments “Before I met Ken, I really didn’t think I wanted to get married,” Kate says. “He changed my mind, and I found someone to build a life and a family with.”

Kate loves to do things herself—so it’s only fitting that she designed and made the wedding invitations and save-the-date notices. She also printed the cover for a CD of their favorite songs, the gift they gave to all their guests.

With a forecast of 60-percent chance of precipitation, they knew it would be a perfect day when the rain stopped just in time for their outdoor wedding and dinner at the beautiful R.H. Phillips Winery in nearby Esparto. “We fell in love with the location’s mix of succulent landscaping, modern architecture and rustic winery.” Kate says. “It was a wonderful location to share a celebration of our love with 150 family members and friends.”

After the ceremony, they could finally relax and enjoy the day. Both admitted their first thought after their “I dos” was “We did it!” “Planning and saving money for a wedding is a process,” Ken says. “We were just happy we could finally enjoy ourselves.”
Mr. and Mrs. Miller’s first dance was to Aqualung’s “Brighter than Sunshine.” From the lyrics it seems it wouldn’t have mattered if the weather hadn’t cooperated: “Let the rain fall, I don’t care. I’m yours and suddenly you’re mine. Suddenly you’re mine. And it’s brighter than sunshine...”

Ceremony Site: R.H. Phillips Winery
Officiant: Ellen McCreary
Ceremony Music: Mersonacta String Quartet
Photographer: Travis Hoehne Photography   Phone: 916-955-5485
Reception Site: R.H. Phillips Winery
Hair: Nicole Solarez, Deja Du Salon
Make-up: Makeup by Leilani
Bridal Attire: Carole Kenney Design
Bridesmaid Attire: I had them choose their own black cocktail dress.
Flowergirl Attire: Rare Editions
Groom's Attire: Men's Wearhouse
Groomsmen Attire: Men's Wearhouse
Bride's Jeweler: Midamar Jewelry
Groom's Jeweler: Midamar Jewelry
Invitations: Kate Miller
Flowers: Using My Gifts
Caterer: Culinary Specialists
Cupcakes: Babycakes Sacramento
DJ/Entertainment: Switched on Audio
Dance Lessons: Using My Gifts
Transportation/Limo Services: Cache Creek Casino and Resort
Favors: Custom CDs that doubled as seating cards, designed and created by Kate Miller (bride).
Honeymoon Location: Portland, Oregon and soon Paris!
First Dance Song: Brighter Than Sunshine by Aqualung (Kenneth wrote these lyrics on the card for the flowers he first gave me when we were official).
Father/Daughter Dance Song: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Mother/Son Dance Song: All of That Love From Here by Wynonna Judd
Cake Cutting Song: Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan

Any tips you'd give to brides and grooms planning their wedding:
There are a multitude of resources out there online. I love the bridal community and the concept of logging on and having a review board of sorts at your fingertips to help you make solid choices is ridiculously invaluable. There are a million ideas out there shared via blog, Web site and community forum — I now read nearly 1,000 blogs per day and it's become and obsession of mine. Weddingbee, Southern Wedding Style and Elizabeth Anne Designs are a few of my favorites. Editor's note: Be sure to check out the resources that Real Weddings provides in our print magazine and online, too. We're working on getting a bunch of our archived articles onto our site so that we can be an even better resource for inspiration and help in planning. And we recently started a blog and it's our mission to try to scope out cool products and great tips from the local Sacramento area just for you. And, be sure to check out our Resources page for all kinds of local vendors who can help you as well. Lastly, one of our partners is Dynamite Weddings which is local to the Sacramento area and has loads of tips and ideas to help as well. They're at www.dynamiteweddings.com.
What would you have done differently if you had the chance?
I would have been a little more budget-savvy. By the time I was "in the know" I had already made a lot of crucial decisions that I now know could have gone differently. There are a ton of great ways to save money on your budget. for instance, Once Wed is a great place to get a used (and sometimes never worn, owned by those infamous two and three dress brides) designer dress at a rock-bottom price. BrideShare is a phenomenal new trend where brides who share like-minded tastes split the cost of decor and share candle holders, table runners and all kinds of things. I think these new sites allow brides of all budgets to have a wedding that feels like a million, but doesn't break the bank.