Melissa and Daniel both attended high school in Folsom, where she was stat keeper for his varsity basketball team. “We became friends—getting to know each other on the bus trips to away games,” says Melissa. “We both attended Chico State and our friendship continued to grow, but it wasn’t until after college that we reconnected at the gym back in Folsom, took an interest in each other, and began dating.”
In 2013, the couple took a trip to Carmel and drove along the famous 17-Mile Drive. On a stop at Fanshell Overlook, they enjoyed a romantic picnic on the beach. “Right after we set up our blanket on the sand, Daniel told me how fast two years together had flown by and how he wanted it to be many more years together,” she remembers. “Then he got down on one knee and asked me if I would marry him. Of course I said, ‘yes!’”
When planning the wedding, the couple sought a venue where they could host both the ceremony and reception. “I had a vision of what I wanted it to look like and when we visited Vizcaya for the first time, we both had that feeling of, ‘this is the place,’” Melissa says.
In addition to exchanging vows, the couple honored their family with a presentation of roses in recognition of their love and support. Says the bride: “It was a symbol of love for each other’s relatives and the marriage of two families.”
Melissa, Daniel and their wedding party shared a head table at the reception where they watched friends and family enjoy the celebration. “We wanted the reception to be a huge party,” she shares of an evening that included an open bar and a huge dance floor. “Steve Schon with Function 45 was an amazing DJ and emcee.”
One of the most-talked about moments of the night was the father-daughter dance. “My father and I started dancing to the song ‘I Loved Her First’ by Heartland,” she says. “To everyone’s surprise, we broke out into a choreographed mash-up dance of ‘Staying Alive’ by the Bee Gees, ‘Can’t Touch This’ by MC Hammer, ‘Apache’ by Sugarhill Gang, ‘Macarena’ by Los Del Rio and ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams.”
But their favorite memory of the event happened when they paused to just breathe it all in. “We looked around and realized that all of our closest family and friends were there to celebrate us,” says Melissa. “It was absolutely perfect to share that experience with all of them and a time we will never forget.”
— Darren Elms
First Dance Song
"Crazy Love" by Michael Buble
Father/Daughter Dance Song
My father and I started with “I Loved Her First” by Heartland, then broke out into a choreographed mash-up dance of “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees, “Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer, “Apache” by Sugarhill Gang, “Macarena” by Los Del Rio, and “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.
Cake Cutting Song
"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" by James Taylor
Bouquet Toss Song
“Where Them Girls At” by David Guetta, Feat. Flo Rida & Nicki Minaj
Garter Toss Song
“SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake
Details about the cake
We had a 4-tiered rosette cake with buttercream frosting. We picked different flavors for each tier: carrot cake with cream cheese filling, vanilla cake with banana filling, chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling, and vanilla cake with Vienna crème filling.
Details about the flowers
Roses, Hydrangeas, Carnations, Stock
Details about the favors
Customized Matchboxes from For Your Party
Kissing Bell Place Card Holders from Exclusively Weddings
Anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?
Everyone absolutely loved our DJ/emcee, Steve Schon, with Function 45 Event Entertainment. He really set the tone and kept the flow going throughout the night. To this day, we still have people telling us how good he was and asking for his name.
Stacey Kitchell, our wedding coordinator with Vizcaya, was amazing to work with. She was always willing to help and went out of her way to answer our questions and accommodate us. Whenever we needed her for something, she was very prompt and always extremely professional.
We did a presentation of roses to acknowledge and thank our families for their love and support. It was a symbol of love for each others relatives and the marriage of two families.
Any tips you’d give brides and grooms planning their wedding today?
Don’t let it be stressful. Give yourself enough time to enjoy the planning process. There is so much build up for that one special day, and once it’s all over you start to miss it.
A lot of people like to tell you their opinion on your wedding choices or what they did and how they did it for their wedding. Make your wedding all about what you and your spouse want and what makes you happy as a couple.
It’s really hard to come up with a budget when you think about planning your wedding and you have no idea what things cost or where to start. My advice is: there is always a way to make your ideas work. Don’t go with the first, most expensive thing you see, even when you absolutely love it. You have to be patient and do a lot of shopping around. You can find what you want without it being outrageously priced. Ask for help. Our family and friends were a huge source of information and help throughout the planning process.
