The Couple: Katie & Jonathan
Wedding Date: November 21, 2015
Photography by Charleton Churchill Photography
Tell us a little about you and your beloved: Ours is a long one! 10 years in the making. Jonathan and I met my first semester in college, we had class together. But didn’t start dating until about 6 months after class ended in 2005. While I finished my bachelor’s degree and my teaching credential he was working for a fresh market tomato company. In 2010, he decided that he wanted to go back to school to finish his bachelor’s degree. So in 2011 we moved to Fresno, so he could attend Fresno State to earn his Bachelor’s Degree and attain his PCA license. While there he started working for tomato cannery company as an agronomist. It was then that we lived together for the first time and learned a lot about each other! In 2013, I started working as an education consultant for the MIND Research Institute and moved back near Stockton ahead of him. He followed when he finished that Fall.
The proposal, in order to tell the story correctly, I have to first tell you about Christmas. When he purchased the ring before Christmas he also got me earrings, which he had in a little box wrapped under the tree. I of course thought it would be a ring, we had been dating 9 years at this point. He assured me it wasn’t what I thought it was and I told him if it wasn’t what I thought it was then he should re-wrap it.
A few days before Christmas my friend Marissa text me and said she got a great deal at Seascape Resort in Aptos and wanted to do a last girls night before she had her baby (she was about 8 months pregnant). I love Seascape so of course I was ready! Jonathan tried to talk me out of it because Marissa was so pregnant. Little did I know that Jonathan had planned the whole thing with Marissa. So the day came to go to Seascape and Marissa picked me up and off we went. We spent the day in Capitola and then went to the resort in the evening, right about sunset. As we are going down to the beach for a S’mores bon fire, I noticed that the guide was leading us to a fire with 10 chairs and there were only three of us (Me, Marissa and her sister in law Evy). All of a sudden I see Jonathan on the beach walking toward me, with a little box in his hand! I was not expecting it at all. It was like an out of body experience! After he asked me to marry him, his mom, aunts and cousins came in off the beach! They had recorded and photographed the entire thing! It was amazing! We all had dinner at the resort and they all left and Jonathan and I stayed at the resort!
I LOVE that after 9 years, and I should have been expecting it that I had NO idea and he was able to surprise me!
What was the most amazing part of your day? Being able to marry Jonathan and sharing that with all of our friends and family. It was long overdue and it was perfect.
What else would you like to share about your big day? All of our vendors were amazing. I didn’t stress on the wedding day at all, we hired professionals to do almost everything and I trusted them to do an amazing job and they did.
Ceremony and Reception Site, and Caterer: Seascape Beach Resort
Ceremony Musicians: Santa Cruz DJ Company
Officiant: Mark Toback
Photographer: Charleton Churchill Photography
Videographer: Reel Motions Videography
Cake/Desserts: Gayle’s Bakery
Flowers: Susi’s Flowers
Favors: DIY by Bride, Elizabeth Culbertson and Debbie Moody
Bridal and Bridesmaids’ Attire: Elizabeth Bridal
Hair: Jessica Vinciguerra
Make-up: Dolores Pulido from The Dermal Clinic
Invitations: DIY by Bride
Signage: DIY by Bride
DJ/Entertainment/Band and Photo Booth: Santa Cruz DJ Company
Lighting and Décor Rentals: Eventscapes
Furniture and Linen Rentals: Seascape Beach Resort
Honeymoon Location: Seascape Beach Resort
First Dance Song: “Amazed” by Lonestar
Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now? Go with vendors that you trust. You’re giving these people a lot of money sometimes and it is a little easier when it is a company or someone that you can trust and makes you feel at ease. It makes the day of a whole lot easier too! Trust that they will do their job, this is what they do for a profession! It will really put you at ease on the big day so you can relax and enjoy the whole process.
Delegate to others who are there to help you, they want to help so let them. And RELAX and enjoy the whole day and the whole process. If things don’t happen like you planned the only one who is going to know is you and your husband, no one else will have any idea!
Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance? I wouldn’t have done anything differently, it turned out absolutely perfect from the weather being in the 70’s in November to getting to marry the love of my life! It was our dream wedding, and when you’re together for 10 years before you get married you have a lot of time to dream.
Photos courtesy of Charleton Churchill Photography.
Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.
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