Katharine and Tony we’re so much fun to work with! They kept us laughing on set and performed some music for us (they have their own band called The Tin Dears…can you guess how they met?!). Read their love story and see more of their gorgeous modeling here, plus scroll down to see their performance on set!
We have more to share from “Beautiful Valley” so be on the lookout for a behind the scenes video. Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram so you never miss a post!
What made you want to model for this photo shoot?
I thought it would be a fun experience. I mean who doesn’t want to live the life of Kate Moss or Heidi Klum for a day? Wait, you want me to play dress up and take pictures and put them in a magazine?! Yes, please!
Tell us about your modeling experience. What was your favorite part of the day? How did you feel afterwards?
The experience itself was way more than I imagined. Great set, great people, gorgeous dresses! Plus, I couldn’t stop giggling while posing with Levi the baby burro.
Additionally, being a part of the surprise vow renewal ceremony was something I will never forget. And it was an honor to provide the music for the impromptu “reception.” Cassidy had to do some touch ups for my eye make-up from the tears of joy, but it was totally worth it.
How was modeling with your significant other?
I am so glad I was able to do this with my best friend. We will always remember this experience and the friends we made on set. Plus, he looks damn good in a suit.
What was your favorite part of the shoot? Did you relate to the concept/theme?
Tony and I are both musicians with our band The Tin Dears (yes, we met on Tinder), so the bohemian vibe was right up our alley. We are both hippies at heart, so the set almost felt like home. Elevated Events provided a gorgeous set.
Tell us about your love story. How did you meet? What was the proposal like?
Our paths were meant to cross is so many ways, but the timing had to be right. Years ago, he auditioned for my friends’ cover band, but didn’t get the gig. He was married at the time, so fate wasn’t ready for us to meet.
Fast forward to 2017. I was at the Amador County fair and I checked out this cute guy playing on one of the stages, but he had a wedding ring on, so I moved on. Come to find out later, it was actually Tony. Then in December 2017, I decided to meet up with this guy I had been talking to on Tinder (who knew?!). After a few cocktails, I told him that if he tried anything I would punch him, to which he replied, “Well I might try to kiss you.” Fortunately, he was a good kisser. It didn’t take long to realize that this guy was different and I fell pretty hard for him. After a few months of dating, I moved in.
But even in love stories, there is tragedy. In the middle of their amicable divorce, Tony’s first wife passed away. It was a true test of our relationship but brought us closer together. Tony lost his health care with her passing, so since we already talked marriage, we decided to elope. For the actually proposal, Tony kept waiting for the right time in New Orleans, but kind of ran out of time. After a bumbled proposal in front of a nail salon the night before our wedding, he knew he had to step it up. When I got back to the hotel room, he surprised me by playing me a song he wrote on a guitar he bought and got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of our lives together. I said to him, “Now THAT is a proposal!”
Tell us about your wedding day.
Which one?! We decided to elope to New Orleans while on vacation. We planned it in 31 days. We said our vows under the 400-year-old oak Tree of Life and announced our elopement to family and friends via Facebook Live and then went marching through the streets of the French Quarter for our second line parade. We ate beignets instead of cake and enjoyed our first dance to a random guitarist playing at Cafe Beignet.
Our next ceremony was with family and friends October 19, one year to the day we eloped. We brought a little bit of NOLA to Amador County, including a parade with East Bay Brass Band, Cajun food from catered by The Hidden Table, and beads, beads, and more beads!
If you could offer any advice to engaged couples what would it be?
Don’t get lost in the Pinterest rabbit hole! For your wedding, prioritize what is important to you and your fiancé. For us, it was food and music. We chose The Hidden Table because they reflected us as a couple by the way they host and present their culinary dishes. But also remember that even the simplest of ceremonies can be intimate and romantic. I honestly never thought I would be the type to elope. The best thing about it was having the whole day to ourselves and creating memories to last a lifetime. In the end all you need is each other.
Special thanks to JB Wedding Photography for capturing their performance and these extra photos!
THE DETAILS
VENUE // East Fork Ranch | eastforkranch.net
PHOTOGRAPHER // Rachel Lomeli Photography | rachellomeli.com
CO-DESIGN, STYLING AND COORDINATION // eNVy Event Management | envyeventmanagement.com
CO-DESIGN, STYLING AND COORDINATION // Tahoe Elevated Events | tahoeelevatedevents.com
ADDITIONAL VENDOR COORDINATION // Carson Valley Visitors Authority | visitcarsonvalley.org
STYLING AND FLORAL DESIGN // A Wildflower Florist | awildflower.net
BRIDE AND GROOM’S FLORAL DESIGN // Carson Valley Florist | carsonvalleyflorist.com
CAKE DESIGN // Frank Vilt’s Cakes | frankviltscakes.com
CHARCUTERIE // Sierra Chef | sierrachef.com
BAR SERVICE AND BEER BURRO “LEVI” // 100 Proof Bar Service | 100proofbarservice.com
HAIR AND MAKEUP ARTIST // Styled by Sass | instagram.com/styled.by.sass
GOWNS // a&bé bridal shop | aandbebridalshop.com/sacramento/bridal-shop
The Clothes Mine | theclothesmine.com
SHOES // DSW | dsw.com
TUXEDO // The Clothes Mine | theclothesmine.com
JEWELRY AND TIES // Macy’s | Moka Davis, My Stylist@Macy’s Roseville Galleria | macys.com/mystylist
JEWELRY AND CUSTOM NAPKIN RINGS // Style Avenue Studios | styleavenuestudios.com
RENTALS AND DECOR // Tahoe Elevated Events | tahoeelevatedevents.com
LINENS // Creative Coverings | creativecoverings.com
CUSTOM SIGNAGE, NEVADA STATE GUEST SIGN AND CUSTOM PILLOWS // Swoonable | swoonable.net
PAPERIE // The Stylish Scribe | thestylishscribe.com
VIDEOGRAPHER // JB Wedding Photography | jbweddingphoto.com
Special thanks to the Carson Valley Visitors Authority, along with our real couple models, Katharine & Tony, and all of the professionals who contributed to this feature!
See more from Beautiful Valley!
Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Associate Editor Emily Peter.
Photos by Rachel Lomeli Photography / copyright Real Weddings Magazine.
