Kayla is our Cover Model Contest Winner for our Fall 2017 issue (on stands soon!) and we couldn’t have had a more outgoing and fun-loving real bride to grace the cover. Kayla’s beauty, inside and out, shined the entire day and with the help of our participating vendors created some beautiful looks. Keep reading to hear about her Cover Model experience!

That’s it for our cover model features – Get To Know Our Real Bride Model Kayla from the second of our two shoots: “Model Citizens” photographed by Julia Croteau Photography on location at Old Sugar Mill with sets by Botanica Specialty Rentals and Accents by Sage Floral Design wraps it up for the blog series! Keep an eye our for our Winter/Spring 2018 issue!

What made you want to model for this photo shoot?

I am not a model and I don’t have any desire to pursue modeling as a career. I do, however, want to be considered a role model. This opportunity was something that pushed me outside my comfort zone. I wanted to prove to myself that even though being a model for a photo shoot made me extremely nervous, I could do it and I could succeed at it. I wanted to gain confidence. I wanted to grow. And with the photo shoot, I accomplished all of those things. I am so lucky to have had such a wonderful experience.

What was your favorite part of modeling? What was the most challenging part?

My favorite part of modeling, first and foremost, was how wonderful and nice everyone was. Second, I absolutely loved watching my hair and makeup transform with each beautiful dress and look. I wish I could replicate some of the hairstyles they did in my daily life! The most challenging part was some of the poses. You don’t realize how exaggerated some models are in magazine photos you see. Sometimes, the model is not comfortable at all! (But hopefully, she makes it look easy!)

What do you do for a living?


I am a marketing specialist for Comcast Spotlight, the cable ad division of Comcast. I assist in marketing campaigns, promotions, sales and more for TV Commercial Sales. It is truly my passion and I am so lucky I get to do what I love!

What do you do for fun?

I spend a lot of time with my husband, family, and friends (who are wonderful). I love to read novels (from start to finish, in one sitting) and write (mainly, short stories about love). I have an infatuation with cats and have 2 adorable kitties at home that I adore. I consume a lot of coffee, watch reruns of Friends, and love getting my nails painted. I really enjoy traveling. (Actually, as I answer this questionnaire, I am sitting in a hotel room in London!) I am a social media addict. And I find myself relating to almost every Taylor Swift song.

Tell us about your love story.

Andrew and I met on the eve of my 18th birthday, at a bowling tournament (yup, we bowl!). Within a week of meeting, we were officially in a relationship. He even took me to my Senior Prom. People often say that we are very lucky to have ended up together after all of these years (especially after meeting at such a young age), but I respond with: luck has nothing to do with it. When my senior prom date bailed on me a week before the dance, Andrew agreed to go with me in his place. I knew then and there that he was the one and only guy for me. He is always there for me when I need him. He has always shown me love and has never once in our almost 9 years together made me doubt his feelings towards me. He is an amazing kitty dad, he is my shoulder to cry on, he is my voice of reason, he is my light. At the end of the day, Andrew is not just my husband, he truly is my best friend. And I wouldn’t be the woman I have grown to become without him by my side.

The proposal was rather extravagant, but I will try to summarize as best as I can. On April 18, 2015, Andrew lied to me. He told me our families were going to meet up at a fancy dinner to celebrate his brother-in-law’s 30th birthday. Before we left for this “dinner” my dad got a “call” from his boss telling him that he has to bring him keys for some park at Spring Lake. My dad works for the city, so it didn’t seem strange. We would just drop the keys off before heading to dinner. When we arrived at Spring Lake, I was stunned to find that there was no one waiting for keys! I was then presented with a video of Andrew asking my dad for permission to marry me. Looking up from the video, I saw a path decorated with purple balloons and groups of people. The first group was our parents who were holding a board with the number 1 on it. The board contained photos from our first year together. Throughout the path were more numbered boards, one for each of our 7 years together. Holding each of those boards were members of our families and all of our friends. At the end of the path, was Andrew. Surrounded by more purple balloons, with Bruno Mars “Marry You” playing in the background, and almost 1,000 yellow daises (an amazing reference to Gilmore Girls) – he asked me to marry him, and of course – I said yes.

Tell us about your own wedding.

Our wedding was an elegant spring DIY dream. I stuck with a very light color scheme with lavender, shades of gray (not quite 50…) and white. It was set at Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa, California. I would classify it in the medium wedding category, with about 150 guests. The ceremony was held outside on grass with beautiful vineyards in the foreground. The reception was in a stunning white tent with 12 crystal chandeliers. I did my own flowers, folded 1,000 paper cranes (for good luck), sewed our table runners, refurbished dressers and desks for décor, and painted about 70 wine bottles for our centerpieces. It was the best event I’ve ever planned.

If you could offer any advice to future brides, what would it be?

My advice for future brides would be to enjoy every second. Time goes by way too quickly. Take it all in when it comes to the planning process, the dress fittings, the venue planning and the actual wedding day. You blink and it’s over. Step back, take a deep breath, and bask in every single detail of the beautiful marriage you are about to begin.

-Interviewed by Kelley Saia

Produced by Susie Baggett, Justin Buettner, Eudelys Blanco Estaba, Monica Hill, Kimberly Hunter, Tatiana Jitari, Nathalia Kallan, Alexandra Leininger, Tara Mendanha, Emily Peter, Amanda Rinehart, Wendy Sipple and Leah Sisto

THE DETAILS

VENUE   Old Sugar Mill | 916-744-1615 | oldsugarmill.com

PHOTOGRAPHER   Julia Croteau Photography | 530-295-4850 | 530-953-9848 | juliacroteauphotography.com

HAIR AND MAKEUP FOR ERICA:
Christina Irene Alba, For The Love of Hairspray (Hair) | 949-422-1957 | fortheloveofhairspray.com
Happi Ybarra, Happily Beautiful Makeup Artistry & Skin Studio (Makeup) | 530-632-0607 | happilybeautifulmakeup.com

HAIR AND MAKEUP FOR KAYLA:
Melissa Oretta, All Dolled Up Hair and Makeup Artistry (Hair) | 530-888-1562 | alldolleduphairandmakeup.com
Cassidy Braddock, All Dolled Up Hair and Makeup Artistry (Makeup) | 530-888-1562 | alldolleduphairandmakeup.com

GOWNS
Alma’s Bridal Boutique | 916-434-8084 | almasbridalboutique.com
Always Elegant Bridal & Tuxedo | 530-755-4282 | 530-487-7110 | alwayselegantbridal.net
The Bridal Box | 916-742-4638 | thebridalbox.net
The Clothes Mine Bridal and Formalwear | 209-267-0417 | theclothesmine.com
De La Rosa’s Bridal & Tuxedos | 916-983-3400 | delarosasbridal.com
Diamond Bridal Gallery | 916-521-9856 | diamondbridalgallery.com
House of Fashion | 916-554-7440 | hofbridal.com
Second Summer Bride | 916-330-4422 | secondsummerbridesac.com

ACCESSORIES
Ariel Jennifer Taub | arieltaub.com
Bel Aire Bridal | belairebridal.com
Carolee | carolee.com
Chloe + Isabel | chloeandisabel.com
Formé Millinery Co. | formeonlineshop.com
Hair Comes the Bride | haircomesthebride.com
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
Pink Beauty Bridal | 916-402-0785 | pinkbeautybridal.com
Revel by Veil Trends | veiltrends.com
Stella & Dot | stelladot.com
Style Avenue Studios | 916-812-1114 | styleavenuestudios.com
Twigs & Honey | twigsandhoney.com
USABride | usabride.com

FLOWERS
Accents by Sage Floral Design | 916-799-6242 | accentsbysage.com
Amour Florist & Bridal | 916-392-8168 | amourmoments.com
Flourish | 916-212-5179 | flourishdesigns.com
Morningside Florist | 916-635-9891 | morningsideflorist.com
Placerville Flowers on Main | 530-622-1121 | placervilleflowersonmain.com
Relles Florist | 916-441-1478 | rellesflorist.com
Rodarte Floral Design | 916-799-3625 | rodartefloraldesign.com
Strelitzia Flower Company | 530-758-5050 | strelitziaflowers.com
Visual Impact Design | 916-489-3746 | visualimpact-design.com

STYLED DECOR VIGNETTES
FURNITURE AND DECOR   Botanica Specialty Rentals | 916-673-8650 | botanicaevents.com
DECOR FLOWERS   Accents by Sage Floral Design | 916-799-6242 | accentsbysage.com
CAKES   Something Sweet Bakery | 209-745-9000 | somethingsweetgalt.com

VIDEOGRAPHER   Justin Buettner Wedding Photography | 916-220-0159 | jbweddingphoto.com

Special thanks to our real bride models, Erica and Kayla, and all of the professionals who contributed to this feature!

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Associate Editor Emily Peter.

Photos by Julia Croteau Photography / copyright Real Weddings Magazine.

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