Napa Wedding Inspiration: Glamour on the Ranch {Get to Know Nicolette}

Why did you enter this contest?

I entered this contest because I have been dreaming about my wedding day since I was a little girl! I love the fact that Real Weddings uses real brides as their models. My career revolves around encouraging and empowering females in sports and life, so I’ve always been a big fan of this magazine.

What do you do for a living?

I just launched a company called FOREher, which encourages more women to play golf through inspiration, education, and connection. I also host a podcast called Play Like A Girl, which encourages more confidence in young female athletes and gives them the necessary tools and advice to have an amazing career in sports and beyond. Outside of that, I am a social media correspondent for Golf Channel and an influencer in the golf and lifestyle space.

What do you do for fun?

It may come as no surprise, but I play golf with my girlfriends, my fiancé, or my dad for fun. I’m pretty active and switch up my workout routine between walking, hiking, or running outside, yoga, weights and kickboxing. Since I travel a lot for work, my favorite thing to do when home is go to sushi with friends or order sushi in with my fiancé, Tom, and watch movies.

Tell us your love story. How did you know he was THE one?

I’m a big believer in fate, especially when it comes to my and Tom’s love story. We legitimately met for the first time while I was in college and drove for eight hours with mutual friends to Stagecoach, a country music festival in the Coachella Valley. We totally hit it off that week and started dating shortly after. However, we actually met a few times before that at various mutual friends’ gatherings and even stayed in the same hotel suite with a big group for a friend’s birthday. He always remembered who I was, but I didn’t remember him! Even crazier than that, we recently found out that our moms both grew up on Lake Berryessa over the summer and hung out with the same families, and my mom’s parents’ house was around the corner from Tom’s dad’s parents’ house. I knew Tom was the one when I was chatting one-on-one with his mom in her living room and I could feel this presence in the room telling me this is the family I’m supposed to join with mine. Everything just felt right. Our relationship hasn’t been perfect but it’s so easy. We just make things work whether it was long distance (he lived in San Francisco while I lived in Sacramento our first six months of dating), my crazy work and travel schedule, or anything else. He’s so supportive in everything I do as I am for him. We are each other’s best friends and our relationship isn’t short of fun and dorky. The second time I knew he was the one is when I saw him playing with his little cousins at his family holiday gathering. Watching him confirmed he would be the best husband and father one day. We’ve lived together for almost three years (more than half of our relationship) and just when I had lost hope on him proposing (you know how men procrastinate), he popped the question on the 18th tee box during a round of golf at Empire Ranch in Folsom with him and his friends. The greatest part is he had the whole thing filmed by our friend, Michelle from Unorganized & Lost, who tagged along during the entire round. I thought she was filming content for my business and making a fun video of me beating the boys, but she knew all along what was happening. Looking back, there are so many things that could’ve given it away! It was more perfect than I could’ve planned myself, as the sun was setting and our families were waiting at the bottom of the hill for us.

Tell us about your wedding day.

Our wedding day is October 27th, 2018 at Edgewood Tahoe. It’s going to be woodsy whimsical with a neutral color palette of blush, grey, gold, and greenery. The florals will consist of white and lots of greenery to not take away from the beauty of Lake Tahoe. The bridesmaids will wear dresses from Morning Lavender, Show Me Your Mumu, and Lulus in either blush or grey, and the groomsmen will wear navy suits from Men’s Wearhouse. My dress is my dream wedding dress: the Lorelei Gown from Hayley Paige. I knew when it came out two years ago that it was the one! Working with Edgewood has also been amazing as it’s been my dream venue since I was 15. I’m looking forward to a fun day filled with family and friends who love and support us. I cannot wait to see how it all comes together on the big day and know to accept any hiccup that happens. I hope guests will say they had the best time dancing the night away in Tahoe with a great group of people. I just can’t wait to stand up next to Tom and share our personal vows with one another in front of our closest family and friends. We are both so excited for this next chapter of our lives!

What did your husband/fiancé think about you entering this contest? What did he say when you became a finalist? What did you think when you were selected?

My fiancé thought it was really cool but I don’t think he will realize how cool it is until he sees my face in a magazine! I don’t think he’s ever looked at any of my bridal magazines at home but this one will definitely be a prized possession and mounted on my office wall! When I found out I was selected as a finalist, I was so excited that I’d be able to share my big day, love story, and positive attitude with other women. I hope my positivity and confidence radiates off the page and encourages other women to know that they are as beautiful and radiant as their fiancé, friends and family thinks they are, and confidence comes from within! My fiancé definitely helped me with my confidence and I hope other women know that they are so special. Let your beauty on the inside shine on the outside!

Tell us about your cover model experience. What was the application/selection process like? What was your favorite part of the day? How did you feel afterwards?

The selection process was fun as I was super anxious to hear if I was selected as a finalist after my interview. Once I found out, I was on cloud nine because I love getting all glammed up and pampered. The makeup and hair process was so much fun as I wore many different looks I’ve never tried before, and trying on the dresses was a great experience since I’ll only be wearing one. It’s cool I’ll have pictures in other dresses just for fun. To be honest, it was a very long day and I was pretty exhausted by the end. I wouldn’t have changed it for the world though because the team we had that day was top notch. It was so much fun shooting with Quinn – we actually found out we live less than half a mile from each other and plan to go on walks or coffee dates together. I absolutely loved the experience and friendships Real Weddings gave me and would recommend applying to any bride. Thank you Real Weddings Magazine!

Interviewed by Kelley Saia.

The digital edition is featured below, but be on the lookout for a behind the scenes video coming soon. Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram so you never miss a post.

THE DETAILS

VENUE

Triple S Ranch

415-760-3432 | triplesranchnapa.com

PHOTOGRAPHER

Rochelle Wilhelms Photography

Rochelle Wilhelms, Primary Photographer

David Elm, Assistant

707-681-5661 | rochellewilhelms.com

HAIR AND MAKEUP FOR NIKKI

Alexis Reynolds (Hair), Halo Salon & Day Spa

916-782-8842 | halosalondayspa.com