Happy Real Weddings Wednesday! Today, we’re going to the chapel and we’re, gonna’ get married! No really. We’re excited to show you Gabriela and Nathaniel’s beautiful chapel wedding set in Rocklin! Keep scrolling to read all about the gorgeous couple, and to see more great photos from Hayley Culp Photography!
Tell us a little about you and your beloved.
We met online on OkCupid, a dating app. We didn’t know it at the time, but we both put out to the universe that the next person we dated would be the one. However long it took to be single, we just asked the universe to find the right person for us and we unexpectedly found each other. I actually was going to delete my account until I received a message from him asking about movies, which is something we really bonded over early on. We grew so much together because we met so young. When we moved into a home from our tiny studio, we knew we were ready to make things official and solidify our foundation so that one day we could start a family. He proposed while I was on our beloved couch we spent so much time on in the past and had a lot of big moments on (because our place was so small before), and it was our first piece of furniture we purchased together when we moved in. We always joked about finally having a kitchen table to eat on, but still chose to eat on our beloved couch and coffee table like we did in our studio we had prior. We had been together for seven years at that point, and were together for eight when we married. Initially I wanted to elope in Vegas, but I have a big family and the idea of having an actual wedding slowly felt like the better choice, especially when I had seen the little white chapel in Rocklin. I fell in love with it. We like some of the traditions weddings have, just disliked the planning and organization. All in all, we are so happy we had a wedding and enjoyed the day, and will forever cherish all the memories we made. Mostly everything was put together by me and my family; we made the bouquets and flower arrangements two days before, I made all the signage, flyers and thrifted all our vases. I also purchased our linens, sweetheart table and bench so that I could resell them all after. What really made it beautiful was at night where the string lights were. They made for the most perfect photos for cutting our cake.
What was the best part of your day?
The music. All the music we chose to play really made an impact on the memories for us. We are music people and love pairing that to our memories. Our first dance was perfect.
What else would you like to share about your big day?
We used a handycam (bought used online for, like, $60) and handed it to family. It was the best thing ever to look back on after the wedding. We used it at the rehearsal dinner also, and it was just so fun.
Advice from the couple:
Small decor is not important. Focus on the feel of your wedding, not the look. A great photographer will make your wedding photos look beautiful no matter what.
Anything you would have done differently?
Focused less on the table decor and decor in general even though it was already minimal.
Photos courtesy of Hayley Culp Photography and used with permission.
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