Real Weddings Wednesday: Kathleen + Brian's Classy Outdoor Ceremony

Happy Real Weddings Wednesday everybody! Today, we’re celebrating Kathleen and Brian’s classic wedding at Vizcaya in Sacramento. Keep scrolling for stunning lace gowns, beautiful first-looks, and a fun reception — all captured by the talented Fits & Stops Photography! Happy Wednesday, and happy reading!

Tell us a little about you and your beloved.

Brian and I met in 2009 when we were both 15. I was visiting my cousin and saw him and thought he was cute. My cousin also happened to already know him. I introduced myself and we never stopped talking. We did long distance throughout our high school and some of our college years – lots of video calls but we never ran out of things to talk about. When we first started dating, I would always fantasize about a happily ever after based on movies/books/TV shows. I always dreamed of having a house with a dog and a baby with him. As the years went on, we got closer to making that a reality. Once we both graduated college and started working, I had known that he was going to propose soon, but wasn’t sure how soon (just had a little hunch after asking him every day when he was going to propose soon). My cousin that introduced us happened to be over at my house because we both had the day off of work [when] Brian came home and asked us if we all wanted to go on a walk at Land Park with our dog. This was a thing that we frequently did because it’s close by us. While we were walking, we walked past Fairytale Town and Brian popped down on one knee and asked me to marry him because I make his life a fairy tale. Wedding planning was definitely stressful for us, but we worked with so many amazing people that made the process so much easier. We got married at the Vizcaya, and had Taylor as our wedding coordinator. She met up with us frequently throughout the wedding process to make sure that we had everything set for the wedding. She was so organized and had thought of details that I would have never thought about. The next vendor we chose was our photographer, PJ, who offered to do a trial engagement shoot with us. Brian and I both normally feel awkward in front of the camera, but PJ made the experience so comfortable. He helped us feel less shy and took beautiful photos of us! All of my family and friends also loved how he took the time to help everyone pose in front of the camera. All of our vendors were great communicators that made us feel well prepared for the wedding.

What was the best part of your wedding day?

The most amazing part was finally being able to meet Brian at the end of the aisle. We were planning the wedding for two years so it felt amazing to finally see our vision come true and be able to finally say ‘I do’ to each other. Our officiant did an amazing job with making our wedding personalized for us. Her speech was beautiful and we really appreciated the time she took to get to know us and write it.

What advice would you give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?

Try not to stress too much. At the end of the day, nobody is going to remember the color of your napkin. They’re going to remember the special moment that they got to experience by watching their loved ones get married.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?

Because of COVID, we stressed so much about keeping others protected. We ended up cutting our guest list to just immediate family and our wedding party. While I still enjoyed the wedding and loved that we got to spend quality time with everyone, I wish that I would have just let others make the choice. I felt really guilty about having to cut so many people and stressed so much about testing and vaccinations. I would have been able to take a huge stress off of my plate if I just allowed my friends and family to make the choice themselves if they felt comfortable or not with attending the wedding.