The Couple: Heidi & Joe
Wedding Date: July 21
Photography by Ben Sheriff Photography
Tell us a little about you and your beloved: Joe and I met while working together at Cordova High School. The two of us were asked to be a part of a grant committee and take a trip to southern California to visit another high school. I thought he was high strung, he thought I was boring…We both separately tried to get out of the trip, but it didn’t happen. Little did we know, that would be the beginning of “us.”
On the trip we actually got to know each other over the three days, and shortly after returning we had our first date — chaperoning the Junior Prom. Not too long after that we had a “real” date, and we were inseparable from there out. We are both very active, Joe an endurance mountain biker, and me an aspiring ultra runner. We love to spend time together on the trails in Auburn, playing with our two dogs Koda and Merlin (they are our children!), and spending time with our family and friends.
It’s Joe’s goal to make me laugh everyday, and he never fails. We can talk and laugh no matter what we are doing, and we fall more in love everyday. For us, the wedding was just the beginning of a great love story.
What was the most amazing part of your day?: So many amazing things! Joe and I had a personalized DIY wedding that was truly a labor of love and a family effort. We made the invitations, the reception arrangements and centerpieces, the favors, did the decor, and our ceremony music was recorded on classical guitar by my brother.
Seeing everyone come together, and seeing all of the people we love in one place was absolutely amazing. Some members of my family hadn’t seen each other for over 20 years, and some we had never met! It was day that brought people together, more than just Joe and I. It was truly a day filled with love, and that was more than we could have ever asked for.
What else would you like to share about your big day?: We wanted our wedding to reflect who were are, and to be a tribute to the people we love and the area we live in. We did our best to use as many local vendors as possible and include our loved ones every step of the way. We stuck to some traditions, but let others go. Both of my parents walked me down the aisle, and Joe’s childhood friend conducted the ceremony. Joe’s mom passed away before we were engaged, but we wanted to honor her as well so we included an English blessing in our ceremony and dedicated a dance to her at the reception. When we reflect on our day we couldn’t have imagined a more perfect way to start our marriage.
Ceremony Site: Emmanuel Church, Coloma
Reception Venue: Bayley House Barn
Photographer: Ben Sheriff Photography
Wedding Planner: Day of — Storybook Weddings
Make-up: Almost Classy Artistry
Bridal & Bridesmaids Attire: David’s Bridal
Invitations: Designed and made by the Bride, printed through “CatPrint”
Flowers: Cool Florist
Caterer: Mainstreet Mexican Food, Georgetown (When we moved to Cool, we ate dinner there our first night in town and continued to eat there almost every week for the next four years! It was only fitting to ask Anna and Jose to cater our wedding.)
Cake: Flour Garden Bakery for cake, dessert table by Bride’s family
Honeymoon Location: South Lake Tahoe
First Dance Song: “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole
Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out? We rented chandeliers and a few other small vintage items from The Find Rentals, and they were so amazing! They came, installed the chandeliers (including dimmers) and then even helped my dad put up more twinkle lights to give the barn a beautiful glow in the evening. I would recommend them to anyone looking for vintage decor, we got a million compliments on the chandeliers, they were the finishing touch to the barn, absolutely elegant and perfect!
Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?: Enjoy it, and make it yours. Everyone kept saying to me to enjoy the day because it goes by so fast, they couldn’t be more right. Our best advice would be to make your day reflect who you are and why you love each other. Above all, remember why you are planning this big day — to celebrate your love for each other and all the important people in your life who support and love you. Have fun and enjoy every second of it!
Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?: We would do it all over again the same way (even the 100 degree weather!). It was truly the best day for both of us.
Editor’s note: We are honored to feature Heidi & Joe’s wedding here on our Real Weddings Blog — we were lucky enough to have Heidi as one of our cover model finalists in the Winter/Spring 2013 issue, and feel like she’s a member of our family! Congrats Heidi & Joe!
Photos courtesy of and copyright Ben Sheriff Photography.
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