0The Couple: Rachel and Michael

Wedding Date: October 20, 2012

Photography by Amy Nicole Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved: Mike and I have been together since we met working at a Mexican restaurant in high school. Our relationship has withstood long distances, illnesses, injuries, the college years and a baby girl.

I always knew he was the one for me, and time kept proving it. When he asked me to marry him on a sunny day in Lake Tahoe while we were horseback riding, it was all I could do not to scream “YES!” off every building in town. We were made to balance each other, and our beautiful daughter, Emma, completes our happy family.

What was the most amazing part of your day? By far, the most amazing part of our day was when we were pronounced husband and wife. You put so much work and effort into planning a wedding, that then to hear those beautiful words makes it all seem so worth it. Mike and I had gone through so much to get to that day, and that one sentence was the culmination of our long journey together.

What else would you like to share about your big day? Another extremely exciting part of that day was my father daughter surprise dance. I used to teach dance in high school, so when my dad agreed to making a fool out of ourselves I was ecstatic. The only person who knew about our surprise dance was Mike…. My mother was floored!

We began the dance with the traditional “Butterfly Kisses”, but the song quickly switched to “Soldier Boy”, “Stanky Leg”, “Jump On It”, “Stay Alive”, “Single Ladies”, “Can’t Touch This”, “Thriller”, and “Footloose”. It really got our dance floor started.

It was also very special to have our daughter be the flower girl. She RAN to Daddy down the aisle. It could not have been any cuter.

Ceremony Site: Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Reception Venue: Serrano Country Club

Photographer: Amy Nicole Photography

Videographer: Philip Alan Films

Cake: Classic Cakes by Jayne Marie

Flowers: Esther’s Floral Design

Favors: DIY Candy Bar

Bridal and Bridesmaids’ Attire: Enchanted Bridal & Tuxedo Shoppe

Hair: Janelle Melikian

Make-up: Primp by Colette English

DJ/Entertainment/Band: Music & More Entertainment

Honeymoon Location: Maui, HI

Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out? Rose’s Tailoring for her EXCEPTIONAL skills and prices.

First Dance Song: “Then” by Brad Paisley

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now? I have two big pieces of advice:

Get a videographer! There are so many things my family and I forgot about our wedding, from the vows to the toasts. It was so great to be able to watch back all the wedding “bloopers” and beautiful moments of the day. My wedding video is my most treasured possession. Someday, when my loved ones are gone, I will be able to look back to the happiest day of my life and see how supportive and beautiful they all were.

Enjoy your day! So many brides stress to have every detail perfect, but on the actual day, appreciate what you have and let things fall where they may. The point of a wedding is to celebrate, not to stress. Hard to do, but it’s totally worth it.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance? Absolutely not. My day was everything I ever dreamed and more! All the little mistakes that happened made our wedding day what it was. We wouldn’t change a thing! We are happy, healthy, and married. What more could you ask for?

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.

Photos courtesy of and copyright Amy Nicole Photography.

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