The Couple: Regina & Chris
Wedding Date: September 7, 2013
Photography by Amy Nicole Photography
Tell us a little about you and your beloved: We caught each other’s eyes at a mutual friend’s birthday party, but didn’t start dating until a few months later. Chris stole my heart on our first date, a Sacramento Kings game. I’ve been going to games since I was a little girl, and he’s actually just as big of a fan as I am. Our adventures continued from there, from road trips to Disneyland, camping trips, and many, many more Kings games – we became inseparable. In December of 2012, Chris proposed under the lights of the giant Christmas tree in front of the state capitol in downtown Sacramento.
What was the most amazing part of your day? Honestly, the day was perfect. It’s really hard to pick out just one moment, but one that really sticks out was sharing a few laughs together during our first dance. We felt so relaxed and were able to enjoy our day because we chose amazing vendors and our friends and family were there to support us.
Ceremony Site: Saint Teresa of Avila Catholic Church
Ceremony Musicians: Family Friend
Officiant: Dave Lehman, Deacon at St. Mel Catholic Church
Reception Venue and Caterer: Auburn Valley Golf Club. What I loved most about this venue was that guests could mingle and eat inside, or party on the dance floor on the outside patio. There was plenty of space for guests to spread out, but I never felt like anyone was left out of any of the happenings as the evening went on. The older guests enjoyed being inside away from the music, and the younger guests liked having the options of hanging out inside by the bar and photo booth, or outside on the dance floor.
Photographer: Amy Nicole Photography. Amy was so easy and fun to work with! She did a great job capturing all the little moments of our big day, and we were very satisfied with the pictures. I have had so many compliments about both our wedding day photos as well as our engagement photos. Amy Nicole is a true professional and I am so glad she was our photographer.
Desserts: Frozen Yogurt Bar by Culture Shock Yogurt. Have you ever seen a sea of people flock to grab a slice of cake at a wedding? Yeah, me neither. However, let me be the first to tell you, that at our wedding, we had a HUGE line of people stoked to enjoy a delicious yogurt creation at our wedding.
We were able to choose two flavors of yogurt to offer our guests, along with 7 toppings that guests could choose from. Culture Shock arrived on time and set up a beautiful spread that guests were eager to enjoy. We had 160 guests at our wedding, and there was plenty of yogurt and toppings to go around. We were incredibly satisfied with the customer service and quality of the yogurt!
Cake: Paper Heart Patisserie
Flowers: Carrie Thengval Designs. Carrie was amazing! I did not have specific flowers in mind, rather a vibe I was hoping for. With a few sample photo ideas, Carrie designed arrangements more beautiful than I had ever imagined.
Bridal Attire: Bridal Gallery
Bridesmaids’ Attire: Donna Morgan by Weddington Way
Hair: Close Friend
Make-up: Tanya with Perfectly You Studio. Tanya is simply fantastic! She and I met a few weeks prior to the wedding for a trial, and Tanya had my style spot on. On the day of, I felt relaxed and trusted that Tanya would make my look perfect – and she did. She and her assistant also did the makeup for my four bridesmaids as well.
Invitations: Papyrus
Signage: DIY
DJ/Entertainment/Band and Photo Booth: JazCat Mobile. Jamie Larson was awesome! Super professional, and super organized, Jamie made sure our day ran smoothly. He was super flexible when small changes arose, and always had our best interest. He also offered a package that included a photo booth service, which made planning even more easy. We were satisfied with both Jamie and his photo booth crew.
Honeymoon Location: The Hilton Hawaiian Village in Oahu, Hawaii
First Dance Song: “True Believers,” Darius Rucker
Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now? Don’t feel like you have to plan everything at once. Sometimes I felt like I’d get sucked into all the little details, and often had to prioritize what was most important. As the day got closer, then I was able to work on DIY projects and add extra details. Don’t try to go overboard with the small touches, because you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to do too much. Chris and I each made a list of our 3 “must-haves” and then we worked from there. After awhile, you realize that all that matters at the end of the day is that you’re married.
Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance? Looking back, I’m a little bummed we didn’t opt for a videographer. The pictures turned out great, but it would have been nice to go back and watch our special day over again. The day goes by so fast that you wish you could relive it.
Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.
Photos courtesy of and copyright Amy Nicole Photography.
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