Alexis and Dillan met in junior high, when she was in seventh grade and he was in eighth. They had their first kiss at the movies and dated for a while before breaking up. They stayed friends over the years and even went to prom together, eventually getting back together for good.
The couple dated more than five years before getting engaged in a memorable way: after a family dinner at a restaurant, the server brought out a plate with a large Chinese food to-go container that said, “Open Me.” Inside the container? A large fortune cookie with a fortune that said, “I would be so fortunate to spend the rest of my life with you! Will you marry me?” Dillan got down on one knee and proposed. It was the same way he asked Alexis to prom years before! She said yes.
Alexis, who loves pink, and always dreamed of having a “classy and sparkly” wedding started planning their nuptials right away. The outdoor ceremony at Vizcaya Sacramento was short but sweet because the couple didn’t want everyone sitting in the hot summer sun. Alexis’s mother was her matron of honor and Dillan’s father was his best man.
The couple had a first look and despite knowing each other since they were kids, seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day was magical. “I felt butterflies again,” says Alexis. “It was almost like the first time we met.” Dillan recalls, “I felt like one lucky man.”
For the reception, the couple, along with their 115 guests, enjoyed appetizers, a buffet dinner and cupcakes. They noshed on street tacos for a late-night snack.
The party was complete when the bride started dancing. “I busted out the worm on the dance floor in my dress. I had to show everyone how good I was,” says Alexis, noting Dillan’s garter dance was memorable too.
She and her groom put a lot of thought and planning into the wedding details. She advises other couples to be firm about what they want. “Don’t let others talk you into people attending or bringing details to life that you don’t want,” she says.
Alexis and Dillan, who honeymooned in Maui, had a big vision for their big day and it was a success. They are grateful for the opportunity to have had everyone who is important in their lives in the same room to celebrate with them.
— Kristen Castillo
