Alyssa and Cody, who met while working at a mini golf course and arcade, dated for six years before getting engaged.
During the romantic proposal, Cody presented Alyssa with a dark gray wooden box with twinkling lights shining inside. He had drilled holes to the sides and top of the box in the pattern of different constellations. It was perfect since they like to walk at night and try to name the different constellations. A year and a half later, they married surrounded by 85 guests at Wine & Roses Hotel, Restaurant and Spa.
The chose a sunset ceremony which gave them a lot of time for first look photos before the wedding. “As soon as I saw him, I felt all my nerves vanish and I knew everything would be perfect,” says Alyssa. “Seeing him just felt like being home.”
Cody says he was “overjoyed” when he first saw Alyssa. “She was beautiful and looked extra fancy like I had never seen.”
Their wedding aesthetic was romantic, natural and floral, with a touch of rustic. They chose the venue’s wedding garden for their ceremony, where they exchanged vows under two tall trees.
The couple worked with their officiant to plan a very personal ceremony, including reading the vows they’d written. “It very special. She is usually very shy and nervous in front of crowds but when she spoke her vows to me she did so with confidence and sincerity,” says Cody.
They also had a rose ceremony for their respective mothers. Plus they had a photo taken of their hands together, with their wedding rings, over the bouquet.
“I felt strangely calm during the ceremony as if it was just Cody and me without everyone watching,” says the bride. “Even though I think I still sounded nervous.”
Their reception in the Garden Ballroom featured dinner, an ombre cake and a late-night snack. Cody designed their cake topper which had a copper “S” for their last name. Alyssa loved the cake, the centerpieces and the lights around the trees outside the windows of the ballroom.
She had a special moment when she danced with her papa during a grandfather/granddaughter dance. “He walked me down the aisle, but I may have forgotten to mention that we were going to dance together as well,” she says. “It was really special, and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.”
Alyssa, who used a wedding planning book to help her stay organized, advises other couples to plan early and try not to stress.
“Everything came together exactly the way we wanted,” says Alyssa, who wore dusk blue heels, her grandmother’s ring, a garter from the mother of the groom and a sixpence in her shoe given to her by the matron of honor.
The couple have not yet planned their honeymoon, but would like to travel to Iceland or Alaska to see the Northern Lights.
—Kristen Castillo
