Amanda worked at a local coffee shop and Jon-Eric (who goes by Jon) was one of her regular customers. “For a long time he never talked to me, or barely looked at me,” she shares. “I finally asked him one morning, ‘So are you always this grouchy, or is it just before you’ve had your coffee?’ He laughed and after a couple months passed, with conversation, he asked me on a date.”
In 2015, Jon took Amanda on a surprise trip to Aptos for the weekend. “He insisted on taking an afternoon walk along the beach,” she remembers. “It was so windy and freezing, and I was begging to go back to our hotel but it was absolutely worth it because he proposed!”
When planning their wedding, the couple wanted to make sure there were little details throughout the day that reflected them as a couple. Says Amanda, “The only expectation we had was that something would go wrong that day, so we wouldn’t be freaking out when it did!” Overall, the planning went well, with the couple taking a full 18 months to prepare and using a wedding timeline checklist so they always felt on track and wouldn’t forget any little details.
It was important to them that the ceremony be short and sweet because they were concerned the outdoor temperatures would be too hot for the guests (fortunately it was not). “We wanted our marriage to begin with a Godly foundation and it was perfect that Tim from Green Valley Church was able to officiate because Jon has known him since his childhood, and he delivered a beautiful message,” the bride says. “We also both love Disney, so we chose ‘So This is Love’ from Cinderella as I walked in.”
The reception was held at Fausel Ranch, whose owners are friends of Amanda’s family, and a place where she spent a lot of time growing up. “We fell in love with the creek, all the greenery and the lights strung above where our guests were seated,” she says. “We chose a natural color palette with a vintage and rustic feel. It was important to us to create a space [where] our guests felt relaxed, and to have a great time celebrating.”
The first dance is also something Amanda holds close to her heart. “We chose, ‘My Best Friend,’ by Tim McGraw and danced under the gazebo that was all lit up. It felt so romantic and magical.”
—Darren Elms
