Once upon a time a young man and young woman met, not knowing that they would grow up together and find their way down the aisle. It all began in elementary school and when Casey’s mom met Brooke, she pegged her as a talkative one. The real friendship began in high school when Brooke sat near Casey in class, and her talking talent lent itself to her being moved. Hanging out time and dates at the local diner ensued, and they began to fall in love. The courtship felt official when they traveled about two hours from home to a Michael Bublé concert in San Jose. They had to rely on each other as they experienced a new adventure.
Fast forward about eight years and they found themselves in Costa Rica on vacation with the bride’s family. Casey had a prop ring in his pocket as he waited for Brooke to slide down a waterfall. When he began to propose the family was watching and even recording the moment. Of course, Brooke, said yes and the planning began. Later, when they watched the video, the noise of the waterfall behind them drowned out the conversation—only the couple will know what was said.
The engagement news was kept fairly quiet for the rest of the vacation with only family and close friends in the know. When they returned home, the official announcing began.
But there was a ring to select. Casey worked with Brooke’s mom to pick out a prop ring from her jewelry shop with the intent of choosing Brooke’s ring together after the proposal. “I’m so glad I waited because I would never have chosen the ring Brooke did. She loves it!”
Brooke’s mom and many others helped every step of the way with planning and organizing the wedding day. There was no official first look moment for the couple, but when Brooke peeked out to see if all the men were doing what they were supposed to be doing, she caught a glimpse of Casey, without him knowing, for just a minute.
The venue holds many memories for Casey, as he grew up on the property and watched the land evolve into a beautiful setting. The couple chose an Italian rustic theme and loved everything about the day. Their special guest, a burro appropriately named Burrito, made an appearance immediately following the ceremony with sparkling wine for the newlyweds. Brooke and Casey had a moment to sip the bubbly, sit on a vintage couch and watch their guests mingle during the cocktail hour.
One of Brooke’s favorite memories during the ceremony is captured in a photo: she saw the weather about a mile away and the rain was pouring, the sky was dark, yet their ceremony was spared and drenched in sunshine. “Seeing the storm in the middle of summer was surreal.”
—Susan Wallace
