Cassidy and Trevor knew each other inside and out before they decided to get married after 10 years of dating. After all, they met in middle school and started dating in their teens. “We went through a lot of changes since being 15-and-a-half, when we got together,” says Cassidy, “both individually and as a couple. We made it through all of that and could just tell we could make anything work.”
The two got engaged on Christmas day, when Trevor gave Cassidy a large wrapped present, despite both agreeing not to give each other gifts. Cassidy says Trevor came out with presents, and when she unwrapped one, it was a tortilla warmer. “I thought, ‘oh, cool, he got me a tortilla warmer,’” says the bride. But Trevor insisted she open it further, and inside was an engagement ring. Trevor had asked his sister to buy the ring, so Cassidy wouldn’t notice the money out of their shared checking account, and since his brother-in-law owns a kitchen store, they wrapped the ring inside a tortilla warmer to disguise it. “We also got to keep the tortilla warmer!” says Cassidy happily.
The two planned their engagement in about nine months, which Cassidy says was quite easy. That’s partially because Trevor is laid back. “He just wanted to wear boots and a vest, and that was it,” she says. And partially because she already knew the venue she wanted. Nearby Magari Estate caught her attention even before they got engaged, and out of curiosity, Cassidy had already inquired about pricing. They wanted a venue with a barn along with a celebration blending country and elegance, so this venue was a natural choice-—it was the first and only venue they considered.
Cassidy says the wedding planning process was surprisingly easy, because their venue handled much of the coordination, logistics and decorations. The couple made some DIY signs for the celebration, chose the table settings and hung elk antlers over the entrance to the ceremony space to bring in a little extra country style. But their venue handled all the other details, which she says helped make the planning process painless.
Her favorite part of the rustic-chic celebration was the speeches during the reception, which mixed both emotions and humor. However, it was the first look with Trevor that touched her the most. “Seeing him so emotional was touching,” she says, “because he’s not super emotional normally. Seeing him get teary-eyed was really sweet.”
—Suzie Dundas
