Courtney and Brad started out as study partners and five years later, ended up married.

Both physical therapists, Courtney and Brad met in their doctoral program when they were in the same lab group. Their friendship grew over time but romance was on hold until their graduation.

The couple wanted a spring wedding with a local, home grown garden feel. They married twice—once in an intimate, Friday chapel ceremony for immediate family and the wedding party at Saint Simon Catholic Church in Los Altos, and the next day in an outdoor ceremony and reception in front of 180 guests at the Los Altos History Museum. Courtney says she was “channeling Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday” in her short, lace dress.  “I felt just like a princess,” she says. “It was the most comfortable thing I’ve ever worn.”

Brad says marrying Courtney for the second time was the best part of the wedding. “All of our friends and family together, when does that happen?” he says. “It was the party of the century, basically.”

Jimmie, the father of the bride’s best friend for 40 years, performed the outdoor ceremony, which featured a “salt” theme, including a salt ceremony. “In the Old Testament, it is a symbol of purity and promise,” says Courtney, explaining that she and Brad “love to cook, entertain and feed” their friends. “[Salt] is a preservative, suggestive of creating a bond that is long-lasting. And lastly it enhances flavor.”

Prior to the wedding, the bride did a first look photo session with her father at her childhood home.

Later she and Brad did a first look at the museum, which she calls, the “moment that I felt so ready to start my life with my best friend.”

The décor was bursting with pastel colors like off-white and lavender, accented with gold for “an elegant vintage feel.”

A personal touch—the couple and many of their guests had collected more than 300 vintage milk glass vases for a year to be displayed at their wedding. “We loved the milk glass and it was a fun detail for all the guests as well,” says Courtney, noting many guests took the glass home as favors. “It was fun for them to see the fruits of their labor.”

Instead of cake, the couple served milk with 400 donuts and 200 donut holes. “We dipped donuts and fed each other,” says Courtney, noting they did not do a garter or bouquet toss.

The celebration also included a musical performance from the groom. Brad played drums on two songs halfway through the band’s second set. “The crowd went wild,” says Courtney. “Everyone was on the dance floor screaming and cheering and I was so proud to see him up there.”

The fun continued after the wedding. “I was surprised that so many people came to the after party in the hotel and celebrated with us until the wee hours,” says Courtney.

—Kristen Castillo