The idea of a blind date is a bit overwhelming, so overwhelming for Danielle, in fact, that when a girlfriend wanted to set her up on one, she made it a surprise.
Danielle arrived to the bowling alley for what she thought was a girls’ night, only to discover that it was a blind date ploy. After the initial shock wore off, she realized she had a lot in common with the guy and genuinely enjoyed his company. The blind date turned into a real date, which turned into a relationship and eventually the two became inseparable…and parents!
William proposed at their daughter Aubree’s first birthday party. Danielle was so busy planning the celebration that a proposal was the furthest thing from her mind. Yet again, she found herself surprised. When Aubree was about to blow out her birthday candle, William asked for the room to be quiet so everyone could hear Aubree’s first wish, which he announced was for her mommy to say ‘yes’ to her daddy. The room filled with cheers—and tears. Danielle, of course, said yes, all the while Aubree enjoyed her birthday cake.
Turns out William is quite the sleuth. Prior to the proposal, he managed to sneak a peek at Danielle’s secret Pinterest wedding board to see which types of rings she liked and had one custom-made by their family jeweler exactly to her taste. He also reserved the wedding venue a year in advance for June 20—the same date her grandparents were married.
Danielle happily took over the planning reins from there, as she’s an expert planner and has coordinated her share of parties and events. With a theme like “secret garden meets woodland,” she knew that she needed quite the assortment and abundance of flowers and arrangements. To create the look she wanted while staying conscience of cost, she chose to incorporate not only live flowers, but also some silk flowers. The outcome was gorgeous and now the silk flowers make up lovely arrangements in the couple’s living room and Aubree’s bedroom—a reminder of their special day every time they look at them.
The couple will have another sweet reminder of the day in a tree they planted at their home as part of a unique “tree planting ceremony,” where they gathered soil from each of their parents’ ranches. “The tree will always be a symbol of our love for each other and a reminder to nourish each other with words of encouragement, trust and love,” says Danielle.
The tree is a lovely sentiment, but perhaps the greatest reminder of love that they share is their daughter Aubree and their new bundle of joy.
— Kelley Saia
First Dance Song
"Hey Pretty Girl" by Kip Moore
Father/Daughter Dance Song
"My Wish" by Rascal Flatts
Mother/Son Dance Song
"I Hope You Dance" by Lee AnneWomack
Bouquet Toss Song
"Single Ladies" by Beyonce
Garter Toss Song
"Get Lucky" by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams
Last Dance Song
"Treasure" by Bruno Mars
Details about the cake
Cake: Layer 1- Fun Fetti and Layer 2- Banana with buttercream frosting
Cupcakes: fun fetti, chocolate, etc.
Cake pops: fun fetti, chocolate, etc.
Chocolate covered strawberries
Chocolate covered pretzels
Chocolate dipped Oreos
Details about the flowers
Peonies, peonies and more peonies (also other flowers I can't remember)
Details about the favors
Rancho Cenedella (Bride’s family ranch) provided SunWest rice and Sunsweet chocolate covered prunes.
Fausel Ranch (Groom’s family ranch) provided jars of local honey
We personally packaged all 200 in a custom heart bag for each guest along with a custom thank you bag tag. These treats come from both our families' businesses, and we wanted to share them with all the people we love the most.
Anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?
Our Unity Tree Planting ceremony was very unique. It was a special expression of our unifying commitment to our newly formed marriage and included our daughter Aubree. We gathered soil from the ranches of our parents to nurture the young tree that we would plant at our home so we could watch it grow as our relationship and love for each other grew and gets stronger each day. The tree will always be a symbol of our love for each other, a reminder to nourish each other, with words of encouragement, trust, and love.
We also had a slide show that showed photos of William and I growing up, our daughters first year of life, the video of the surprise proposal, and photos of our life together. Our videographer put that together for us and it was really nice to view as our guests were eating their choice of dessert.
Any tips you’d give brides and grooms planning their wedding today?
Allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy every step of the process as it goes by so fast.
Hire a great photographer and videographer so you can look back on your day for the rest of your life and enjoy all the moments over and over.
Remember this day is about you and your fiancé and the love you have for one another.
If it is in your budget, do a bridal shoot before your wedding. I loved being able to take photos in locations that I would not have been able to the day of the wedding. We got some really great shots that I am really happy with.