Kathryn & Robert
Photography by 2 Girls 20 CamerasWalking in to the first shift at Hoppy Brewing Company, the first person Katie saw was her cute new coworker, Rob—and she immediately knew she was going to love this job.
Their similar senses of humor drew the couple closer together, and Katie appreciated Rob’s calm and patient demeanor. They dated for two and a half years before Rob made plans to pop the question.
He had coordinated a girls’ night for Katie and her friend, and fibbed that he would be at his cousin’s house, all the while, planning to have Katie’s friend bring her to Capitol Park where he would be waiting to propose. As it turns out, the secrecy and red-herring plans weren’t necessary. Katie later admitted to knowing more than she was supposed to about the true plans for the evening.
“Let’s just say I highly suspected he was going to propose because I had done some pretty extensive snooping,” she says. “I don’t have a lot of chill to start with and then when you add in a potential proposal…well, let’s just say it wasn’t a surprise, but it was still a nice day!”
Since Rob was in school at the time, Katie took on a lot of the wedding planning though they both recall particularly enjoying the various tastings they did during their vendor search. The pair knew they wanted an outdoor wedding in Sacramento, and they wanted to be able to do it while Rob was on break from school. After conferring with friends and family, the date was quickly narrowed down to 8/18/18 (the easy-to-remember number pattern was just a happy coincidence).
The ceremony and reception took place right along the American River in true, classic Sacramento style with Katie’s brother acting as the officiant. They even had a surprise visit from a riverboat that stopped to take in the beautiful scenery before blasting KC and The Sunshine Band’s “Shake Your Booty” to mark the occasion. “I didn’t even crack a smile at the time, but now it’s pretty funny,” Katie says.
The reception tent was beautifully decorated with lush blooms and greenery, and romantic twinkling lights strung up overhead, while guests enjoyed a full bar, dinner, dancing and games like Jenga, cornhole, and a photo booth with fun props, along with an impressive dessert bar and gelato station.
One of the most treasured moments the couple has from that evening was when they went to the bowling alley at 1 a.m. because they just didn’t want the night to end.
“It has been almost five years since I met Rob and very little of that time has been what I would have predicted,” Katie says. “I’m looking forward to the many adventures we’ll have together.”
—Jennifer Resnicke
Katie & Rob's Wedding Resources
Phone: (916) 580-8200
Conscious Creamery (ice cream bar)
Scott's Seafood on the River (lighting in the tent)
Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
“XO” by John Mayer
“To Make You Feel My Love” by Adele
“Sugar” by Maroon 5
“Worth It” by Fifth Harmony
“A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis
• Cake was a carrot cake (sans raisins) with cream cheese frosting made by my sister-in-law. Only the top layer was cake for the groom and I to cut and eat. The rest was fake, haha.
• The dessert bar (Scott’s Seafood) consisted of coconut bars, raspberry tartlets, dark chocolate shortbread, chocolate peanut butter shortbread and mini pies.
• The ice cream bar was provided by Conscious Creamy, and I chose a handful of seasonal flavors.
Dottie at Camino Flowers was the visionary for all the flowers arrangements. I just gave her my budget and permission to take creative license and she delivered (literally and figuratively) gorgeous arrangements.
When deciding how to plan our wedding (DIY vs. Vendors) I quickly found that what we didn’t spend in money, we would spend in time. And what little money we might save, we would far and above make up for in stress. I wanted this experience to be straight forward and for me that meant outsourcing the logistics to people who knew and loved planning weddings.
• This meant choosing an all-inclusive venue that offered accommodations for guests, coordinating and catering services.
• I also decided to shop around and find some passionate, reputable vendors for flowers/décor, music and dessert. These vendors made my life and experience astronomically better. They had the vision and the know how to make our special day beautiful and seamless.
Vendors:
• Scott’s Seafood on the River was a tremendous venue with lots of support. The catering staff was accommodating and re-imagined an entire (wildly delicious) vegetarian meal for me. It was the best meal I’ve had to date. Our coordinator, Courtney Reading, was friendly and organized. There was nothing she couldn’t handle.
• Camino Flower Shop and Cocomont Styling (a family business) took ALL the stress out of decorating the venue. They took my very vague ideas and turned them into an absolute dream.
• Conscious Creamery was the perfect addition to our summer wedding. They are a family owned company and make their dairy free gelato from scratch with seasonal ingredients. They are such a joy to work with and I could not recommend them enough if you’re looking for a fun/cold dessert.
• Compromise. It’s your big day, but you’re not the only person who’s been dreaming of it. Ultimately, you want to look back and remember this as a fun planning experience and a beautiful day. Decide what’s important to you and pick your battles. The day is going to go by in one big blur and you’ll be surprised by how many things weren’t worth fighting over.
• A good vendor is worth every penny! Nobody wants to be stressed on their wedding day.
Not much, it was a perfect day. Although I would have maybe not started exactly on time. Some people weren’t in their seats yet. And I maybe wouldn’t have gotten married in 100+ degree weather, but, you know…