Kiersti and Chris are one couple that most certainly knows how to study well together. The two met while attending Whitney High School in Rocklin and have been inseparable ever since.

Although Kiersti, an Ohio native, was skeptical about finding a California guy who was a non-“mandals,” down-to-earth type, she’s now glad she was oh so wrong. As Chris was originally slated to attend a different school during the first year they met, both look back as it being purely God’s will that they ended up at Whitney together.

After about three years of dating, Chris decided to propose via a clever scavenger hunt that revisited places of memory in their relationship. Kiersti, however, just assumed it was an early birthday present. The perfect day ended with an amazing dinner at McCormick & Schmick’s and afterward Chris ordered dessert. That’s when she knew something was up (they never order dessert). Suddenly, he was on one knee and the big question was there, all spelled out in chocolate.

Setting out to plan for their day, Kiersti envisioned a look of timeless elegance and Tiffany-inspired colors. Family pitched in to hand-make the gorgeous place cards, stationery and favors, and Tiffany boxes filled with Buckeyes (chocolate covered peanut-butter ball candies) from a secret Ohio-family recipe.

During the ceremony, after Kiersti finished reading her vows to Chris, he—touched with emotion at her words—leaned in for a hug. “I presumed that he wanted to kiss me, which was way too early in our ceremony to be finalizing it with a kiss! So my reaction was to put my arms out in front of me and stop him from hugging me while saying, ‘No! Not yet!’” Uproar erupted from the guests at the tension breaker, which showed the couple’s funny side.

Other favorite moments were the sweet toasts by family members about how God had brought them together and the hilarious garter toss set to the Mission Impossible theme song. Instead of throwing the garter, Chris wrapped it around a Patriot’s football and threw it into the crowd of excited guys.

Looking back, “We had the most amazing day with the most amazing people. Even if things don’t go perfectly, you can’t worry about it,” the bride says.

Both advise other altar-bound couples to remember to enjoy the day and not get caught up in the little things. “Take your time and don’t rush into decisions,” she says.

They also recommend making a list ahead of time of all the specific wedding shots for the photographer, so you don’t have to worry about it the day of.

Post-ceremony, they whisked off to Maui where they had a blast snorkeling, traveling the Road to Hana and visiting the seven sacred pools.

The Toroks are both finishing their studies at William Jessup University and they admit to spending loads of time doing one activity a lot together: studying! It’s such a comfort to be able to understand where each is coming from, Kiersti says. But they also know how to relax and can often be found at the beach.