When Kim and Andy started dating in the spring of 2014, their courtship was a true blast from the past. Growing up, they attended the same middle and high schools but their paths rarely crossed—Kim was active in cheer, soccer and volleyball, while Andy couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so he could race motocross. They were reunited years later by mutual connections, eventually developing a close friendship of their own. After surviving what the bride describes as “pretty crazy” breakups, the pair learned to see each other in a new light.
“[We] realized we deserved better and found comfort in each other that we didn’t know was there before,” Kim explains. “I realized Andy was the one when I could just effortlessly talk and hang out with him.”
For his part, Andy knew Kim was for keeps when they sat together and he could “imagine us doing the exact same thing 40 years from then and being just as happy together.”
To celebrate their one-year anniversary, Andy surprised Kim by recreating their first “official” date. The trip down memory lane began with lunch at Lodi Beer Company, followed by plenty of singing and laughter at a nearby country bar. Then, the couple strolled hand in hand around Lodi Lake. Life that day, Andy said, couldn’t be more perfect.
A year earlier, the perfect first date had ended with that romantic walk, but Andy still had the day’s biggest surprise up his sleeve. He blindfolded Kim and led her to William Land Park, the site of so many happy memories for the couple. When she removed the blindfold, Kim found her future husband on bended knee. The final surprise came when family and close friends revealed themselves for a celebratory champagne toast.
Nearly a year later, the couple said, “I Do” at Delta Diamond Farm. With the help of Pinterest and her mother, Frances, the bride achieved the country-chic, “cowboy boots and chandeliers” vibe she’d always envisioned. Andy’s special requests? An open bar and the right to wear his Wranglers down the aisle (the venue’s man cave was an added bonus).
“I wanted a fun, carefree, happy, party atmosphere for our guests,” Kim says. “For Andy and me, I just wanted to have fun and never have to stress about anything at all. Which was also a success!”
Thanks to the “awesome” mother-of-the-bride, a few wedding day hiccups here and there went entirely unnoticed, leaving the new Mr. & Mrs., footloose and fancy-free.
“The highlights were just watching our families mesh together so perfectly and seeing how beautiful the venue looked all decorated,” Kim shares. “And my favorite was ending the night dancing with my new husband to one of our favorite songs.”
—Morgan Cásarez
