When Matthew, Kimberly’s boyfriend of more than a year, invited her to join him on a hike in Point Reyes, it seemed like nothing more than a case of business as usual. “Everyone who knows Matthew understands his deep desire to be out in the open,” she explains. “Mountains or oceans, he has a need to hike or backpack. Naturally, he got me all the gear to tag along.”
The 15-mile trek was supposed to end where a scenic waterfall meets the ocean, but with plenty of ground still left to cover, Matthew got down on one knee at Wildcat Beach for a romantic proposal—complete with their closest friends. Stunned, Kimberly’s response to the question at hand was a resounding, “Yes! A million times, yes!” “He pointed to a woman holding a camera. It was Chantel, our friend and photographer, there to capture the moment,” she recalls. “It was perfect.”
In keeping with their active lifestyle, the couple took inspiration from the great outdoors when planning their budget-friendly summer nuptials. Their goal, they say, was to spend no more than $10,000 by keeping the necessities—family, friends and great food—at the forefront of the process.
“I’ve known my entire life I wanted to get married outside,” Matthew says. “Once we found out we could get married at Capitol Park, we knew [it was the spot].”
Kimberly adds, “[We] wanted to focus on the things we love to do, so our theme was riding our bicycles. We didn’t want a traditional ceremony or reception.”
Following a relaxed vow exchange modeled after scenes from The Princess Bride in the park’s rose garden, both bride and groom rode their beloved bikes to the reception site, but not before making a quick stop at De Vere’s Irish Pub. “We took about a dozen of our friends…to say thanks and buy them all a beer or shot,” Kimberly shares. “Our friends were the ones who helped the most with setting up chairs and putting out bottles of water since it was a high of 106 degrees that day.”
Although they had originally planned to dine on the patio at Lucca Restaurant & Bar, a last-minute switch to the California-Mediterranean eatery’s banquet room provided a welcome escape from the scorching heat. As the intimate gathering drew to a close, the bride and groom invited their nearest and dearest to hit the town one last time, both on foot and two wheels.
“Honestly, we wouldn’t have changed a thing,” Kimberly says. “It was exactly what we wanted and everyone we wanted to be there was available.”
―Morgan Cásarez
