Both Kristen and Brian attended the same high school in Grass Valley but they never crossed paths. Then eight years later at Bullard’s Bar Reservoir on a weekend trip with mutual friends. “My first memory of Brian was on a boat,” says Kristen. His friend (later the best man) let me drive. I remember Brian looking at me and laughing, and I was thinking, ‘This guy thinks I’m totally ridiculous right now, and I just don’t care. I’m driving a boat.’” Though neither says they were looking for a significant other at the time, the two began a friendship that transitioned to romance fairly quickly.
Brian even took Kristen back to the same camping spot to pop the question. “We had discussed weddings and marriage, but I had no idea he had already asked my dad the day before and was planning to propose.”
The couple was lucky enough to have the help of wedding coordinator Gianna Seghezzi of Wild & Lovely Events while planning their big day. “She made everything run so smoothly that it was actually a really enjoyable experience, which isn’t what I hear from all brides, so we were grateful.”
Kristen knew she wanted to walk down the isle to “In My Life” by the Beatles, the same tune her parents walked to years earlier. “The first thing I did when I started planning was call two of my closest friends, who both have wonderful voices, and ask if they could sing an a capella version of it for me while I walked,” she shares. “It was so meaningful and beautiful.”
Designed to be relaxed and personal, the ceremony also featured a bridal party that included ten bridesmaids, eight groomsmen, a junior bridesmaid and two “flower babies.” “For us, it made it even better having so many friends standing right there with us for the ceremony,” shares the bride.
In their vows, Brian included a promise that he would love Kristen more than Cheez-its, hockey and four-slot toasters, while Kristen vowed to watch sports with him and cheer with him “when the guy does the thing that wins the points.” “It wasn’t all jokes,” she says, “but the fact that it came from a very real place in our hearts made it all that much more special.”
Both the ceremony and reception were held at the Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City, an old historic building in downtown with a big beautiful stone hall, wood-beamed ceilings and a very rustic feel.
Both Kristen and Brian agree that the wedding was one of the best days of their lives. “My favorite part of the day was standing up with the person I love most in the world, and promising to be his partner for life,” says Kristen. “I’ll always remember holding his hands through the ceremony. We were both so nervous! But we just stared right at each other and held on, like we were holding each other up. It’s hard to beat a moment like that, and I’ll remember it forever.”
—Darren Elms
