Meeting your soulmate in a bar may not sound romantic, but when your soulmate begins the courtship by telling his friend, “I have to go see about a girl,” it’s swoon-worthy. The “girl” was Kristen and the gentleman caller was Jon. It was the beginning of the ultimate romance and a real-life love story.
When Jon was ready to propose, he searched high and low for the ideal location in Chicago. The North Pond Nature Sanctuary was perfect. Jon’s friend Kyle hid in the bushes to capture the proposal on camera. Jon would then use the footage to design a book as an engagement gift for Kristen, which he presented to her at the bar where they first met. The following day, Jon took Kristen to Michigan, the place where they first said, “I love you.” Jon again surprised Kristen by inviting their friends from all over the country to stay at a beautiful lake house for the weekend.
Kristen and Jon both agreed that having an outdoor wedding was important to them, so naturally, they started searching for locations in California. They immediately fell in love with Sweet Lane Gardens. After selecting the venue, they flew to California where they attended a wedding expo and booked the majority of their vendors. All of the vendors turned out to be amazing, except one…the caterer. The morning of the wedding, Jon received a call from the caterer informing him that they had accidentally double booked and would not be coming to their wedding. With 90 mouths to feed in five hours, and a bride he did not want to upset, Jon enlisted the help of his groomsmen and hustled to find a new caterer. After many phone calls, a speedy food tasting and drafting of a contract, they left Santa Rosa Seafood with a leap of faith that the company would be able to buy, prepare and arrive with everything in time to feed the guests.
By the time the ceremony began, the new caterers had not yet arrived. Kristen and Jon decided that food was not the most important part of the day, and decided to proceed. They shrugged their shoulders and said, “At least there’s plenty of booze.” After a beautiful ceremony and a romantic kiss between the bride and groom, the caterers had not only arrived, but also had delicious hors d’oeuvres prepared and ready to serve, and dinner preparations were underway. The couple enjoyed another kiss and a giant sigh of relief that their new caterer had come through for them.
A Napa wedding for such a romantic couple would not be complete without a hot air balloon ride, an intimate walk through the vineyard and a well-rehearsed first dance. And, of course, an adventurous honeymoon traveling throughout Australia and New Zealand is the perfect segue to the rest of their lives.
— Kelley Saia
