Melissa and Tim met during their senior year of high school. He had a crush on her but she had a boyfriend at the time, and they never dated.

Twenty years later, they reconnected at their school’s homecoming and started dating. Three years after that, they got engaged at the exact same grassy spot where Tim first saw Melissa on the high school campus. Tim’s daughter Makenna, now 18, and his son Matthew, now 16, were there for the engagement. The couple married a year later at Rancho Victoria Vineyard.

“We fell in love with the 200-year-old oak tree location they have available for the ceremony,” says Melissa, explaining she and her groom wanted an outdoor setting for the ceremony and a vineyard and rustic barn setting for the reception.

The couple rented the venue for the whole weekend. They hosted their rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at the property; and the bride and her bridesmaids stayed at the onsite cottage Friday night. The newlyweds stayed in the cottage Saturday night after the wedding.

Melissa did all of the wedding planning by herself and completed lots of DIY projects. She hired a day-of coordinator and also had two of her friends assist on the wedding day.

She wanted “a romantic, rustic-glam look” so the décor featured white and light pink roses, silver dollar eucalyptus and gold touches, including charger plates, flatware and votive candles.

Melissa and Tim personalized their day in many ways. They wrote their vows together, and Tim’s brother, Jason, was the officiant. The couple honored Tim’s deceased father by repurposing two vintage French doors, removed from his father’s house, as an entryway to the ceremony. They also used his father’s beautifully restored 1970 Chevy Stepside as wedding day transportation.

The groom’s favorite wedding moment was watching that vintage vehicle pull up to the ceremony and seeing Melissa get out of the car. “I had a hard time keeping my composure,” he says. “Every emotion I’ve felt for her all came at once.”

Melissa’s memorable wedding day moment was reading each of the three cards Tim prepared for her. The maid of honor gave Melissa the cards throughout the day. “I received a card when I first woke up, while I was getting ready and before I walked down the aisle,” says Melissa. “Each card was so special and made me cry. I will cherish them forever.”

The 130 guests enjoyed a buffet dinner, followed by a simple cake with white buttercream frosting. The gold cake topper read, “Love You More”—the quote Melissa and Tim say to each other all the time.

The margarita machine was a hit, too! “We had beer and wine but also had frozen drink options—margaritas and piña coladas,” she says. “My favorite.”

The wedding day went fast but Melissa and Tim, who honeymooned in Maui, found a quiet moment alone. “After we walked down the aisle and waited for the recessional to finish, we sneaked into the vineyard and took a selfie together,” says Melissa. “Our first picture as husband and wife!” 

—Kristen Castillo