Sacramento Weddings

Something kept pulling Jamie back to his bank, and it was more than his financial business. One of the employees—with sparkling eyes and a captivating smile—had captured his interest. Michelle was the employee, and she recalls that Jamie kept returning with just one more question. “He would ‘forget’ what his question was each time,” Michelle says. “Later I learned that the question was to ask me out, but he was always too chicken! I didn’t mind being the one he always asked for though.” It took Jamie, a firefighter, eight months to finally ask her out.

It only took one date to realize a special connection in the other. “We knew right away we wanted to be in each other’s lives forever, whether as friends or husband and wife,” Michelle recalls.

After dating for 18 months, the two were in a committed relationship—so much so they visited a jewelry store to look at rings. “We went because I couldn’t convince Jamie to create a Pinterest account and view the ones I pinned,” Michelle laughs.

Michelle found the perfect ring, and Jamie shocked her by purchasing it right then. “I had a hard time holding it together, but Jamie reminded me that even though we had the ring, we weren’t engaged until he formally proposed, which I assumed would come quickly,” Michelle remembers. Jamie had other ideas. Two months passed, and the suspense was torture for Michelle, but the wait was worth it.

Remembering Michelle’s dream of a Paris proposal, Jamie decorated their home to evoke the romantic city, with rose petals and French music playing as his future bride returned from yoga class. “He got down on one knee in front of a big picture of the Eiffel Tower and proposed. Until our wedding day, it was the best moment of my life,” Michelle says.

That wedding came on a mid-summer’s day at Arden Hills. It was a classic and timeless affair, just as the bride and groom envisioned. “I wanted to be able to look back in 20 years and not regret any trendy colors or design choices,” Michelle explains. With the wedding venue adorned with elegant white flowers and lush greenery, the couple recited their vows in a ceremony that left people laughing and crying.

“We wanted the reception to be a fun party with lots of dancing and music,” Michelle says, “and we had several moments during the night where we would look out at the packed dance floor and feel blessed and amazed that all these people had come to celebrate our love with us.”

—Carrie Poggio