While casually browsing Facebook, Troy stumbled upon a good friend’s post about the San Francisco Giants’ race to the World Series. He scanned the replies and saw his first name acting like a last name, which was confusing, but he suddenly became distracted by what appeared to be a cute blonde. That cute blonde, Polly “Troy,” engaged Troy “Monken” in some witty, and telling, banter:
“HER LAST NAME IS TROY.
I love you, Polly me.”
“When we get married do you promise to take my last name?”
“They’ll write books of our love—‘The Adventures of Polly and Troy Troy.’”
Three days later, they went on their first date, and four years later, they were married. The couple got engaged at Cavallo Point just across the Golden Gate Bridge. Troy not only surprised Polly with a proposal and a ring, but an overnight stay at the beautiful lodge. To top it off, he presented her with a longtime dream…a dress box with an outfit ready for a romantic dinner.
Looking ahead to their big day, the couple hoped for a wedding that felt like a dinner party—something fully orchestrated, yet still warm and intimate with the food and drinks stealing the show. “The day was a celebration of our love, but what we wanted more than anything was to create an experience for our family and friends that they would never forget,” shares Polly. “We wanted each one of our guests to feel like their presence was intentional and that they were our very own VIPs.”
Barndiva, a restaurant and art studio located in Healdsburg, checked the box for amazing food and drink, and the couple was blown away by the gorgeous extras, including a ceremony aisle outlined in walnut trees, iron arches decorated with white lights above the dining space, long communal tables and a constantly changing, eye-catching art gallery. Adds Polly: “Our dinner party had come to life, and all we had to do was add in our own special touches.”
With a hint of social media inspiration, the couple found photos of every single one of their guests and used them as table cards with the number on the back. “We scoured our photo libraries, photos from our childhood and social media,” says the bride. “For our parents, we digitally restored photos from their wedding day, and for our siblings we found cute-but-slightly-embarrassing photos of them as toddlers.”
For the ceremony, they took a cue from their friends’ recent nuptials and hired Reverend Rich to do the honors. “Our ceremony was a celebration of our journey, advice for the road ahead, and a way of inspiring other couples in the audience.”
—Darren Elms
