A Santa Rosa native, single, twenty-something Sara decided she needed a change of scenery and a new adventure, so she packed her bags and moved to the Sacramento area. This relocation proved auspicious, as she would soon meet her future husband.
Justin’s job required him to travel around the area and visit vast amounts of properties. During these work encounters, he befriended a fellow name Jeff, who happened to be the husband of Sara’s best friend. Jeff asked Justin how his dating life was going, to which he replied: “single, lonely and would love to meet that certain someone special.” Although she’d given up on blind dates, Sara was persuaded to meet Justin at Jeff’s request. “He saw an opportunity to make two people very, very happy,” says Sara, “…little did he know he was setting up a future husband and wife.”
Almost together a full year, the couple celebrated their first Valentine’s Day together, a holiday they were once hesitant to embrace. “That night was one of the best nights that we shared together,” remembers Sara. “We both have kids so to get away for dinner that night was a blessing. We sort of just made it our day, and from that point on, Valentine’s Day was so much more. The following year, on February 14, Justin proposed during a romantic getaway in Mendocino.
As the couple began to plan their wedding, they agreed to make it an outside celebration. “This was absolutely a must,” says the bride. “Although we had really hoped for a beautiful fall wedding, we were willing to sacrifice the cooler autumn weather for the guarantee that we’d be married outside.” When they discovered Rome Valley Vineyards, they knew they had found the place.
Sara revels in how Justin was just as eager to help plan the details of their big day. “I wanted it to be as much of Justin’s special day as it was mine,” she says. “We are becoming one, so let’s do this together.” They recall hearing from friends and family that—no matter what—something would happen that wasn’t planned. “We took this advice to heart and learned to embrace the little quirks and enjoy every moment of the day—knowing we would look back and laugh,” Sara says.
On top of the mountain, ready to exchange vows, both Sara and Justin were having trouble holding back tears. “I was so nervous standing up there waiting for her—it felt like an eternity,” remembers the groom. “I kept telling myself to stay strong, but when I saw her in the distance, looking toward me and focused on me, I couldn’t help but get emotional. My bottom lip started to quiver and I couldn’t stop it for a good 15 seconds. It was the most amazing feeling seeing her eyes fixed on me and only me.”
—Darren Elms
First Dance Song
"Wanted" by Hunter Hayes
Father/Daughter Dance Song
"I Loved Her First" by Heartland
Mother/Son Dance Song
"A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men
Money Dance Song
"For the Love of Money" by the O'Jays
Cake Cutting Song
"How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" by James Taylor
Bouquet Toss Song
"All the Single Ladies" by Beyonce
Last Dance Song
"A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri
Details about the cake
We had a 3-tier cake. Each layer was a different. We knew that it was likely going to be a hot day due to our date being in August so we wanted something light and refreshing. We stayed away from chocolates and puddings even though we love chocolate. We ended up going with champagne with strawberry filling for one tier. The middle tier was an almond cake with lemon filling. The third tier was a vanilla cake with raspberry filling. We were extremely happy with Cathy from Gimme Cake Too and we feel like she absolutely went above and beyond all of our expectations. We would recommend her to anyone in a heartbeat. The way she decorated the cake too was perfect and flawless. She incorporated everything that we described that we liked and were hoping for. She included our wedding colors and made it taste to perfection. I was bummed that at the end of the night there was no more cake to eat. I really wanted seconds (Sara speaking). She did tell us that she always makes the bride and groom the top tier to their wedding cake for them for their first year wedding anniversary, so I am definitely looking forward to that!
Details about the flowers
We wanted it to reflect as much purity as possible (not in the way that you are thinking of but in the way where it is heavenly and blissful). We wanted to incorporate as many white flowers as we could. We did not want any color. Cool Florists and Gifts did our wedding for us. They did everything from the centerpieces to the bouquets and boutonnieres. They arrived and delivered everything on time and everything looked so beautiful in the end when the wedding was ready to start. We were happy.
Anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?
Justin and I would never have been able to pull off everything alone. It took a team (a GREAT team) that made everything flow. We had to put a lot of our trust and faith into other people’s hands. We came together before that day and told each other that no matter what we love each other that is all that matter so if the cake doesn’t show up on time, or if the flowers are all the wrong colors, or if it rains, It will be ok and we are there to get married and have fun and unite together. This is one thing that helped us to just enjoy each moment and not get too overwhelmed. The team that helped us get there was wonderful.
BJ (owner of Rome Valley Vineyards) was like a mother to us and you could feel her guiding us through every step of the way. As the bride I’ll never forget getting ready in the room that looked out over the gazebo and area where we were about to be wed.
I was behind the sheer curtain looking through watching the guests arrive wondering what my almost husband was doing and thinking about in the room above mine. That moment was special to me because it was quiet and it was my last moments as a single woman to reflect on how happy I was to be here at this point in my life. Everything for me felt complete and whole. Seeing Justin dancing with my 85-year-old grandma on the dance floor was pretty awesome to watch too.
The moon was a super moon that night so we swear it put an extra spark in the air for everyone. Our photographers (Jim and Stephanie Sutherlin) and us were determined to get a great shot of us under the moon. The clouds kept drifting in and out and when they would get clear for a split second we’d stop mid dance and look at our photographers and then all 4 of us would sprint (can you imagine in my wedding dress) across the back lawn of the venue, over the hedges, and through the front garden area to reach a good spot under the moon. Then Justin and I would hold a kiss for what seemed like forever and try not to laugh or squint our faces and hold a pose while Jim was behind us in the bushes trying to hide in the shot behind my wedding dress just to hold the light while Stephanie grabbed as many shots as she could when the moon did pop through. Jim and Stephanie were the best people to have at our wedding with us. They are so funny and such a cute couple themselves. They are very generous and honest which made taking the pictures that much more fun and stress free. They took amazing photos and we are so happy!
