Sarah and Kyle meet at their middle school in Pleasant Hill. “I told Kyle in the hallway that I liked his Aerosmith t-shirt, and he quickly walked away without responding.” Despite that initial awkward encounter, the two were destined to be together and got engaged in 2014.

For their wedding, Sarah wanted living, breathing, beautiful and cascading rosemary for her centerpieces mixed with dried plants. “We planted 14 rosemary plants in galvanized buckets and grew them for over a year in preparation,” she says. “Our taste and style is industrial rustic, so we tried to really reflect that in all of the décor.” Putting time and effort into every detail, the couple even cut wood rounds for the centerpieces from a log in their backyard.

While driving to the venue many months before the wedding, the couple stopped at an antique store and impulse-bought two very old washing machines. “We used the washing machines to put drinks in at the venue,” shares the bride. “They were interesting, functional display pieces and they added a lot of character to the setting.”

For the ceremony, Sarah and Kyle pulled different pieces from different ceremonies off the web and crafted a ceremony that made the most sense to them. “It was emotional and rewarding to go through the things we wanted to promise each other and write out our very own unique vows,” says Sarah. “We also asked Kyle’s aunt to get ordained and perform the ceremony for us. We wanted someone who we knew and loved to officiate the wedding—that made it particularly special.”

The reception was held at Union Hill Inn where the couple had drinks and lawn games set up and places for people to lounge. “As a wedding present, our friends Nate and Chrissy hand-crafted delicious homemade, fresh pressed pomegranate margaritas,” says Sarah.

One of the most memorable moments was during  Sarah’s father’s speech when he pulled out of his jacket pocket the toy cow that Kyle had given him the morning of the wedding as a joke in lieu of a “dowry.” “Once the serious, emotional parts of the day were over, it was so much fun just dancing with our friends,” she says. “And our friends get down! They danced all night long.”

— Darren Elms