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 duringSarah’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
First Dance Song
“And I Love You So” by Perry Como (in honor of the Bride’s grandmother & grandfather)
Father/Daughter Dance Song
“She Belongs to Me” by Jerry Garcia
Mother/Son Dance Song
“In My Life” by The Beatles
Cake Cutting Song
“How Sweet it Is” by Jerry Garcia
Bouquet Toss Song
“You Make Loving Fun” by Fleetwood Mac
Garter Toss Song
“Light My Fire” by The Doors
Details about the cake
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Details about the flowers
Flowers were done by the Bride and Groom. All flowers were either living (which we planted and designed ourselves), or they were dried (which we either grew and dried ourselves or ordered from Save On Crafts and then arranged ourselves).
Details about the favors
Favors were jars of homemade Organic Strawberry and Blueberry Chia Seed Jam. The bride, her mother, and the groom’s mother spent hours making the jam and canning it into jars.
Anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?
I was so incredibly worried about crying at the ceremony and ruining my makeup. Heather at Flawless was so kind that she offered to stay through the ceremony in case I needed a touch-up. This was not something she was supposed to do or that I asked her to do. She simply offered after I sent her a nervous email. I ended up not crying (which was shocking since I cry at EVERYTHING, including over the phone with Heather when she called offering to stay through the ceremony).
Doing mostly everything ourselves made the entire day that much more special, because we had put so much effort into it and poured ourselves and our own tastes, into every detail.
Any tips you’d give brides and grooms planning their wedding today?
Let go of expectations. That does not mean don’t try to create the wedding of your dreams. That simply means your wedding day will take on a life of its own once it starts. Do what you can, but at a certain point you have to just let go and enjoy it for what it is. Everything will go the way it is supposed to—unplanned imperfections and all. The things that do not go as planned can end up becoming some of the best memories about the day if you don’t get hung up on them as being negative.
What would you have done differently if you had the chance?
We opted out of having microphones for the ceremony since we are loud talkers anyway. I wish we had been microphoned because it turns out some of the older people could not hear the ceremony well.
Vendors
Ceremony Site:
Union Hill Inn, Sonora CA Officiant:
Mari MacLean, Groom's aunt Ceremony Music:
DJ Phil Baker Professional DJ Service Photographer:
Valley Images Photography Videographer:
Zachary Nieman, Bride's cousin Wedding Planner:
Events Extraordinaire Reception Site:
Union Hill Inn Bridal Hair:
Flawless Hair & Makeup Design Bridal Make-up:
Heather Johnson at Flawless Hair & Makeup Design Bridal Attire:
And Something Blue Bridal Veil:
A Bit of Love Wedding (pearl headpiece) Bridesmaids' Attire:
Atom Attire Groom’s Attire:
Men's Wearhouse Groomsmen's Attire:
Men's Wearhouse Bride's Rings Jeweler:
Diamond City Jewelers Groom's Rings Jeweler:
CL Diamonds Save the Date Cards:
Magnets from Vistaprint Invitations:
DIY by the Bride & Groom (Lotka paper from Save On Crafts) Menu Cards:
DIY chalkboards designed by the Bride & Groom Buffet Cards:
DIY chalkboards designed by the Bride & Groom Thank You Cards:
Save On Crafts Wedding Party Flowers:
DIY by the Bride & Groom Ceremony Flowers:
DIY by the Bride & Groom Reception Flowers:
DIY by the Bride & Groom Caterer:
Mike’s Branding Iron Bar Service:
Mike’s Branding Iron and Nate and Chrissy Lundt (Bride and Groom’s friends who made fresh squeezed, homemade pomegranate margaritas) Cake:
Vonnie Hilton at Simply Delish Cupcakes:
Simply Delish Desserts:
Simply Delish DJ/Entertainment:
DJ Phil Baker Favors:
DIY by the Bride, Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom Decor Signage:
Hand crafted by the Bride and Groom