After two years of dating, Stacia and Caleb were thrilled to be getting married. They got engaged while looking at photos of their relationship, on which they wrote what they love about each other. “All of Caleb’s began ‘You are…’ and his last photo said, ‘You are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with,’” says Stacia. “After that, he proposed and I said ‘yes!’”
The couple, who met through a mutual friend, planned their wedding in eight months. “I felt like our engagement was the perfect amount of time,” Stacia says. “We had enough time to get everything done without feeling rushed and it wasn’t too long that we felt like we had to wait forever.”
The ceremony and reception, which was held at Willow Creek Events, had a vintage theme with colors in blue, brown and tan. About 90 guests attended the wedding, including 20 of Stacia’s family and friends from San Diego, where she grew up.
Stacia, an office manager for a pool company, wore an A-line gown featuring lace and sheer material. “ I love the dress because it was different but also elegant and pretty,” she says. Bridesmaids wore dresses in varying shades of tan, complemented by gold jewelry and white open-toe heels.
Caleb, an instructional assistant for special education, wore fitted khaki pants, a slim fit white button up shirt, and a gray vest with a paisley brown and blue tie. Gray vintage dress shoes completed the look. His groomsmen wore khaki pants, white shirts and blue ties.
The couple, who live in Sacramento, had a “unity tree,” where they watered a tree to symbolize unity. They also wrote their own vows. “Caleb surprised me with ‘acceptance vows’ toward the end of our ceremony,” says Stacia. “He designed matching rings for us and wrote vows saying that we would celebrate and accept our differences.” Those white gold acceptance rings are worn on the right hand.
“My favorite memory was after we were done walking down the aisle after we got married and realizing it was done,” says the bride. “We have a picture of us and you can see the excitement in our faces.”
Caleb agrees, saying, “It was an exciting feeling to realize we were married and done!”
Since they love Mexican food, the couple served a Mexican buffet, which included dishes like enchiladas and rolled tacos. Their Italian rum cake with butter cream frosting was finished with cake toppers that Caleb bought at a thrift store. The toppers were, “supposed to represent us,” says Stacia. “We loved being able to do something different and fun.”
Both Stacia and Caleb say that they stressed most about handling all the wedding details, especially last minute tasks. That’s why they recommend asking for planning help. “Have helpful friends, who are willing to help, without always giving their opinions,” recommends Caleb.
Luckily, the couple got rid of their wedding stress during their honeymoon cruise to the Bahamas.
