Stephanie and Victor met through a mutual friend at his birthday party. “We then went on our first date for yogurt and to a wine lounge,” she says. “The funny thing is, our first date really didn’t go that well.” So much so the two lost touch and didn’t communicate for a couple months. “I asked her for her number and she gave me a fake one. Just kidding,” laughs Victor. But Stephanie finally did send him a text while on a trip to Florida, and they decided to give it another shot. The rest is history.
For her 30th birthday, the couple planned a trip to Las Vegas to see Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn in concert.
“On the last day of the trip, Victor insisted that we ride on the High Roller (the observation wheel), at sunset,” says Stephanie. “Each turn of the wheel takes about 30 minutes to make a complete revolution. Once we got to the highest point, Victor got down on one knee and proposed.”
The bride came to the table with plenty of ideas for the wedding, especially with the help of Pinterest. “There are so many amazing ideas on that website and I wanted to do all of them!” she says. From the beginning, she wanted an outdoor wedding with a rustic theme. “I knew that I wanted to wear cowgirl boots under my dress,” she adds. “And it was really important to me that our wedding guests felt like they could let loose and truly join in our celebration.”
They decided to have a Wedding Tree Ceremony, one that revolves around a potted Japanese maple sapling that symbolized the roots of a new relationship and the continued growth of love. “Victor and I poured vases of water onto the sapling to symbolize the constant nurturing and nourishment required by a relationship,” shares Stephanie. “Our mothers poured vases of soil to the base of the sapling. This soil was from both of our childhood homes and represented the coming together of two families as well as the strong foundation from which our parents had provided us.” The newlyweds will plant the maple at the first home that they buy together. “We can watch it grow stronger throughout the years, hopefully just like our marriage,” says the bride.
“The moment I saw Stephanie walk down the aisle, I lost it,” says Victor of the ceremony. “I could not imagine something so beautiful. It was pure magic and the best moment of my life. I cried. Real men cry.”
— Darren Elms
First Dance Song
“I Cross My Heart” by George Strait
Father/Daughter Dance Song
“Stealing Cinderella” by Chuck Wicks
Mother/Son Dance Song
“Have I Told You Lately” by Rod Stewart
Cake Cutting Song
“Sweetest Thing” by U2
Bouquet Toss Song
“Where Them Girls At” by David Guetta
Garter Toss Song
“Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen
Last Dance Song
“When the Stars Go Blue” by Tim McGraw
Details about the cake
Vanilla Wedding Cake with banana and strawberry filling and a vanilla butter cream frosting
Dessert Bar:
Vanilla Panna Cotta with hazelnut & white chocolate lattice
Chocolate Decadence cake with Nutella and strawberry gelee
Pink lemonade cupcakes
Cheesecake tartlet with berries and strawberry cream
Fresh baked cookies
French Macaroons
My husband is the general manager at Taste, so he worked closely with their pastry chef to create our wedding cake, cupcakes and desserts.
Details about the flowers
Jenn Robirds, also our wedding planner, did our flowers. She showed me how to create a shared board on Pinterest where she could see what my floral vision was for the wedding. My husband and I then met with her at a floral warehouse where we were able to walk around and point out different flowers that we liked. This was really fun and made us feel that she was really paying attention to exactly what we wanted.
Then Jenn did her magic and made all of the flowers for our wedding look absolutely gorgeous! She also suggested the hand dyed silk ribbon hanging from the bridal & bridesmaid bouquets which added a very nice touch.We received countless compliments on how gorgeous all of our flowers were. They were so beautiful, I wanted to keep them forever! I ended up drying out my bridal bouquet and have it on display to this day.
We had gorgeous flowers everywhere – roses, peonies, Cafe au Lait dahlias, snapdragons, olive branches, seeded eucalyptus, scabiosa, and ranunculus.
Details about the favors
Engraved mason jars ordered from Cheap Favor Shop. The shipment arrived quickly, none of the jars were broken, and they even included a few extra for free.
Seed packets that I created myself. I bought the empty packets on Amazon, printed on the packets with my Printing Press Extreme program, and filled them with seeds that I bought from Home Depot.
Anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?
We had so many amazing vendors!
Charleton Churchill Photography – What we wanted were photos that would allow us to re-live the best day of our lives, and that is exactly what we got. Every time we look at our amazing photos, it feels as if we are experiencing that day all over again. Charleton was able to capture photos of all the special moments, all of the little details, candid photos of loved ones, some epic photos that look great on our wall, and so much more!
Rancho Victoria Vineyard – I fell in love with this beautiful vineyard and would definitely recommend it to anyone. This is where we had our wedding rehearsal, ceremony, reception and day-after brunch. We also rented their ‘bridal cottage’ for three days. Our ceremony location was under a large oak tree surrounded by rolling hills of never-ending grape vines. This was absolutely a dream come true–I have always dreamed of getting married outdoors underneath a large oak tree. The owners were so easy to work with and helped us with many of the details, including hanging chandeliers for the ceremony and parking guests cars.
Beth Sogaard Catering was a pleasure to work with! They helped us create the perfect menu for our guests and were able to adjust things based on our requests. Everything was displayed beautifully to match our theme and everything tasted delicious.
Temple Photography & Photo Booth – I am so glad that we decided to do this; we ended up with so many great photos of our wedding guests. There was a booth attendant who was there for the entire session and had a scrapbook laid out so the guests could glue their photo strip to and sign. Everyone of all ages seemed to love the photo booth.
Optimum Entertainment – My husband and I were interested in playing ‘the shoe game’ during our reception but had never seen this game played so we asked our DJ his thoughts. He was very familiar with the game and put it together for us at our rehearsal. It was perfect and we later received multiple compliments from our guests. We also received multiple compliments on the music that DJ David Alazzawi played. He was really able to read the crowd and play music that everyone enjoyed.
Any tips you’d give brides and grooms planning their wedding today?
The day goes by so fast!! On the wedding day, try to relax and be in the moment as much as possible, you only get this experience once. Don’t spend too much time worrying about making everything perfect. Try to remind yourself of what is truly important.
During the wedding planning process, take it one step at a time. Sometimes the list of ‘things to do’ will seem never ending. Try to focus on tasks one at a time instead of everything all at once; this might help prevent you from becoming overwhelmed. And, have faith that all of your efforts will be worth it.
Vendors
Ceremony Site:
Rancho Victoria Vineyard Officiant:
Pastor Ken Birks Ceremony Music:
Optimum Entertainment Photographer:
Charleton Churchill Photography Wedding Planner:
Jenn Robirds Events Reception Site:
Rancho Victoria Vineyard Bridal Hair:
All Dolled Up Hair & Makeup Artistry Bridal Make-up:
All Dolled Up Hair & Makeup Artistry Bridal Attire:
Miosa Bride Bridal Veil:
Allure Bridals Bridal Shoes:
Country Outfitter Bridesmaids' Attire:
Alfred Angelo Flowergirl Attire:
Light in the Box Groom’s Attire:
Men's Wearhouse Groomsmen's Attire:
Men's Wearhouse Bride's Rings Jeweler:
Costco Groom's Rings Jeweler:
Arden Jewelers Save the Date Cards:
Vistaprint Invitations:
DIY by Mountain Cow Invitations:
DIY with Cards & Pockets Place Cards:
DIY Thank You Cards:
Wedding Paper Divas Wedding Party Flowers:
Jenn Robirds Events Ceremony Flowers:
Jenn Robirds Events Reception Flowers:
Jenn Robirds Events Caterer:
Beth Sogaard Catering Bar Service:
RAD (rent-a-drink) Margarita Machines Cake:
Taste Restaurant & Wine Bar Cupcakes:
Taste Restaurant & Wine Bar Desserts:
Taste Restaurant & Wine Bar DJ/Entertainment:
Optimum Entertainment Transportation/Limo Services:
MGM Transportation Favors:
Cheap Favor Shop Favors:
Printing Press Extreme Photo Booth:
Temple Photography & Photo Booth Table Rentals:
Celebrations! Party Rentals & Tents Chair Rentals:
Celebrations! Party Rentals & Tents Additional Resources:
The Fab Bridal Jewelry (bridesmaids' gifts that they wore in the wedding) Additional Resources:
Rest Hotel and Shenandoah Inn (guest accommodations) Additional Resources:
Mosaic Salon (spray tan) Honeymoon Travel Agent:
Ian Cort, Personal Cruise Consultant