Tara and Matt exemplify the beauty of letting life take its course. Having met when they were young and working together, they were fast friends. Over the course of six years, their feelings grew and changed, and they soon came to realize that their care for each other was more than platonic.
On a romantic vacation to San Diego’s Coronado Island, Matt popped the question. “We had a friend take our picture while on the beach and that’s when Matt got down on one knee. I cried so much I didn’t even remember if I said yes,” Tara recalls. She certainly did say yes, and Matt had a wonderful wine tasting planned to celebrate their love and good fortune in finding each other.
Tara and Matt, being a light-hearted and fun- loving couple, planned a wedding that reflected their jovial nature. Tara explains, “Neither of us take anything too serious and we love a good laugh. Our wedding definitely reflected that.”
Though Tara did most of the planning and organizing, she says Matt graciously agreed to most of her ideas. “We found vintage hand-blown toasting glasses from Germany in an antique store,” she says, “We also found an ornate serving set; all gold and the details were incredible, and we used that for our cake cutting.” Her mother was a huge help in the logistics of the wedding planning. They spent a lot of time together shopping for everything wedding related and remember it as fun, rather than work.
On a warm summer day, Tara and Matt were wed at Northstar California. A vintage and eclectic yet casual feel at the outdoor venue fit beautifully with their laid back love for each other. Atop the mountain, as they prepared to exchange vows, things fell a bit off course, but for the better. Tara explains, “There were lots of things that didn’t go as planned during our ceremony, but they were some of the things I loved the most.”
The wind had picked up that day, and much to Tara’s surprise, her veil was blown off and tossed down the mountain as she walked down the aisle. “When most brides would freak out, at that moment, it made me feel at ease,” she says. Tara explains that having something go wrong gave her the opportunity to laugh about it and realize that no matter what happened, their wedding would be a wonderful day.
In all, their favorite moment of the day was the gondola ride back down the mountain together. With all the chaos of the wedding day, the moment of peace and privacy was immensely welcome. Tara remembers, “In that one moment it was like time stood still and we got to just enjoy each other.”
— Abigail Blank
