Sparks, Nevada, born and raised, Tarin and Matt have had mutual friends since middle school, but it was when they bumped into each other at a country concert at the University of Nevada in Reno that they hit it off. After four years of dating, along came a proposal—complete with candles, personalized football jerseys, “Me and You” by Kenny Chesney, a custom ring, and photographer to capture the sweet moment. Michael remembers thinking, ”What better way to start our lives together than on one of the greatest days of the year: NFL opening day?”
It was from that day on that the couple began planning their wedding, and Tarin, an excellent planner with a knack for organizing, took on the challenge. “The planning process went very easy as I knew what I was looking for; and Matt and I communicated about everything we wanted. The most difficult parts were finding the venue and finding my dress,” Tarin explains.
The couple decided to have their wedding at the Tannenbaum Events Center with an outdoor, minimal theme and a dance floor big enough for everyone to break it down! Just as they wanted, everyone enjoyed the reception while eating, laughing and taking pictures, especially when it came to the photo booth. “We loved having our photo booth and jumping into pictures to surprise our guests, and now being able to look back at those pictures to see our guests having a blast,” remembers Tarin.
And don’t forget the four-tiered cake that was packed with scrumptious flavors, including chocolate raspberry and red velvet. “Shoving cake in Tarin’s face was epic!” says Matt. “We both were committed to not being the couple to eat it off each other’s hands.”
Everything—from Tarin walking down the aisle and the cake smash to the first dance and even the mashed potatoes—was a hit! The MVPs of the night scored a touchdown with pictures of their smiling selves and loved ones showering them with love and congratulations as proof. “My favorite part of the day was sharing my love for Matt with our family and friends. I remember smiling from ear to ear the entire time,” says Tarin.
—Isabella De Garza
First Dance Song
“You’re Everything” by Keith Urban
Father/Daughter Dance Song
“Dance with my Daughter” by Jason Blaine
Mother/Son Dance Song
“Like My Mother Does” by Lauren Alaina
Cake Cutting Song
“L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole
Bouquet Toss Song
“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Miley Cyrus
Garter Toss Song
“Want to Want Me” by Jason Derulo
Details about the cake
• Groom’s Cake – Linda’s Fudge Cake
• Wedding Cake (four layers) – Vanilla with chocolate Raspberry filling, Red Velvet, Vanilla with fresh Raspberry filling, and Vanilla for the top layer, which we saved for our first anniversary. All frosting was buttercream.
• Our cake topper is a Precious Moments figurine to honor the Bride’s grandmother who gave her a Precious Moments figurine every year for 16 years.
Details about the favors
Guests were able to take home a Photo Booth photo and a Bottle Opener Key that was attached to their name cards.
Anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?
• Cribbage boards were set up upstairs inside for guests to play, as the Groom’s family are avid Cribbage players.
• Justin Buettner was a trooper as we gave him the challenge of photographing the ceremony in the round. We got married in the middle of all of our guests instead of the traditional way in front of them. We also had all of the dinner table surrounding the dance floor. We went with this set-up in order to be surrounded by our family and friends, and to create a unique and intimate environment.
• Randy Dorman from Memories Etched in Stone created our table numbers and a few photo booth props. The bride loves the Dallas Cowboys and the groom loves the Denver Broncos. Football is a stable part of our relationship and was a big part of our engagement, so we wanted to incorporate it into our wedding day as well. He also created various signage to use within the photo booth.
• Erik Riekenberg, owner of Epik Weddings, was extremely helpful in planning out our timeline. He shared his expertise and tips openly and made us feel as though he wanted our wedding to be as perfect as we did. In every meeting he remembered information from each conversation, and even helped us find vendors when we were not able to find what we were looking for.
Any tips you’d give brides and grooms planning their wedding today?
• If you can, have a buffet stand at the front to say hello and mingle with all of your guests before sitting down to eat, and have a quiet moment with your new spouse.
• Communicate and make sure the wedding day represents both of your wants, your relationship, and your personalities.
• CAKE SMASH!! (nicely)
• Don’t feel the need to invite everyone you know. Make sure they play a part in your relationship if they are invited.
• Prioritize what you want and what you are looking for with that vendor to determine your budget in that area.
• Have a final meeting with all vendors to go over timeline, expectations, emergency plans, etc.
What would you have done differently if you had the chance?
If we could do this again, I would want to start the ceremony a little earlier in order to have more time to mingle and take pictures. The rest are small details that would’ve been convenient for us, but wouldn’t change the feel of the wedding or how much we loved our day.
