Elegant Outdoor Wedding in Oakland

Photographer’s Remarks:

“Our day was majorly centered around bringing our “sides” together, including our families, best friends, and loved ones, to celebrate our new family as a whole.

We decided to keep our ceremony and reception pretty simple because that’s just how we are as a couple. We just love to be around each other and making memories, and the energy from that is what inspired our day!

The florals included soft shades of lavender, hints of white roses, and lots of greenery. Once we decided on the bridal bouquet and fell in love with it, we incorporated the style into almost every aspect of the wedding! From the groomsmen boutonnieres, to the bridesmaid bouquets, to our dog’s collar…we just loved the look of it.

Taylor built the entire dance floor with stands of lights at our reception so that we could have fun outside all night long! It was one of our favorite parts about the night. We also planned a s’mores bar for everyone to create their own desserts.

Brenna knew exactly what she wanted when it came to her wedding dress. She extensively researched the style, fit, and details (instead of studying for her final exams), so when she tried it on at Anthropologie for the first time she knew it was exactly what she wanted.

Taylor really had no clue where to start with his suit and was a bit nervous when it came to shopping. He knew he liked the look of the charcoal suit and went from there. After traveling from mall to mall, he finally found the perfect fit and loved it!

Taylor and I met on the first day of winter semester classes during our sophomore year of college. We happened to sit in the same row next to each other (Taylor later admitted he scooted a little closer to me once he glanced over) and just so happened to exchange phone numbers to study sometime (I later admitted that I purposefully asked for his number instead of his email address just to make things a little more personal). We became friends and went through a series of on-and-off-again dates. Ultimately, we fell in love with being together and how comfortable we were with each other. We finally labeled it “dating” once we realized had never thought again about living life without each other.

Taylor started planning his elaborate proposal by the time we were starting our last semester of college. Of course, I had no idea of this long-planned proposal when we set out on our road trip from Utah to California for the weekend. While visiting his home, he told me to get dressed to go explore downtown SF for the day. It seemed so seamless going from lunch to shopping to heading to Muir Beach Overlook to watch the sunset. Little did I know, Taylor had strategically planned the entire day and even his friends headed to the beach that afternoon as well to prepare to capture Taylor popping the question. When we got to the end of the overlook walkway at sunset, Taylor pulled out the most gorgeous ring and asked me to marry him. It was obviously the easiest “yes” I have ever said in my entire life.

The entire day was special and truly the best day ever. We loved getting married in Oakland, celebrating in Vacaville, eating amazing food, and dancing the night away. Most importantly, we loved having all of our people there with us!

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?

Just enjoy the day!!! It goes by WAY too fast.”