Wedding Story
- Q. A little bit about your love story (how did you meet, first date, etc.)
A. We were high school sweethearts. Our first real memorable meeting was at a pool party for a friend’s fifteenth birthday at my house. Rob still remembers exactly what I was wearing at that party (jean skirt and Abercrombie t-shirt, naturally). We dated through college and then we took a much needed hiatus; we needed to gather some experiences apart from each other. I moved to Spain and Rob got a job in Memphis. We didn’t keep up with each other until one day, Rob randomly reached out when I was living in California. He had gotten these art prints framed that I had gifted him in college. It made me feel good that he was cherishing them after the years passed. I told him I was living in California, and it just so happened he would be on a business trip and would be driving through San Luis Obispo the following week. So we had lunch, and about a month later I moved back to Memphis. I knew we were going to get married immediately. - Q. Your favorite part of the wedding day
A. I loved everything about being engaged and planning our wedding. I wore my veil around the house! It was really fun to be getting ready at the vineyard with our bridesmaids and groomsmen while everything was being set up. It felt like the calm before the storm, and the rest of the night moved so fast so it was great to have that moment. And it was fun to watch our vision come to life. I loved watching how carefree and happy Rob was the whole weekend. It was also incredible to see how many people traveled to be at our wedding. When we decided we would say our vows in San Luis Obispo, we made ourselves be comfortable with the idea that not a lot of people would be able to come. We were shocked at the response and so grateful that all of our friends and family came! - Q. What unique elements or DIY details did you include?
A. I loved our band! We flew the Preston Shannon Band in from our hometown, Memphis, to play in our California vineyard. They are a Memphis soul band that usually plays at BB Kings, so it really felt like worlds colliding; our favorite places, favorite things and even all of our favorite people in one place! The band played jazz and blues during dinner and soul music for dancing later in the night…it set the perfect mood! I also loved our invitations, programs and menus! I work at a stationer so I’m into paper, and our paper was all handmade and letterpressed. - Q. Tell us about your flowers, favors, cake, etc.
A. My flowers were all different shades of harvest orange, my favorite accent color. I am really into neutrals and warm colors. We knew we needed some warmth and color because all of the bridal party was to wear white. My florist, Garden District from Memphis, is also a friend of our family and beyond talented. My inspiration was a kumquat, and I kept the rest of it really loose. I wanted Greg at Garden District to feel inspired by the vineyard and the beautiful flowers out there. I gave him total artistic license so the flowers were kind of a surprise to us and I loved that! Such a great surprise! I couldn’t have been happier with them, just like I knew I would be! - Q. How did your personalities shine through on wedding day?
A. We really wanted the whole evening to feel really laid-back, and we didn’t want anything to feel forced so we offered a wine tasting before the ceremony, right after everyone stepped out of the bus. It offered everyone some time to soak in the vineyard, take pictures and enjoy the wine. Even though I was in the house hiding, it was so fun seeing everyone’s faces as the got off the bus and could explore a little bit with a drink in hand. We wanted it to feel like an intimate and elegant backyard cocktail party and not feel too orchestrated like weddings can sometimes be. We wanted everything to flow naturally for the guests and I really think it did! - Q. One piece of advice you could give brides-to-be?
A. Focus on your husband and not on planning details! It’s easy to go into planning mode the day of your wedding, but let all of that fall on your wedding planners and keep your focus on your hubby because things will go wrong and it will all happen so fast! It can be such a production and so much going on at one time that it can fly by in front of your eyes, but your husband isn’t looking at the bar running out of ice or thinking when the next course is coming. Rob was at the most fun party of his entire life, and his joy reminded me to sit back, enjoy and be grateful for this wedding and our marriage!
Vendors in this Wedding
Venue: HammerSky Vineyards
Photographer: Brady Puryear
Event Designer: Social Butterflies, LLC
DJ: Preston Shannon
Makeup / Hair: Katie Price
Floral Designer: The Garden District
Cake Designer: Madonna Inn
Caterer: Buona Tavola
Cinema and Video: Cloudless
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