REAL WEDDINGS: LAVENDER & LEMONS EDITION

We were standing in front of the castle, taking a couples’ photo as instructed by my Disneyland Scavenger Hunt list. In but a single moment, I went from standing next to my boyfriend, smiling at the camera, to staring in disbelief at the sparkly ring in front of me, and the most handsome smile grinning at me from behind it. I had dreamt of this moment my entire life. I was the stereotypical girl who grew up oohing and ahhing over wedding magazines, pinning obsessively on Pinterest, and letting my head float up to the clouds as I imagined what it would be like for me someday. Needless to say, I was not about waste any time to plan the happiest day of my life after my sweet Andrew proposed.

During the planning, there were really only three things that seriously mattered to me. 

1) I didn’t want it to be all about me. I wanted it to be all about us.
2) I wanted our ceremony to be a worship service dedicated to the God we serve.
3) It was important to me that in all the details, elements of our story and who we are as a couple were revealed to our guests.

I became Mrs. Andrew Charles Smith on August 19th, 2018 at Lorimar Vineyards & Winery in Temecula, CA. Having grown up in the wine country of Sonoma, it felt like home while still being within a reasonable distance for our predominantly Orange County guest list. We happened upon this winery by chance, late at night, driving home from Temecula. Andrew pulled over and insisted I get out of the car to walk around the property and email them immediately for details. A place I was certain would be over budget responded within minutes of my late night inquiry and had several flexible options that made it possible to have my dream wedding in the gorgeous grapevines of Temecula. The wedding was the ultimate cumulation of our families and their God-given gifts and talents integrating with one another to create a symphony of intimate, personal touches that told our story.

THE GROOM

From the start, I wanted to showcase my groom. This wedding was about our love, not my ability to wear an expensive white dress and feel pretty. From the centerpiece vases being Sam Adams beer bottles, to the tables being named after baseball stadiums, to our first dance song being given to him to choose (Speechless by Dan + Shay), to asking his sister, a professional singer, to sing for the ceremony processional, I wanted to honor the man I was about to marry by making it feel like it was his day, too.

THE BRIDE

Not to sound vain, but if anyone could figure out how to beautifully combine baseball with Disney for a wedding theme, it would be me. With my sparkly shoes and choker necklace inspired by Cinderella herself, the castle cake-topper, the instrumental Disney music playing before the ceremony, it was evident that I was very excited to be living out my own Disney fairytale. But even more important than that, the most important thing to me has always been family. That’s why they were heavily involved in every detail. My dad, a Reverend, both walked me down the aisle and officiated the ceremony. My own mother, a professional cake decorator, made the cake, and my brother, an exceptional baker, baked the Gluten-Free communion bread we shared together as a newly married couple.

THE WEDDING

The colors of our wedding were various tones of reds and pinks, as a nod to how we met on Valentine’s Day, with hints of blues thrown in for my groom. We toasted with a luxury coffee roast made and named after us instead of the typical wasted Champagne. We wrote our own vows and had our guests sit through an hour-long ceremony as we unapologetically decided that the ceremony was so much more important to us than the dance party. We also chose to skip the First Look, since we had both dreamt of seeing one another for the first time as I came down the aisle. Instead, I did a First Look with my dad, who has been my main man my entire life.

Our bridal party was filled with the people nearest and dearest to us. My bridesmaids wore shades of pink, while my Matron of Honor (our girl, KC!) wore red. The groomsmen charmed us all in their navy suits and red boutonnieres. For my girls’ matching “getting ready” attire, I decided to do something quirky. I bought them all nightgowns from Etsy with a silly phrase that reminded me of them or my relationship with them.

Bride: the one who found the one

KC (Matron of Honor): the one who picked up a lesbian 

Jess (Bridesmaid): the one the bride married first

Sarah (Bridesmaid): the one who will save the planet

Rebekah (Bridesmaid): the one with a dad joke 

The morning of my wedding, I laid in bed with them in our suite, while watching bulldog YouTube videos to settle my pre-wedding jitters. We rolled up to the venue, with me still in my nightgown and unicorn slippers, while I blasted 23 by Mike WiLL Made-It and rapped my way into my big day.

We were surrounded by family, the dearest friends, and the sweetest little touches that captured both who we are and how we love. In the end, it was a dream come true.

And now we’re off to live happily ever after.

xo, Suz