Our Backyard Reception.

When my mom's parents moved to California 50 years ago, they bought a house in Fullerton. It's where my grandma raised seven children as a single mom. It's where my dad pulled up on his moped to pick up my mom for Sadie Hawkins. It's where my uncles put ketchup on their faces in the bathroom to scare their sisters during a game of "Bloody Mary". 

In more recent years, it was pretty much run by the grandkids - all thirteen of us. Marching through the family room and kitchen in a parade, practicing piano in the den, going out in the garden to pick fruits and make juice with grandma, or sitting in Papa's chair when he wasn't looking - stealing tootsie rolls and sips of his iced tea when he returned.

This house and all of it's memories are sacred to me. 

When my Papa passed away, my grandma moved into the house next door and my uncle moved in to her house, and we were all happy to be keeping it in our family. One day, many years ago, I mentioned to my aunt that I'd love to have a wedding reception in that backyard. When Weston and I got engaged her first words to me were, "The backyard is yours!"

So, a week after our wedding ceremony, after returning from our honeymoon, we had our reception. 

^ When I asked my mom to make our wedding cake she initially said no way, but I'm so glad she gave in. Gorgeous and delicious!

My dad is the jack of all trades and helped us SO much with his DIY contributions. He made those giant wooden initials, our table numbers, and the entire bar out of old pallets! It was seriously insane watching all of his work come together!

We got to be outside, greeting our guests as everyone arrived which we loved. My friend, Jodi, was tending the bar and she came up with this insanely good "lovers punch" that was to die for. When I asked what was in it she said, "a little bit of whiskey… and a whole lot of love." Down. ;)

For dinner, we had mediterranean food from a tiny little restaurant that Weston's family frequented when he was growing up. I'm salivating just thinking about it!

As everyone finished their meals, Weston and I said a quick thank you to our guests and I actually got really emotional, looking out seeing all of the people we love, realizing this is probably the only time in our lives that every important person to us will be in the same place at the same time. It's a really incredible thing.

Then, we showed a little video of clips from the last seven years of me and Weston dating, before we got to share our wedding video. Lots of teary eyes in the audience. :)

The Day We Got Married.

I woke up without an alarm. The sunshine peeking through the blinds just after 8:00. And even in those groggy morning moments, it was already just the way I hoped our wedding day would feel - happy, natural, and relaxed.

Later that morning, we went for a brisk walk around our new neighborhood. Arm in arm. Trying to stay warm. Came home and sat on the couch in our sweats, eating breakfast and watching Friends.

A little while later, Weston left with his suit in his hands and I kissed him goodbye before submerging myself in a hot bath. I got ready in my bedroom with my mom, Weston's sister Taryn, and the two talented ladies who did my hair and makeup - my friends Bianca and Diana. I helped my mom apply her makeup, laughed with Taryn over her constant teary eyes that day, and then we got in the car and headed to Malibu.

The boys all arrived a little early to set up our arbor, lanterns, and the little DIY backdrop of paper cones.

Initially, my dream was to elope in Big Sur. When we decided to have our parents and siblings in attendance at our ceremony, the cost of a destination wedding quickly added up and we decided to look for a place that would have a similar feel without the additional travel costs.

When we met with the family who owns this property in Malibu we were blown away by their kindness, graciousness, and care-free attitude. And as for the canopy of trees in their forest? We just loved it. It encompassed everything we were hoping for in a location. There was a small, enclosed gazebo near the main property that the owners let us use, so when we arrived, my mom, Taryn, and I headed inside for a few finishing touches and to slip into my dress.

I will never forget how excited my mom was before the ceremony. Love her!

After I was dressed, I finally started to feel a little bit anxious. The whole day I'd been so calm but when I knew we were only a few moments away, I just wanted to stop waiting and see Weston! We met up with my dad and then he, my mom and I stood just outside of the woods, waiting not-so-patiently for our cue to start walking….

When I heard my uncle whistle, a million butterflies took flight in my stomach. My dad squeezed my arm and the three of us started walking around the bend. As soon as I heard my friend Tristen's faint guitar picking in the distance (he played this song by Bibio) I felt myself start to cry. And as we got closer to Weston and I could see his face more clearly - and he was crying and smiling… Well, that's something I'll never forget.

From the start, we wanted to have someone that really knows us officiate our ceremony. After considering a couple people, we both thought of my Uncle Pete. He is the lead singer of my dad's band and not at all lacking in personality, he's the fire chief in his town so he is known for his charisma and steadfastness in nerve wracking situations, he loves God and has a successful marriage of his own that we admire, and of course he knows us better than most. We couldn't think of anyone better suited for the job.

So a few months before our ceremony, I called him and with a shaky, nervous voice, asked if he would consider getting licensed and saying our wedding for us. Thankfully, he graciously accepted the job. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect and memorable officiant. One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was when he shared words that our families had given to him to describe us as a couple. It was sweet, encouraging, and a wonderful surprise when he started reading them one by one.

Weston and I wrote our vows the day before the wedding - haha. I feel like… until the day before, it just didn't feel like there was any rush and then suddenly it was like "oh, we should probably figure out what we are going to say tomorrow." I was working on mine upstairs, he was writing his downstairs when he called up to me, "Are we allowed to make jokes in the vows?!" 

Weston is quiet and definitely not the type of person who goes around baring his soul in public and after he asked me that question, I assumed the vows would be brief and lighthearted, which is just like Weston. But when it came time to share them, Weston almost couldn't get the words out. And once he did, I was blown away by the eloquent, heartfelt, and beautiful sentiments that he shared in front of our families. Favorite part of the day. (and who am I kidding - favorite part of my life!)

After the emotional vows, Pete asked us to hold hands and prepare to exchange our rings. Weston's face went white and his eyes widened. He started mouthing something to me while Pete began to talk about the rings and suddenly I realized what he was saying… "Your ring is in the car!"