Sarah & Andrew met on a group camping trip and as Sarah describes it was an “instant connection. “ Fast forward to a serenading guitar proposal with a customized diamond ring from the grooms Great Grandmother, and a bride that said “Yes”, and you have a beautiful summer wedding at the Flower Farm Inn in Loomis, California, with colorful flowers in hues of tangerine and hot pink set against a neutral silver palette. Take a peek into Sarah & Andrew’s wedding day by viewing the picture perfect captures taken by Wendy Hithe below, and don’t forget to read the brides comments at the end of the post.
From the Bride, Sarah:
How did you meet?
My friend from college set us up while we were on a group camping trip for Labor Day in 2011. We definitely had an instant connection. There is something kind of great about meeting a guy when you don’t have any make-up on and you’re gross from camping and they still find you attractive 🙂
Who proposed marriage and how did that proposal happen?
Andrew totally surprised me! Our families hadn’t met yet, so he suggested a BBQ at my parents’ house. After about an hour I noticed he had disappeared, then next thing I know he comes into the room with his guitar and started singing a song he wrote for me then got down on one knee and proposed! It was the sweetest thing ever! He had my ring custom made with diamonds that had belonged to his great grandmother.
Describe your bridal attire. (gown, accessories, hair/makeup-overall look)
I loved my dress! It was my dream dress. It was fitted with lace to the floor and it was more of a cream color under the lace, which really made it pop. Plus I bought this blinged-out belt that gave the dress that extra pop of sparkle I needed. I also wore these little gold ballet flats which was one of my best decisions! I was on my feet pretty much all day and they felt fine at the end of the night!
Bridesmaids dresses: My bridesmaid dresses were silver lace. I wanted something that was simple and cool because it gets really hot in our area during the summer!
Ceremony & Reception Location: Our wedding and reception were at the Flower Farm in Loomis, CA. It’s the cutest little venue! They had fluffy chickens wandering around, lots of flowers (hence the name) and plants on the grounds and a classic red barn for the reception. Our ceremony was outside under a big oak tree and it was led by Andrew’s grandpa who is a police chaplain. The reception was inside the barn, which looked like it would be rustic from the outside, but it was actually really nice inside and it was air-conditioned which was very important since it was in the mid-nineties outside.
Favorite ceremony memory?
I loved that our bridal party walked in to the theme song from Jurassic Park! It’s one of our favorite movies, plus who doesn’t love that song? John Williams is a musical legend! The ceremony itself was a blur, I was super nervous, but the very end was great too! We were just happy to be married, and we felt like we could relax a little more after the ceremony.
Where did you get the inspiration for your color palette and design? Pinterest I guess.
Describe your wedding flowers: I really wanted colorful flowers. I don’t have a favorite color, and picking my colors was one of the hardest wedding decisions I had to make. We ended up going with a more plain color for the dresses so we could have bright colored flowers. Funny story though – I just ordered flowers online for the wedding, and the day before when only part of my order came in (luckily it was the bouquets), and I realized I hadn’t completed my other order – it was still in my shopping cart online! I was totally panicked and Andrew and my mom drove all around town buying flowers from Trader Joes, Costco and couple other grocery stores, but I think they ended up turning out better than they would have if my initial order had gone through. We were able to have lots of variety and more colors, so in the end it all worked out!
Three things you’re glad you did.
I was really glad I had someone come in to do my hair and make-up. They did such an awesome job, I especially loved my hair! It turned out exactly how I wanted, and there is no way I would have been able to do something like that myself! Plus my make-up stayed on all night – even through tears and sweat from tearing it up on the dance floor. I was glad I didn’t cry too much -I’m an ugly crier! I’m also glad we didn’t sweat the small stuff – it was honestly just one of the funnest days of my life! We kept talking about it to each other afterwards, like, “wasn’t that the best wedding you’ve ever been to?” I’m also glad we gave ourselves a day off after the wedding before leaving on our honeymoon. It was nice to just relax and eat leftover cupcakes 🙂
What are some of your favorite memories of the day?
We had the best time dancing! Andrew and I both love to dance, so had a blast dancing with friends and family. I enjoyed getting ready in the morning with my bridesmaids too! I have a hilarious group of friends and we were cracking up at the stupidest things all day! There were also a lot of personal touches that made the day really unique to us. My sister and brother-in-law got us a Harry Potter themed photo booth (I’m a die hard Potter junkie), my mom drew a tree for people to do finger prints on instead of a guestbook, and she also made these great little magnets for wedding favors!
Do You have any advice for other brides?
Enjoy the day! It goes by faster than you can imagine, so try to let yourself soak it all in!
Photographer: Wendy Hithe, Photographer|Reception Venue: Flower Farm
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