Posts Tagged ‘Real Weddings Wednesdays’

The Couple:  Amanda Nicole Kaiser and Neil Taylor McMahon Johnston

Wedding Date:  June 9, 2012

Photography by Shoop’s Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Neil and I met 4 years ago. We started dating November 14, 2008. After dating for a mere 3 months, we took a leap of faith and moved to San Jose together for a job opportunity Neil received. When we moved neither of us knew anyone in San Jose and we were both in new jobs. This was when we got really close as a couple.

On November 14, 2010, Neil proposed to me after taking me to a rooftop dinner in downtown San Jose. We always knew we wanted a summer wedding, but the upcoming summer was too soon to plan a wedding and we both had a lot going on at the end of the year. So we set the date as the following June. Planning the venue was one of the first obstacles we had as it had a lot to do with the remaining wedding budget. When my father offered his house as an option we were very excited. Its such a beautiful old home and the grounds are perfect for hosting large parties. Once we had that solidified everything else just fell into place.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  One super cool part of the day was when Neil and I were trying to light the unity candles and the gusts of wind were not cooperating at all. Our friends and family in the wedding party could sense our frustration. They gathered around us in a huge circle and guarded us against the wind. It was barely enough of a barrier but we were able to have all three candles lit for a moment. That was all that mattered to us and it was so awesome for everyone to jump in and help out like that.

Ceremony Site & Reception Venue:  Private Residence

Photographer:  Shoop’s Photography

Caterer:  Aroma Catering

Cake:  The Cake Lady

Flowers:  The florals were all done by my step-mom she ordered some fresh online and had them delivered the day of including bouquet flowers and cake flowers. She also saved us a lot of money by using some nice silk flowers that were mixed in.

Favors:  We did little candle and match sets for everyone. Sand candles and glass jars were from the dollar tree along with the multi colored ribbon on the outside. The monogrammed match sets were ordered from Exclusively Weddings we used them for some of the bridal party gifts as well. Loved that site good prices and cute gift ideas.

Wedding Dress:  Dana’s Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses:  Alfred Angelo

Hair & Makeup:  Ashlyn Taylor from Madame Me Makeup & Hair 

Invitations:  Wedding Paper Divas

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  DJ Drew Corrales

Honeymoon location:  Las Vegas. We stayed at the Venetian. It was so much fun Neil had never been and we wanted something fun and simple. We wanted to save money for the home we hope to soon purchase rather then having an extravagant honeymoon.

First Dance Song:  “Back at one” by Brian McKnight

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Plan sooner then later. Nothing can be planned “too far in advance” try to remain calm when dealing with your spouse. It’s stressful for both parties and families involved. Most of all keep in mind the end result of the day is all that matters don’t sweat the small things it will ruin your special day.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  Nothing!

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.

Photos courtesy of and copyright Shoop’s Photography.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

The Couple:  Jennifer Getz and Eric Olmstead

Wedding Date:  October 14, 2011

Photography by White Daisy Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  We are an eHarmony success story! On our first date, we both knew we would be together forever. From that day we were inseparable.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  The amazing ceremony by Pastor Jeff Bigelow.

Ceremony Site & Reception Venue & Caterer:  Serrano Country Club

Photographer:  White Daisy Photography

Cake:  Jayne Marie Mehan

Flowers:  Natural Flair Custom Floral Designs

Wedding Dress & Invitations:  Renfro’s Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses:  Bridal Gallery

Hair:  Amanda Lane

Makeup:  Cynthia Urganda

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Music & More Entertainment

Honeymoon location:  Maui

Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out?  I have to say that they were all incredible and reliable. Would especially like to call out Aimee Fredy at White Daisy Photography and Jayne Marie Mehan.

First Dance Song:  “We Danced” by Brad Paisley

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Don’t stress! My job is stressful enough, so it was important for me to keep things simple and relatively stress free. The key was choosing great vendors, which I did based on recommendations of friends as well as Jennifer at Serrano Country Club.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  Probably hire a videographer OR have live music at the ceremony. Like many couples, we were already over budget so we had to make some hard decisions.

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.

Photos courtesy of and copyright White Daisy Photography.

The Couple:  Robyn and Steve Frame

Wedding Date:  May 5, 2012

Photography by The Studio

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  We are both members of a local volunteer organization focusing on helping and improving the lives of underprivileged children in our local communities. We met at one fundraiser and started dating at another.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  There was a Super-moon on our wedding day. The moon was bigger and brighter than a regular full moon. It was quite a sight. I asked our photographer to snap some pics and they came out spectacular. What a special treat!

What else would you like to share about your big day?  It is such an amazing feeling to see all of the most important people in your lives in the same room.

Ceremony & Reception Site, Caterer & Dessert Bar:  Timber Creek Ballroom

Photographer:  The Studio

Cake:  A friend made us a cake for photos

Flowers:  Rosedale Florist

Favors:  We had lottery scratchers, a penny and a note that said “we are so lucky to have you in our lives.” Guests will remember this inexpensive favor, especially if someone walks away with a jackpot!

Wedding Dress:  I rented my dress from Alexandria’s in Roseville. The veil, petticoat and cleaning fee were included in the price. The best part was I got to give it back and didn’t have to find a place to store it.

Bridesmaid Dresses:  David’s Bridal

Hair & Makeup:  A friend who does hair and make up as a hobby.

Invitations:  DIY. We bought them at Michaels and printed them at home.

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Storm Productions

Honeymoon location:  New Orleans and then a Caribbean cruise.

Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out?  Steve Siglin was our officiant and his ceremony was hilarious, our guests will never forget it.

First Dance Song:  “Whatever It Is” by Zac Brown Band. That was our first concert together and the words are beautiful.

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Borrow whatever you can. Many details of your wedding will get overlooked so why spend a fortune when you don’t have to?

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  I would have loved pictures with our guests at every table. It would have be a thrill to see what our guests looked like on our special day 25 years from now.

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.

Photos courtesy of and copyright The Studio.

The Couple:  Brittany Gregory and Jordan Banning

Wedding Date:  May 27, 2012

Photography by Shoop’s Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Jordan and I are high school sweethearts. We have been together for 11 years! We grew up and still live in Folsom. Jordan is the head JV coach at Folsom High School, I am a real estate agent. It is a little cliché, but it’s perfect for us. We are so blessed.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  The whole day was AMAZING!! Having my mom walk me down the aisle and having my grandfather marry us will remain one of the most special moments in our lives.

Also, walking into the reception together for the first time and seeing all of our close family and friends in one room, there to celebrate with us, was definitely a feeling we will remember forever.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  Our wedding turned out better than we could have ever imagined. We enjoyed every part of it! We are so grateful to everyone who was there to support us.

Ceremony Site & Reception Venue & Caterer & Cake:  Wine & Roses Hotel.Restaurant.Spa

Photographer:  Shoop’s Photography

Flowers:  Bride’s Mom, Grandma and Friends

Favors:  Groom’s Mom and Aunt

Wedding Dress:  La Soie Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses:  De La Rosa’s Bridal & Tuxedos

Hair:  Jillian Davis

Makeup:  DIY

Invitations:  DIY

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  DJ Alazzawi from 102.5 Events

Photo Booth:  PhotoBash

Honeymoon location:  Honua Kai Resort Maui, HI

First Dance Song:  “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. 

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Two words…Photo Booth! We are so glad we decided to get one. It was so much fun for everyone. After the wedding was over, Jordan and I were dying of laughter looking at the pictures. A little wine, a few costumes and a camera makes for some pretty hilarious pictures.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  Nothing. Honestly! It was a perfect and magical day.

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.

Photos courtesy of and copyright Shoop’s Photography.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

The Couple:  See Yang and Jong Xiong

Wedding Date:  May 27, 2012

Photography by Justin Buettner Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Jong and I are so different and yet similar in so many ways. We met on the University of the Pacific campus in 2003, and had a casual friendship with occasional emails saying, “Happy Birthday” or “Happy Holidays.” We maintained a friendly relationship for five years and finally in November of 2008 we went on an actual first date. That first date led to me telling him, “Come join my family for Thanksgiving, since you don’t have somewhere else to be,” and the rest is pretty much history. Jong instantly became part of the family.

Jong and I are two independent individuals who enjoy each other’s company. Jong is a Budget Analyst and I am a Mechanical Engineer. He likes to get things done no matter how sloppy it may be and I like to pick at the small technical details. But we both share similar loves for food, traveling and the outdoors. In the last four years, we became each other’s best friend and so we married our best friend.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  The most amazing part of the day was seeing all of our plans materialize. There were so many people who made the day go smoothly, that every moment was so meaningful for us. Everyone ensured that we had fun and enjoyed all the moments of the day.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  Tequilla shots are not for weddings. We realized after the wedding that it was a bad idea to have tequilla available because multiple guests couldn’t remember what happened at the end of the night. So don’t have an open bar. Plan for everyone to have fun and enjoy the night, but also make sure everyone can go home and remember the fun.

Ceremony Site:  University of the Pacific, Morris Chapel

Reception Venue:  Kirst Hall, Hutchins Street Square

Photographer:  Justin Buettner Photography

Videographer:  Johnra Films

Caterer:  Siamese Street

Cakes:  The Table Experience by Phyllis Gilmore and Joan Frazier (I had a two tier cake and lots of cupcakes with different flavors. Since I didn’t want to worry about having the cake cut and served, I opted for guests to have a self-serve cake bar and choose their own cupcake flavor. Just don’t forget to save yourself one of each cupcake flavor for the next morning because you will forget to try if they were as good as during your cake testing.)

Flowers:  DIY by the bride and bridesmaids

Favors:  Candy Bar

Wedding Dress:  For You Dresses

Bridesmaid Dresses:  David’s Bridal

Hair:  Saven Tep

Makeup:  Shana Beals (I loved her work! I have bad acne and told her I just wanted to cover up all of the redness and keep it natural and she did an amazing job. All day, I had people coming up to me asking “who did your makeup?” I received lots of compliments and would highly recommend her. She knows exactly what she’s doing and she’s very good at it.)

Invitations:  DIY by the bride and bridesmaids

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Randy En

Photo Booth:  PF Studio (We didn’t have a photo booth exactly, but we hired a separate photographer from a studio to take pictures of guests at the door. So before we arrived, guests got the opportunity to take photos with each other, and after we arrived, we took pictures with guests and mailed them the photos with thank you cards.)

Honeymoon location:  Maui

First Dance Song:  “Amazed” by Lonestar

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Be a bridezilla before the wedding, but not on the day of the wedding. On the day of, just have fun! Smile, laugh, joke and let loose! The best thing I did was have a friend of my sister commit to coordinating the day. If you are like me and didn’t hire a coordinator because of cost, get someone to keep things in order and in a timely fashion. This person can be a friend of a friend or family member who wouldn’t hold a grudge about having to work the wedding and not be completely involved. A day before the wedding, give her everything you have and let go of all the planning details. Trust this person to coordinate everything you won’t be able to and trust your maid of honor to coordinate everything else to ensure that you are well.

(I am one of those people who love making sure the details are perfect and so when I started to have other people help me, I was such a bridezilla about making sure everything was done the same way. There were several people helping me with decorations and I wanted to make sure that each one of them understand what was important so that all the decorations didn’t look like they were done by different people.)

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  Taken more photos and taken time alone as a couple. I would have loved to have been able to hit pause and take a moment to soak in the beauty of a year of hard work. After all of the stress and endless weekends of working on details for the wedding, I just wanted it to be over. But it was afterwards that I realized I didn’t even get to take nice photos with the groom alone.

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.

Photos courtesy of and copyright Justin Buettner Photography.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!