The first thing I noticed about these two when we met for coffee, was the look in Justin‘s eyes whenever he talked about Jessica. He was friendly and confident and clearly adored her and had for a while. I asked them how they had met and he talked about multiple reggae concerts and how fun she is- all the while never taking his eyes off her. For her part, she was excited, nervous about the wedding planning, but never about him. She kept her hand on his knee or his arm throughout the conversation, and it was obvious that she trusted him implicitly. She related that she was the first one in her family to get married, and it in all honesty, she had never been to a wedding before and felt unprepared for all the ins and outs.

And on the day, you would never have been able to guess that the planning of this date ever made her anxious. It was full of favorite people, personal details (the bride’s wedding white Vans, the groom’s fantastic hairstyle, her favorite colors, dancing to music that they both loved), and seamless planning. Thanks in part to a lovely venue at The Lakehouse Resort San Marcos, her fantastic wedding coordinator Michelle from Arrowsmith Events, and some fast work between the flower man and myself to learn how to tie a bow tie, for her father, on the fly.

Justin held back tears as his bride walked down the aisle on her father's arm, and she let them go as she told him how much he meant to her and made promises to last a lifetime. When the wedding ceremony was over, they laughed with friends, hugged family, and changed shoes- before I stole them away for a private 20 minutes on the golf course to just revel in each other’s company and soak in the beautiful life changing promises they had just made.

The toasts were heartfelt, funny, and sweet, and the guest’s were eager to hug the new bride and groom and tell them just how perfect they were together. Good food was eaten, dances were had, and the flower man’s girlfriend caught the bouquet- just as I suspect she was meant to.

Jessica and Justin, I hope this is not the best day of your life, I hope it is only the beginning of a lifetime of supporting each other and growing your friendship and love.

Vendor Love:

Wedding Venue: The Lakehouse Golf & Resort

Wedding Coordinator: Michelle, Arrowsmith Events

Photography: Mine, The Kinship Perspective

Bride’s Hair: SV Glamour

Flowers: Thistle Dew Floral & Event Design

DJ & Photo Booth: South Coast Production Group

Wedding Cake: Flour Power Cakery

Chair Rentals: JD Events Pro