If you haven’t already read about why we didn’t hire a ventura wedding photographer- take a look at the post prior to this by clicking HERE .It’s simple- we actually hired someone from out of our city and closer to where we got married! So while we didn’t need a ventura wedding photographer we found someone in Sacramento we really loved.

Continuing on from our last post, we actually dove into WHY our wedding was so special and what we did in order to be sure that the people we loved the most were an important part of that.

1) Welcome Party!- In honor of my dad
First on the list, was our welcome party. We held it at the Sacramento Elks Lodge in honor of my dad. As most know our family was heavily involved with the lodge while my brother and I were growing up- especially the year my dad was exhaulted ruler. This was our little piece of “home” and a dedication to one of the things my dad loves most. Many of the guests in attendance for our special day were “lodge family” and people that my parents and I have kept in contact with over the years. We’re lucky to have so many amazing people in our life!

2) Memorial Table- In honor of those we love and lost
Ehren and I unfortunately have lost some of the people we loved and adored the most in our families. The saying goes “if heaven weren’t so far away, we know you would be here today.” Boy, do we wish those people could have been a part of our wedding day, but there is no doubt that they were there in spirit.

3) Mother/Son Dance- In honor of Ehren’s mom
99% of weddings have a mother son dance but ours had a bit of twist. Ehren’s father passed away while he was in high school and his mom did an incredibly wonderful job of continuing to raise their son, push him to be the best he could be and reach every dream he had wanted. The priority of that list was to get into West Point, which she was there every step of the way for. Early mornings and late night with extracurriculars. As well as physically preparing for what he would endure should he get in. Sure enough, he did! The song we chose for their mother/son dance was actually Jeannette and John’s first dance as husband and wife at their wedding. A tribute to a never ending love and a devotion to marriage.

4) A Special First Dance- In honor of my grandmother!
This was a super fun twist, for me anyways ;-)! One of the most important guests at our wedding was my beautiful 93 (at the time) year old grandmother! Between Ehren and I she is our only grandparent still with us. She has been there for all of the most special moments in my life, has given me some of the best memories I can imagine and of course her approval with Ehren was one of the most important factors to me saying “yes!” when he proposed. When I was little, my grandma and I danced around to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra. Naturally, this was absolutely perfect for the radiance my grandmother carries. Ehren and Grandma Kay shared in a “first dance” as he was welcomed into the family!

5) Our first dance- in honor of my mom!
For those who know my mom, you know her INSANE obsession with the band Train. We’re talking the woman knows every word to every song and then some. Needless to say, while there were tons of candidates for first songs, “Marry Me” was first on our list. This was a surprise we didn’t tell her about and when it came on at the wedding, it was incredible to see her face light up. She will likely never know how much she truly means to me and how thankful I am to be able to call her my mom!

6) Our ceremony- In honor of Fr. Jeff!
Ehren has known this incredible man since he was young kid. Since then, i’ve been blessed to attend many of his services. Ehren grew up in the same church with his family, for as long as he can remember. Fr. Jeff has been an ample part of his life, our life together and the success of our marriage. Prior to getting married, we met with him several times to talk about the importance of marriage, what it means, how our ceremony would go and so much more. Needless to say, it just wouldn’t have been the same without him. We get the same comment everytime we relive our ceremony with those who were there “he was so much fun!”… we couldn’t agree more!