A chill & rustic California redwoods wedding with pups

Offbeat partner: Andy

Offbeat partner: Emily

Date and location of wedding: Sanborn County Park in Saratoga, CA — October 21, 2018

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: We wanted to have backyard celebration with a chill, Sunday afternoon vibe gathered with all of our closest friends and family. Obviously, our backyard wasn't big enough, so we went to our other “backyard,” a county park near where we live. The redwoods reminded us of our first dates, which consisted of many hikes amongst the redwoods.

Tell us about the ceremony:

Here's are some excerpts from our vows:

It has been almost six years since the start of our dating journey. Everyday all I wanted to do is still to spend time with you. Every morning, I get a little depressed as soon as you leave the house. Every evening, I get excited on my drive home because I am about to see you at home. Every night, I look forward to our nightly walks with Sam where we get to unload our daily gripes. All this time, there was not a single day where I’d rather do anything else without you. Needless to say, you had become my main motivator and my pillar in life.

As your husband, I promise to love you a little more every day. I promise to continue holding your hands every night. I promise to always be there and just listen when you need to vent. I promise to make you laugh with my stupid comedy routines as much as I can. I vow to always respect you, I vow to protect you, and above all, I vow to grow with you. I look forward to becoming a better man and the best husband I can ever be for you.

From the officiant:

The bride and the groom first met back in 2012 at UC Davis, where they completed their education and eventually had gone their separate ways back to Sacramento and San Jose, respectively. It wasn’t until later on when they discovered their shared passion for books that they started to begin speaking routinely with one another. And not too long after, Andy realized what he had in his hands and knew it was time to dig deep into his bag of tricks and presented a proposition that he knew Emily could not turn down. He offered his “extensive Kindle book library” to her if she agreed to meet up… and, of course, Emily took the offer to accept the free books that may or may not have been bootlegged the night before. So, one afternoon, Andy made the trek from San Jose to Sacramento and they shared their first date. And that is how this story began.

Now they find themselves a lot closer and sharing more than just books. Now they share moments and genuine care for one another. When Emily has long days at work and is exhausted coming home, she is able to jump on the bed and Andy has always gladly picked up the responsibility to take Sam, their dog, out on a walk. On the other hand, Andy has been able to rely on Emily’s unwavering support, who always actively offers to go on strolls with him to relax and talk through whatever he’s got in his mind.

Tell us about the reception:
We had lawn games of all kinds like corn hole and giant Jenga. We also had craft mixed cocktails served out of a renovated bar trailer. We ended with a dance party under the covered gazebo.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
We struggled a bit with some of the design aspects and switched between wanting it to be upscale and laid-back. But we realized that the true vibe for our wedding was supposed to feel like a chill, Sunday afternoon, so we went with our instincts and had nicer compostables instead of spending thousands on chargers and nicer flatware/china.

We personally collected all of the decor and created centerpieces with wood slabs and photos of our adventures together. Our custom cake topper includes our pet family, Sam (dressed fabulously in his own suit and bowtie) and Oreo. Guests were also encouraged to bring their own dogs.