Real A|E Bride Sonja & Justin | Chico, Ca

Real A|E Bride Sonja & Justin | Chico, Ca

Real A|E Bride Sonja & Justin | Chico, Ca. Mobile Image

Jun 10, 2022

Photographer: Amber Enos 

Venue: The Barn at Meriam Park 

Cake: Mims Bakery 

Flowers: Trader Joe’s 

Planner: Ashley Smith with North State Events 

DJ/Music: Sanderson Audio 

Rentals: A & J Party Center 

Caterer: La Familia 

Invitations: Costco 

Hair: Kaitlen Ballew 

Makeup: Lindsay Kirk

 

Love story…

 

Justin and I met the new-old fashioned way, through an online dating app. Shortly after connecting, our first date was at Bellachinos, and I knew I was in trouble when I first saw him! We had a great first date, our conversation was so easy and comfortable. Sadly, Justin was going out of town for the rest of the week; but when he came back, we were inseparable from then on!

 

 

One of our favorite adventures was a quick overnight trip to Fort Bragg, where we started to fall head over heels in love. Fast forward to October, where Justin drove me out to our pond, where a memorable song (from our Fort Bragg trip) was playing in the background, and lights lined the pond. He asked me to be his wife and without hesitation I said yes!

 

 

My sister and many friends had gotten their dresses from Always Elegant, so I was familiar with the store. I knew everyone was so friendly and helpful, so of course it was going to be my first stop for dress shopping! My stylist Emily was so great! She listened to my vision, and found the perfect dress for me.

 

 

I knew my dress was the one because it was very flattering and comfortable, and I felt like a princess! Every time I tried on my dress during fittings, I just wanted to keep wearing it all day! It is one of my favorite things from our wedding!

 

 

We wanted to keep our wedding very simple. Our venue was the Barn at Meriam Park, and the barn perfectly matched our rustic feeling we were aiming for. The ambient lighting gave our wedding a cozy, intimate feel. We definitely could feel the love in the air! Our wedding was perfect from start to finish. It must have looked like a good time, because we even had two wedding crashers! 

 

I will never forget the moment I walked down the aisle. The song was a surprise to Justin, he had no idea what song I had picked! When the song started – the same song from our Fort Bragg trip and our proposal – Justin started to tear up. His face was so full of love, I was so happy to surprise him with our song! That will forever be my favorite moment from our wedding, and our amazing photographer Amber captured it perfectly on camera!

 

 

Wedding planning can be stressful and easy to get caught up in allllll the details. I often had to remind myself that our guests will not remember what it looked like, but they will remember what it felt like! Details can be important, but it’s not necessary to lose sleep over it.

 

 

 

 

My sister gave me the best advice, “Don’t keep a Pinterest board! You will get overwhelmed with all the options and possibilities!” Keep it simple, and don’t feel like everything needs to be perfect, your wedding will be perfect because it is a celebration of your love for one another!