Real Weddings Magazine - Winter/Spring 2019 - The Best Wedding Vendors in Sacramento, Tahoe and throughout Northern California are all here!

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KATELYN & IAN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARCI TERRY PHOTOGRAPHY
Anyone who’s been married knows nothing is
worse than pre-wedding jitters—except maybe
seeing that your venue has been evacuated due
to wildfires a week before your wedding!
That was what happened to Katelyn and Ian,
who married this past July while wildfires were
ravaging California. Katelyn was celebrating in
the Sierra Nevada mountains with her bridesmaids
the weekend before the couple’s wedding
when she noticed that forest fires—some
of which were the largest in California’s history—
were blowing smoke into the air. Fast forward
a few days later, and the fires had spread far
enough that Field & Pond, their venue in Winters,
was evacuated. The couple feared the worst, and
even leaned on their friends to help them locate
a backup venue. However, with just two days to
go before the celebration, they received some
good news: the fires were under control, and
their wedding could go on.
That was what Katelyn and Ian were waiting
to hear especially because Katelyn’s favorite part
of their woodsy venue was the huge oak tree
under which they married, which surely wouldn’t
have survived a fire. The outdoorsy high-school
sweethearts intentionally picked their venue
based on their shared love of the environment.
“I wanted to celebrate our love amongst the
beauty of nature,” says Katelyn, “and specifically
California’s beautiful oak trees and wildflowers.”
Since nature is so important to both Katelyn
and Ian, they included a tree-planting during
their ceremony. Katelyn and her family DIY’d the
décor, from the jade table planters to the flower
seed packets the duo gave their guests as favors
to commemorate the free-spirited celebration.
Though the risk to their venue was obviously
a cause for stress, Katelyn thinks the close call
actually made them stay more relaxed during
the celebration. “We realized that the most important
thing was that regardless of the location,
we would be married surrounded by those
we love,” she says. That may be why the detail
they each remember best from the ceremony
wasn’t the rustic yet elegant barn décor, or the
dulce de leche tea cookies they served in lieu of
cake—it was the shared feeling of excitement
from their family and friends for their wedding
day. They were also both incredibly thankful for
the generosity of their friends, who contributed
everything from flowers and videography to
hair and makeup services and décor to make
the day a success.
Of course, Katelyn and Ian’s appreciation for
the bigger picture doesn’t mean they didn’t pay
attention to the details that mattered to them—
like having an incredibly popular taco truck cater
the festivities. Katelyn recalls that they knew
they had to book Chando’s Tacos after nearly
every venue they toured recommended them.
“They were a HUGE hit with our guests,” says
Katelyn, “with one person eating nine tacos over
the course of the night!” OO—Suzie Dundas
162 | REAL WEDDINGS WINTER/SPRING 2019 REALWEDDINGSMAG.COM