We met 14 years ago when we were sophomores in high school through mutual friends. While we went to different high schools, we were always seeing each other at the same sporting events, parties and high school dances. After 10 years of friendship, we fell in love one magical night under the fireworks on the beach on the 4th of July. A beautiful relationship began to blossom that night, and continued to do so.
After years of Candice hinting, Vince finally popped the question on her 29th birthday. He set up the backyard with a small “birthday celebration”... Just champagne, flowers, and a gift. Little did Candice know, that the gift box with the slippers she had asked for contained a little bit more than comfy shoes. The ring inside was just what she wanted; a vintage design with a beautiful green emerald as the centerpiece. After the proposal, Vince was shaking, Candice was crying, and they both were laughing and a little stunned with excitement and joy.
After enjoying being engaged for a few months we finally started looking for venues. We immediately fell in love with Rancho Las Lomas once we saw the tigers, zebras and various other wild animals, not to mention that the venue just gave us a homey feel which we loved. The venue is so breathtaking on its own, with the beautiful architecture and décor, we didn’t even know if we needed decorations! But in the end we decided to accentuate the lovely venue with our personal style.
Since we are huge concert goers and music enthusiasts, and have attended various music festivals for the past 6 years together, we decided to make our wedding into one big musical celebration. We wanted the venue to take on the feel of a festival. Ticket stubs served as our save the dates and concert lineups as our invitations. We had a disco ball over our altar and fake musical instruments on the dance floor and in the photo booth. The tables were named after our favorite bands and musicians, and various signs were posted around the venue directing our guests to different “stages” across the grounds.
Our colors were bright and vibrant… the theme was “peacock” colors. They really went well with the already colorful and bright venue. The men dressed in white linen suits with light green accents, and the lovely ladies in green, summery dresses.
On the day of our wedding we began in true Vandice style by the groom getting “iced” with a bottle of Smirnoff Ice. We spent the whole morning hanging out together with our friends and lounging by the pool. By the time we made it to the site, neither of us were nervous because we were so excited to get our party started. When the ceremony began, our wedding party walked in singing “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles. We had our favorite uncle get ordained and marry us. We had a remembrance candle with hand written names at the altar with us to honor all of our loved ones who were watching from heaven. We kept the ceremony light and funny, with a “Princess Bride” reference by the good reverend, and a stern and funny confirmation by all the uncles of their approval. Our vows consisted of reciting the theme songs of the 80’s sitcom classics “The Golden Girls” and “Family Ties” to each other.
After the “I do’s” our family and friends showered us with ribbons, cheers and even a cowbell and tambourine made it into the mix. Jeffrey and Isaac really captured the day beautifully. Our favorite photos had to be the “let me out of this phone booth!” shot, the beautiful individual portraits of the bridesmaids and bride, and the shots of us two in the orange grove. One of the memories that stands out most from the wedding was Candice’s brother singing The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” during the father daughter dance. Not a dry eye in the house! Also, the epic dance party that ensued after dinner will be talked about for decades to come. What a fantastic day to start a fantastic life together.
Photographer: J. Shipley Photography / Venue: Rancho Las Lomas / Makeup: Amy Gibson / Hair: Lisa Strohsack / Cake: Erica O'Brien Cake Design / Caterer: 24 Carrots / Coordinator: Elene Shemwell / DJ: Elevated Pulse / Floral Design: Avante Gardens / Bride's Cocktail Dress: Unique Vintage / Groom's Attire: Frair Tux / Lighting: Elevated Pulse