If this wedding had a saying that so enveloped all its lovely details it would be somewhere along the lines of…Why have just a smidgen of color when a whopping dose will do? My thoughts exactly. Maravilla Gardens and its pretty surroundings have found a happy home in this brightly decorated affair brought to life at the hands of Jen Rodriguez Photography. See so much more, including a sparkling sendoff, right here in the full gallery.
From the Bride… Fredrick and I met about seven years ago when he was sixteen and I was just fifteen. We went to different high schools but had mutual friends. We started hanging out a lot and eventually became best friends. Two years later, we started dating and both knew that it was right. We love to just hang out, see movies, go to concerts, go to Disneyland and just spend time together. We would go to Disneyland a lot and at the end of each year, we would get a caricature of the two of us and of course, take a lot of pictures together. After a little less than four years of dating, Fredrick proposed at Disneyland on my birthday with a caricature. There was a crowd applauding, and to my surprise, Fredrick’s brother Jonathan was there taking pictures!\
My mother, Nancy, knew that Fredrick was going to propose six months before he really did, so she had already started putting ideas together for me to see when it finally happened. If not for my mom, we would not have had the wedding that we did. She researched all of the vendors and made appointments to see them. Maravilla Gardens was the second venue we looked at, and after visiting, we did not want to see anymore. The gardens on the property are so lush, and the landscaping is incredible. After choosing a venue, the planning went into high gear. My mom hand-made pretty much every detail in the wedding — the pillows, bunting flag banners, goodies at the table settings, all of the desserts besides the cake, and a bunch more. Without her, Fredrick and I could not have executed everything the way that we would have wanted to. We wanted our day to be traditional, yet fun and relaxed. The ceremony was most important to both of us. We wanted our vows to be personal and meaningful and we wanted to keep it traditional. The reception was definitely important as well and we wanted it to be detailed and fun for our guests. My parents always entertain at their house with BBQs, and we wanted our wedding to incorporate that homey feeling. We wanted our guests to feel taken care of and to just simply enjoy themselves at our wedding. It was everything I could have asked for! I am so happy with the way everything went on our wedding day and could not have done it without our amazing vendors, family and friends!
From the Mother of the Bride… What a dream come true! I know every mother dreams of the day her daughter gets married and wants more than anything to be a part of that special day as much as possible! Well, I was blessed enough to not only be a big part of our only daughter’s wedding day, but also to work side-by-side with her and Fred during the year leading up to it, planning and coordinating their perfect day! Kim and Fred have such a deep, loving and remarkable relationship, and together they knew just what they envisioned for their wedding day. Entertaining as often as we do at our home, Kim and Fred both wanted their day to feel as comfortable and fun as our family barbecues, but with traditional wedding notes throughout. It was paramount to all of us that our guests felt at home and well taken care of. My husband wanted to include a scotch and cigar bar, so we brought in a lot of our own garden furniture pieces for the guys to kick back and relax in while enjoying the hand-rolled cigars and spirits! I so enjoyed sewing all the pillows and cushions for the pieces, and loved the way it brought in all their colors and complimented the beautiful garden setting! Kim had so many great DIY decorating and favor ideas, and we tackled them ALL — the table favors, table “number” signs, escort card display and their display of wedding photos to honor the five sets of grandparents they both still are blessed enough to have in their lives! We even took on the dessert table with the help of our dear friend, Linda, and it turned out to be such a fun day in the kitchen, not to mention a huge hit at the wedding! It was quite simply the most perfect day, and we were lucky enough to have found the best vendors to help make it all possible. My husband and I feel so very blessed to have such a remarkable daughter and know that she has married a truly remarkable man in Fred!
Wedding Photography: Jen Rodriguez Photography / Wedding Venue: Maravilla Gardens in Camarillo, California / Wedding Coordination: Nancy Hunter, The Mother of the Bride / Floral Design: Mary Schaaf of My Sweet Williams / Catering: Command Performance / Wedding Cake: For Heaven’s Cakes / Ceremony Music: Jason Sulkin / DJ: Jason Jones of Elegant Event Entertainment / Cigars: Albert Chrikjian of Old Oaks Cigar & Wine Co. / Photo Booth: ShutterBox Entertainment / Model T: Owned by Mr. & Mrs. Steve Simmons, Family Friends / Wedding Dress: Wtoo via The Wedding Day / Hair + Makeup: Samantha Jane Artistry / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alfred Sung via The Wedding Day / Men’s Attire: Friar Tux Shop