Rustic + Romantic Ramekins Culinary Institute Wedding
A ring hidden in a jacket pocket; a chilly girlfriend in need of warmth.... it's the setup of a proposal gone awry, but not in this case. This couple's engagement story is too cute for words and their California celebration is too pretty for pics. Janae Shields captured it all and this gallery of gorgeousness in our VAULT is the perfect boost to get you through the rest of the workday - enjoy!
From Janae Shields Photography... September 13th is the birthday for both Lauren and her father, Stephen. Planning around this weekend gave John the perfect opportunity to share the engagement with family and friends while Lauren planned to celebrate her birthday. Needless to say, she had no idea what was going on. John had secured his great grandmother's ring and placed it along with a birthday card in the pocket of his jacket. After some celebratory birthday drinks, John and Lauren walked to Huntington Park, across from Grace Cathedral in San Francisco so John could give Lauren her birthday present.
Everything was going as expected until Lauren, who had forgotten a jacket (something John should have expected) requested to wear his jacket. John couldn't say no without causing questions, so he handed it over. Lauren immediately put on the jacket and shoved her hands in both pockets, which nearly gave John a heart-attack. Thankfully, though, he put the ring in the inside breast pocket.
John and Lauren sat down in the park and John began to propose. He gave Lauren a birthday card and expressed how much their time together had meant to him, how much he loved her, and his plans to spend his life with her. Lauren reciprocated everything... this was great news because John hadn't even proposed yet! At this moment, John asks Lauren to reach into the jacket pocket. Not knowing what to expect, Lauren pull the ring out and John proposed. After several emotional moments that seemed like an eternity to John, Lauren said "Yes!"
From the Bride... Inspiration for our wedding theme was wine country chic. We simply wanted a comfortable, fun inspiring wedding reflective of our personalities and embodying the surrounding beauty of wine country.
Some special details include: my engagement ring was the ring of John's great grandmother, and tied around my bouquet was a picture of my parents on their wedding day. This was gifted to me as my "something old". Also, our cake topper was a Lladro that was handed down to me by my grandmother.
We had DIY elements, including: we had all family members give us a copy of their wedding photos and displayed them all on one big table in celebration of love. Also, for our guest book, we had people take photos in the photo booth and leave a copy in the guest book along with a congratulatory note. Everyone loved it!
Our favorite moments and advice for future brides and grooms is that the day goes by SO quickly as everyone will tell you. Create time that day for just the two of you. We did a "first look" before the ceremony with was awesome for two reasons: 1. It gave us a special moment together before the madness, and 2. Once the ceremony was done - we only had a couple quick pictures to finish up and then went straight to the reception with all of the guests! This maximized our time at our party!
Everything was going as expected until Lauren, who had forgotten a jacket (something John should have expected) requested to wear his jacket. John couldn't say no without causing questions, so he handed it over. Lauren immediately put on the jacket and shoved her hands in both pockets, which nearly gave John a heart-attack. Thankfully, though, he put the ring in the inside breast pocket.
John and Lauren sat down in the park and John began to propose. He gave Lauren a birthday card and expressed how much their time together had meant to him, how much he loved her, and his plans to spend his life with her. Lauren reciprocated everything... this was great news because John hadn't even proposed yet! At this moment, John asks Lauren to reach into the jacket pocket. Not knowing what to expect, Lauren pull the ring out and John proposed. After several emotional moments that seemed like an eternity to John, Lauren said "Yes!"
From the Bride... Inspiration for our wedding theme was wine country chic. We simply wanted a comfortable, fun inspiring wedding reflective of our personalities and embodying the surrounding beauty of wine country.
Some special details include: my engagement ring was the ring of John's great grandmother, and tied around my bouquet was a picture of my parents on their wedding day. This was gifted to me as my "something old". Also, our cake topper was a Lladro that was handed down to me by my grandmother.
We had DIY elements, including: we had all family members give us a copy of their wedding photos and displayed them all on one big table in celebration of love. Also, for our guest book, we had people take photos in the photo booth and leave a copy in the guest book along with a congratulatory note. Everyone loved it!
Our favorite moments and advice for future brides and grooms is that the day goes by SO quickly as everyone will tell you. Create time that day for just the two of you. We did a "first look" before the ceremony with was awesome for two reasons: 1. It gave us a special moment together before the madness, and 2. Once the ceremony was done - we only had a couple quick pictures to finish up and then went straight to the reception with all of the guests! This maximized our time at our party!
