I’ve known John since 6th grade and I feel very fortunate and lucky to be able to claim him as a dear friend ever since. He is truly like a brother, complete with a bonus set of parents that I adore.

I took some engagement photos for John and Tina last November so they had something to use in their Save-the-Date announcements… and I just got back from attending their beautiful (seriously GORGEOUS, magazine-worthy) wedding in Lodi, CA. It’s been awhile since I was just a guest at a wedding (as opposed to being in the party or working as the photographer)–but I still had to snap as many photos of their day as I could! (So beware… this is a photo-heavy post!)

They got married at Oak Farm Vineyards, a beautiful venue outside of Lodi.

Tina didn’t leave any detail overlooked. The gift and card table was adorable with vintage suitcases (one of my recent obsessions), lace, and a burlap pendant banner that read “cards.”

(I also loved the old fire truck engine behind the gift table. No surprise there, I’m sure.)

And their flower arrangements were all amazing. I love those green things! (Edit: John let me know that the bouquets, ceremony flowers along the aisles, and the boutonnieres were prepared by Blossoms by Lisa out of Stockton, CA and many of the other arrangements, like the one below, were prepared by Linda, a friend of Tina’s. I loved them all!!)

Instead of a traditional guest book, we all wrote messages (or drew pictures) on pieces of ivory fabric. The pieces are going to be made into a quilt for the couple!

They had a string quartet (loved them!) that played during the wedding and the following cocktail hour. I love me some cello.

The ceremony took place under the oak tree. It was a perfect setting–stunning, perfect light, and just enough shade to keep the guests comfortable.

Then finally… the ceremony began! (Thank goodness I could focus on snapping photos… otherwise I am sure more tears would have leaked! Just look at John and his mom, Kathie!)

Tina was just glowing. Breathtaking!

Kyle, the best man, and the maid of honor (Tina’s sister) gave a reading during the ceremony.

I’ve seen different variations on lighting a unity candle–like pouring different colored sand into a pretty jar– but this was the first time I had seen a unity tree. John and his mom poured in soil from Bremerton while Tina and her mom added soil from Lodi, each of their hometowns. It was really sweet.

The KISS!

A cocktail hour followed the ceremony where the guests were able to hang out in the shade, munch on yummy snacks (my favorite were the goat cheese and walnut covered grapes!), and have some beer or wine while the bridal party wrapped up pictures. There was a pond on one side and a sweet garden with a plum tree.

After cocktails we made our way to dinner… where again Tina hadn’t overlooked any detail!

The tables had burlap runners edged with lace, sweet place settings, more lovely flowers, and ginormous close pins holding the table numbers. The banner at the head table read “happily ever after.”

My card ran out of room right before the couple’s first dance… but I cleaned off enough space to capture this great shot of John and Kathie. Love.

Congrats, John and Tina!!

Another Edit: Julie Nicole Photography was there to shoot John and Tina’s wedding… keep an eye out on her blog to watch for the professional photos of their day! (I know I will be!) She’s already posted a few on Facebook and they are just… amazing. Absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to see more!