Enchanting Courtyard Wedding Celebration in Fallbrook, California
One of my favorite parts about being a wedding photographer in Orange County is meeting such wonderful couples and hearing about their stories. What lead up to them dating, what led up to the proposal, the wedding, the honeymoon, and how they came up with the decisions they made-it’s all so fun to hear about. Being in the Orange County and Los Angeles area, there is so much opportunity to do so many things that everyone’s story is pretty unique.
Desiree and Julius are a very sweet couple. You can tell the respect they have for each other with just the way Julius was always kissing Desiree’s hand. I often shoot “first looks” where the bride and her groom see each other for the first time prior to the wedding in their own photoshoot. The moments are often more intimate and it saves time on photography between the ceremony and the reception by getting the bride and groom’s shots done earlier. However, they opted not to do the first look with each other, and instead, Desiree did a first look photoshoot with her dad, and that in itself was a very special moment for them, and to me and my staff. Their ceremony was held outside, which worked so well with the weather cooperating and therefore the day was just so beautiful. I hope you enjoy Desiree and Julius’ journey together as much as we did.
Desiree and Julius’ story started when they met during their freshman year in high school, but would only speak briefly to each other during passing periods. However, during their sophomore year, they had the opportunity to become closer friends as they had a couple of classes together, including band. Because of this, they were able to spend most of their time together. Julius admitted that he liked Desiree first, but since she was dating someone else at the time, he was a gentleman and kept it to himself. Eventually, Desiree developed the same feelings for him and thus ditched the other guy to be with Julius.
So at the age of 15, they went on their first date and saw the movie “Meet the Robinson’s”. Desiree was the more nervous of the two because she was the one that was very shy at the beginning of their relationship.
Years after meeting as freshmen in high school, Julius and Desiree tied the knot in Fallbrook, California at their sweet and elegant outdoor country club wedding. Desiree was a glamorous bride in a v-neck strapless gown from David’s Bridal, with her hair curled into an updo by a family friend. She walked down the aisle in stylish white strap heels, with ribbon accents and a bit of dazzling bling. She polished off her look with a lengthy and dainty veil, completing her classic and elegant style. The lovely bride’s bouquet from Bella Flora Wedding & Event Designs was a stunning arrangement of white, with draping pink and purple-toned flowers. Her bridesmaids’ bouquets paired with hers and made for a perfect contrast against their deep teal mismatched gowns. Completing the rest of the bridal party were the groomsmen dressed in all black suits, and the groom wearing an all gray suit from Men’s Warehouse and a maroon tie. The darker color palette of gowns and suits created a sophisticated and glamorous style.
This wonderful celebration took place at Wedgewood Weddings Fallbrook at the Golf Club of California. Tucked away among the rolling hills of Fallbrook, this relaxed and intimate Spanish-style clubhouse was the perfect place to exchange their vows and celebrate with their closest friends and family. The ceremony took place in the enchanting courtyard, where the couple said “I do” while framed by draping white fabric and floral arrangement accents. The celebration continued indoors in the ballroom as guests enjoyed music from Night Owl Productions, the cake from Elegance on Display, and dinner provided by Wedgewood Catering. All the details of this elegant and classic country club celebration were captured by the photo and video team at Three16 Photography.
As for the proposal story, it’s super sweet too! They spent the evening at Disneyland, after all, Disneyland is a very common outing for them, so Desiree was not expecting anything. With Disneyland celebrating it’s Diamond Celebration, Julius suggested that they get their picture taken in front of the castle by a Disney photographer because the castle was brightly lit up for the celebration. Here they were in line; Julius with a million things racing in his mind and his heart pumping and Desiree was nice and calm thinking it was only going to be a photo. When it was their turn to take the picture, Julius immediately got down on his knee and asked Desiree to marry him. Of course, like most brides, Desiree is taken aback as she was caught off guard and very surprised; she had to ask if he was serious. Once she realized that this was real and that he was really asking her to marry him, Desiree began to cry and nodded…. Yes!
Since that night, they were in wedding planning mode. Their favorite parts about the wedding planning were venue hunting and of course everyone’s favorite, cake tasting. The wedding and reception venue they chose, Wedgewood Weddings Fallbrook – The Golf Club, was the very first one that they toured. As soon as they pulled up, they fell in love with everything about it from the outside, to the ceremony courtyard, to the reception hall inside, it was perfect! Even though they looked at other venues after visiting Fallbrook, they went back to their first choice and booked it. As for the cake tasting, Julius chose a chocolate-flavored cake with a peanut butter filling and Desiree chose a classic white flavor with a raspberry mousse filling. With the venue selected and the cake consumed, Desiree and Julius’ favorite part was the enjoyment they received by checking their mailbox daily for RSVPs. As for what inspired them for the type of wedding that they had, it was nothing more than the ideas that they found on Pinterest. Neither of them knew what they wanted, so Pinterest became a big part of their wedding planning lives and the choices they made.
The hardest part about planning the wedding, like many other couples, was giving themselves plenty of time to plan and save before the wedding day. Otherwise, the process went pretty smoothly, which allowed them to not have that overwhelming feeling.
Of course, no wedding is complete without a honeymoon. Desiree and Julius chose to go to O’ahu in Hawaii and stay at Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa. They’ve heard many great things about the resort and the surrounding parts of the Hawaiian island, so they are very excited to be staying there.
Liked this wedding at Wedgewood Weddings Fallbrook? Check out more golf and country club weddings here and here!
