Real Fresno Wedding: Melissa & Jeff

Jeff’s planned proposal and what actually ended up happening were two different things but it was still wonderful. It was Valentine’s Day 2010 and he had planned to take me on a hike up to the top of one of our favorite mountains but the snow foiled his plan. The roads were not cleared yet and we couldn’t make it to the trailhead. I felt his disappointment and saw the look of panic in his face when the road became impassable so since I was familiar with the area from years of camping experience near there as a child I suggested an alternate place that we could go.

We back tracked a bit until we got to the small road that leads to Calvin Crest Conference Center which is the Christian camp facility that I spent one fun-filled week at every summer at from 3rd – 12th grade. I remembered that they had a beautiful lake up there with a picnic area so we parked the car and headed over to the lakeside. Since it was Valentine’s Day we each brought along our gift for one another to exchange. We sat down at the picnic table which overlooked the frozen lake surrounded by snow covered pines. It was sunny, silent, & beautiful! It was also Sunday and normally we would be at church but since we weren’t we decided to have a little devotional time & say a prayer together before opening our gifts.

His prayer was a very touching prayer of thanks to God for me and for the way that He brought us together. Then he handed me a box, which contained another box, and another box (you get the idea – LOL!) until I came to THE box which I opened to reveal the most beautiful and unique sapphire and diamond ring ever! He got down on one knee (yes, even in the snow) and asked me to marry him. Of course my answer was yes!! It was the perfect proposal even if it was Plan B.

I chose to use roses because I felt like they were the only flower that could convey the message of elegance that the venue commanded. Since our colors were red & gold I chose to use a solid red Freedom rose in combination with a Circus rose which is a deep golden yellow with dark red edges.

My bouquet was big & bold and I loved it! My florist added diamond accents and wrapped the base with a gold organza ribbon. Jeff’s boutonnière was a single Circus rose with some greenery.

My centerpieces were a 50/50 mix of Freedom and Circus roses, light & airy bright green fern around the rim of a gold, pedestal based urn which we set on top of a mirror to help reflect the beauty of the flowers from the underneath.

They looked gorgeous on top of our red & ivory table linens. I loved the way our flowers turned out. Our florist did an amazing job!

My very favorite detail of our wedding day was our cake stand. Jeff & I made it ourselves and we had so much fun doing the project together. I got the inspiration from an outdoor lighted end table that I saw made on HGTV and the idea was born. We had a 2 ft x 2 ft x 6 in plexiglass box made with an open bottom. Then one by one, we glued red & gold clear glass marbles to all four sides and most of the top the box; leaving just enough flat surface on top for the cake to be placed on. Then we mounted a light on the inside of the box.

Our wedding was fairly small and therefore we didn’t need a huge cake but I didn’t want my tiny cake to get swallowed up in the large room. Our lighted cake base was the perfect solution to add extra bulk and drama to our small cake. It turned out great! Working on it together in the months leading up to our wedding will always be one of my favorite memories. And the best part of it is that we discovered a use for it so that we can enjoy its beauty again & again……it’s now become our lighted Christmas tree stand!