Real Wedding: Jessica & Jared

How did the two of you meet? We met each other in in high school while living in Modesto, California. We weren’t that close close until after Jared returned from his mission and starting attending the University of Utah.

I sent him a message on My Space asking about his mission and we became close soon after. We dated long distance for almost three years.

I found my dress at a dress shop in Fresno, CA called Mia Bella Couture. It was the second store I had looked at. When I first saw the dress, I thought I would hate it, but my mom and soon-to-be mother-in-law insisted that I try it on.

Once I put it on I knew it was the one! I loved it. It was simple yet elegant with a bit of an edge. Just what I had been looking for.

Our flowers were bright, rich shades of purple and blue. I didn’t want any greenery, so instead we put bright green roses and small hydrangeas.

There were a bunch of different types of flowers throughout the wedding, but my favorite had to be my bouquet. It was filled mainly with purple shades of calla lilies and white stephanotis.

Describe the proposal. Jared was visiting home in Modesto the week before his birthday and we had dinner with my family. Right after dinner he took me to our old High School and told me he had a present he wanted me to give him for his birthday. He led me to the school’s sign in the front lawn and handed me a wrapped wooden box.

I was so confused, I still wasn’t getting it! I opened the box and found a small jewelry box inside. He took it from me, knelt down on one knee, and then opened the box toward me. I was so surprised and started giggling nervously! He asked if I would marry him and of course, I said yes! He then picked me up and spun me around. It was so exciting!

The ceremony was beautiful. After Jared and I said our vows and started walking back down the aisle together, he stopped me before we reached the end of it.

Then I heard piano music and he began signing to me. It was a beautiful song that Lancelot sings to Guinevere in the musical, “Camelot”, called, “If Ever I would Leave You.” It was so unexpected, and I loved every second of it.

We wanted each tier of the cake to be a little different. I found different designs for each tier online and showed them to our cake decorator at Granite Bakery and Bridal Showcase in Salt Lake City, UT. She had some great ideas and able to help me create designs that were all different but flowed well together.

The flavor was a chocolate raspberry swirl. I normally don’t like raspberry cakes, but Jared and I were pleasantly surprised when we tasted Granite Bakery’s. It was delicious! We decided to make the entire cake the same flavor since it was so good.