We’re taking a look back at Matt and Jessica’s wedding at Whispering Oaks Terrace located in Temecula, California. Their wedding was filled with so much love, and we are so grateful we had the opportunity to be a part of such an important day. here is a recap from their special wedding day and their story of how they met.

Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?

We drew a lot of our inspiration from the rustic, country style theme. When we decided to tie the knot, we knew we wanted to celebrate with our family and friends in a way that was special but also not over the top. We felt this theme also fit perfectly in with our passion of building and designing wooden décor pieces. Win win!

Q: Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

 Just about every décor piece for our wedding was DIY. The idea of us working together building the memory wall, cornhole boards, coasters as favors for our guests, as well as the platforms for our cake and cupcakes really symbolized to us that we were building this marriage, together.

Q: What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?

We honestly did not try to build florals too much into our wedding. We got married at Whispering Oaks Terrace which had such a beautiful backdrop of foliage that we did not want to take away from the natural beauty the venue already had to offer. When it came to the bouquets, we added a touch of our Arizona home by incorporating a few succulents which the bridesmaids and bride have now planted in their very own gardens. As for the boutonnieres, we had to throw in our love for Game of Thrones by having the Hand of the King pin as the centerpiece. The final season had just gotten underway! What better way for us to show another piece of our lives that bring us together.

Q: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?

Every aspect of our wedding was decided on by asking ourselves the same question, what is our favorite? A good BBQ meal, country music with variety music sprinkled in, cornhole games in the background, red velvet cupcakes for Matt and marble cake for Jess, all shared by some of our favorite people in our lives. The rustic, country theme really tied each of these things together so nicely the entire day turned out to be perfect for us. 

Q: Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.

There wasn’t much thought that went into our wedding day looks. We both knew we wanted to be comfortable on our big day and already knew which of those style would give us just that. The wedding dress happened to be picked after having only tried on 3 dresses prior to finding “the one.” Having never tried on a wedding dress before this, I thought “I have to at least try the ball gown look with all the poufy tulle.” However, just as I slipped it on my first thought was, NOPE. It was not me and was far from comfortable. That was when I spotted the dress I had originally envisioned. A simple sleek, yet elegant gown. No tulle, no long train, a sweetheart neckline, with the illusion of being strapless but wasn’t. It was exactly what I first pictured would be my ideal dress. As for the groom, Matt always gravitates to the dark slate gray varieties. Gotta admit, he does look quite sharp in a suit of that color. Then adding in the navy-blue tie, which is our favorite color, it tied the look together perfectly.

Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

Our love story started way back in 2009. It was the summer before my senior year of high school and Matt had graduated from the same high school just the year before. A few mutual friends had decided to get together at one of the local parks for a pickup game of softball and it was love at first sight. Fast forward to 2017 and add in a couple pets and our daughter Aria, is when Matt got down on one knee. It was a family cruise vacation to the Caribbean’s on the beach of Mahogany Bay. Matt had brought with him a jar filled with sand from the beaches of Oceanside where we first met and from it, also pulled out a ring. The rest as they say, is history.

Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

For me, it was walking down the aisle. I am not one to be the center of attention and while it was special to share that moment with my mom, my father was dearly missed. No matter the time that has passed, a day does not go by that I don’t think about him up in heaven. As for Matt, not only was the anticipation building of seeing me in my wedding gown, he could not wait to see Aria dressed up as our flower girl. Aria is such a daddy’s girl at heart, and she stole the show that night. We don’t think there wasn’t one person there who she didn’t dance with, laugh with, or be her goofy self with. Sharing that moment for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Was truly special for the three of us.

Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?

Do not sweat the small stuff. Seriously. The day goes by in a blink of an eye and next thing you know, you are married for 3 months thinking, “how has our big day come and gone by SO FAST?” Stick to simplicity and only focus on the two of you (or in our case, the three of us). If I had to say what is the absolute one thing to splurge on? Pictures (or videography if that is your thing). Everything else will fade and all you will have left are the pictures. So, THANK YOU Astray Photography for being there to capture our special day and leave us with the most gorgeous photos for us to cherish over the years to come.

We hope you enjoyed reading about Matt and Jessica’s wedding day. If you are located in Southern California and planning your wedding there are so many amazing local wedding venues to check out. We work with Whispering Oaks a ton and love being able to capture so many beautiful weddings at their venue. If you are still searching for you wedding photographer and or videographer we would love to chat details about your wedding and see what you are looking for and how we can help capture your day. There are so many amazing Temecula wedding venues and being able to be secluded at a venue like Whispering Oaks makes it that much more intimate, we are Temecula wedding photographers and always enjoy the vibe and aesthetic this venue has each and every wedding. Being tucked away from the wineries and along the winding street of Pala makes it so secluded from everything else going on.