Torrey and Rane’s relationship history is super romantic—like The Notebook in real life. (Seriously—just read to the end of the feature and you’ll totally get it.) So, their relaxed, hacienda-inspired wedding is befittingly romantic and a beautiful representation of the couple filled with personalized details and contributions from family and friends. Torrey, a ceramist, even handmade 250 terracotta clay tiles for wedding favors! We love the laid-back style of the day and we’re wild about the way the brilliant Jenavieve Belair captured it in her signature photojournalism style. Enjoy!
What made the wedding special and unique?
Our wedding was so very special to us for a few reasons. Every single person that was involved in the wedding was a friend prior to our big day. The ever-talented florist Casey Shostag of Second Nature Creations is a dear friend from high school. Our DJ was a long time friend that had agreed to do one more wedding DJ session just for us. The caterer, wedding planner, you name it. When it finally came down to me walking down the aisle, I could feel that I was surrounded by people that knew and loved us.
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
Oh the gown!! It was the first one I tried on months before the wedding! I went to a few places just to look at others but I knew that THIS dress was THE dress. Yanique Barnes, the designer at Dreamers & Lovers was such a treat to work with! The tagline for Dreamers & Lovers is ” Wedding Gowns For The Laid Back Bride”, which is exactly what I was looking for! As many brides do, I was losing weight like crazy and had to take my dress in 3 times! She was speedy and confident, which made me confident as well!
What were some touches added to make it personal?
The little things that you think go unnoticed, get noticed for sure! I had so much fun planning our Hacienda style wedding. One of my favorite details of the wedding was the 250 handmade terracotta clay tiles that I made for wedding favors. I am a ceramist (Tangible Goods Studios) on the side and knew I had to incorporate my craft somehow. These were (a total pain in the butt to make) but were so worth it! I’m still getting photos of people who have made them into Christmas ornaments.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
There were so many memorable parts of our wedding. One big one was seeing my dad break down in tears after seeing me for the first time coming down the aisle (of course I lost it too). Then seeing my hunk of a husband all dressed up; oh man there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Another was seeing my husband and his mother dance their Mother/Son dance; it was so amazing because SHE was leading and was wearing the biggest smile on her face.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
I met him when I was 15 and he was 16; it was puppy love for sure. When his parents moved him to Hawaii when I was 17, I just lost it. He came back for me when I was 18 and we were attached at the hip until college. He went to the Coast Guard, I went to college and we split up for 4 years. We were with other people, doing other things, and would occasionally send emails to each other.
Before too long it was emails every day, and then finally, I left my boyfriend in Ventura and drove to meet him in San Francisco at 3am to see him after 5 years. After that there was no turning back, we were just as madly in love with each other as we were when we were kids, but now it was real, it wasn’t just this high school relationship. We had serious history. He proposed to me in Mexico on the beach with my closest friends surrounding me. It was flawless, and we lived happily ever after.
Photography: Jenavieve Belair // Flowers: Second Nature Creations // Venue: Fallbrook Hacienda // Dress: Dreamers and Lovers // Hair: Blanco Blanco Hair // Makeup: Laurie Carter Makeup // DJ: Joe St. Thomas