Leilani + Ross

How did you meet?

Ross and I met in San Francisco during our first year of college. We grew up in the same town but didn’t cross paths until a mutual friend invited me out with them one night. We clicked right away and dated briefly after that, but life happened and we lost touch for over 10 years – he moved to LA and moved to Arizona. By chance, we both ended up moving back to the Bay Area within a year of each other and one day I slid into his DMs with the ol’ “Hey there, stranger – long time no see!”. It was the best decision I ever made. We went to dinner that week to catch up and have been together ever since.

When did you know they were the one?

I knew about a year into our relationship that he was the man I was going to marry. He took me to LA for the weekend and while we were out to dinner at Malibu Beach, he finally said “I love you” for the first time. I knew right then he wasn’t going anywhere.

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

Ross is funny without even trying – I love that he makes me laugh every single day. He’s an amazing Father. He’s also adventurous – always willing to adventure and try something new.

Who proposed and how?

He proposed at Disneyland and I never saw it coming! I LOVE Disneyland so we try to visit during the holidays every year. I always told Ross that a public proposal would be my worst nightmare because of my major introversion, so it was the last place I would expect him to pop the question (pretty clever on his part). Somehow, he found what must be one of the only secluded areas of the park, near Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. He had a photographer on standby to capture the moment and also flew my parents in from Arizona, so they could be there for the big moment! It was until I said “yes” that they came out of hiding and surprised me. We spent the entire weekend celebrating and it was absolutely perfect.

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

I came across Archie while scrolling on Instagram and fell in love immediately. I knew that I wanted something sleek and timeless. Something elegant but tastefully sexy. The day I went to try on dresses, Archie was the first one I put on and I just knew it was my wedding dress. Archie’s low-cut cowl back is everything and is without question my favorite piece of the dress. I tried on a number of other dresses for fun, but my mind was already made up. I ordered the same day and had zero regrets.

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

The vows. The entire day and evening was amazing, but our ceremony was the most important piece for both of us. I spent months writing my vows and I so excited to share them with Ross in front of our closest friends and family.

What were your favorite details?

Our neutral color palette and venue choices! We had so many beautiful backdrops to work with and our wedding photos turned out amazing.

What advice would you tell other brides?

If you can swing it, arrange to do a “first look” of the reception area before guests are invited in to be seated. Having a moment alone to walk through and take in all the smaller details we spent so much time planning was so special.

Any standout vendors?

SO MANY!

Our photographer, Michael Derjabin was amazing to work with. Our photos turned out beautifully and everyone was so impressed with how fun and easy he was to work with throughout the entire day. He put so much care and passion into capturing our special day.

Our wedding planner, Makenna, from Joyuex Events was the best and helped me keep my sanity throughout the entire year of planning our wedding. Our wedding day was seamless and we were able to enjoy the moment without any worry.

Caleb Minter, who performed at our reception was truly one of the biggest highlights of our day. He is extremely kind, talented and brought so much energy! Our guests couldn’t get enough of him and we can’t wait for another excuse to hire him in the future!

Bre and Anela from Beauty on Set (hair and makeup) did a phenomenal job and made sure everyone in the bridal party left feeling beautiful! They were also SO much fun to hang out with all day. My girls and I had such a blast with them.