1. Real Weddings

A Rustic Barn Wedding at Orcutt Ranch Horticultural Center in West Hills, California

Even though both Francesca and Ricky are from Southern California, they met at Hiro 88 Sushi Bar in Omaha, Nebraska. "I had been living in Omaha since

Even though both Francesca and Ricky are from Southern California, they met at Hiro 88 Sushi Bar in Omaha, Nebraska. "I had been living in Omaha since 2007 attending undergrad at Creighton University and then later graduate school for my Occupational Therapy Doctorate. He had been living in Omaha since summer of 2010 and was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base as a medic. My best friend and future maid of honor Kindra, and I were supposed to attend a wedding that night in South Dakota (wedding of my future bridesmaid) and at the last minute decided to bail (bad, I know). We instead went out for drinks and were seated at a table next to Ricky and his friend. I instantly noticed Ricky and how cute he was (I’m a sucker for blonde hair/blue eyes). His friend was actually the first one to start up conversation with us (I always tease Ricky saying had it not been for Trent, he never would have made a move).

Classic Platinum Engagement and Wedding Rings
Wedding Day Bride and Puppy Photo
Throughout the wedding, Francesca and Ricky went with large arrangements of baby's breath. "We did baby’s breath for the bridesmaid’s bouquets too, as I just love the simplicity of it," she says.
"As for my bouquet, I didn’t want it to be too big as I am very petite. I gave Aunt Nancy pictures for ideas of what I liked and she just went from there and made the perfect bouquet. It was a mix of white roses, white carnations, baby’s breath, small blush pink roses (for that pop of color), and gardenias. I had never smelled gardenias before and Aunt Nancy told me Gardenias were Ricky’s late grandpa’s favorite flower," says Francesca.
The boutonnieres were a mix of a small blush rose and baby’s breath that matched both Francesca's larger bridal bouquet and the full baby's breath bridesmaid bouquets.
"Ricky's groomsmen told me themselves to just choose whatever I wanted and they would make sure to get it. We decided to go with pants from JCREW (not the same Linen pants as Ricky’s but similar color), top from Express, wing-tipped brown shoes from DSW, and suspenders. Let’s just say they cleaned up well," Francesca says.
Francesca and her mother snapped this emotional picture of the two of them at the end of the getting ready process. They were both excited for the day to begin.
Classic Indoor Church Ceremony Photo
"One of the common decoration themes of the wedding were mason jars – invitations, centerpieces, and mason jar drinking glasses were the party favors," says Francesca.
Chalkboard Song of Solomon Quote
"Ricky’s Aunt Nancy is a natural artist and offered her amazing services when we got engaged. The day before the wedding, we went down to LA’s flower district and bought all the flowers for the wedding. She dedicated all her time in preparing the bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces and any additional arrangements. We went with baby’s breath and other forms of flowers for the centerpieces that made it look like we had picked them out from a field," says Francesca.
Instagram Chalkboard Wedding Sign
Francesca and Ricky created a hand-painted cowbell that guests and wedding party members could ring for the couple to kiss. It said, "Ring for a kiss!"
Francesca and Ricky's cake was created by The Cheesecake Factory (um, yum!) and topped with a sweet whittled wooden figurine of a couple embracing.