Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyards

Welcome Party

Lake Oak Meadows (Vitagliano Winery)

Wedding Ceremony & Reception

Spring

Our Wedding

TL;DR it’s been 84 years, and it’s about damn time. The long, yet still abridged, version:It all started in an AIM chatroom in December 2004. Andrew and Tara ended up in the same chatroom when their mutual friends brought everyone together in one room to talk online. Andrew didn’t know Tara, so he instant messaged her outside of the chatroom to get to know her. Baby Freshman Tara was thrilled to be talking to a cool senior guy, and they bonded over the next few hours over shared interests like The Simpsons and Nerds candy, leading to them making plans to eat Nerds while watching The Simpsons together (this never happened). What did happen soon after was a date to see Meet the Fockers at the movie theatres followed by a stroll in the sand at Huntington Beach, where they first held hands and felt a connection. One month later, they went to the Winter Formal dance together at The Reef in Long Beach, where Andrew asked Tara to be his girlfriend as they slow danced to This I Promise You, and Tara excitedly said yes (major bonus points to Andrew for asking the diehard NSYNC fanatic during this song, even though deep down Tara was still holding out hope that Lance Bass would be the one professing his love to her). The high school sweethearts eventually went off to their respective colleges a whopping 37 miles away from each other and continued to grow as a couple while simultaneously growing as individuals and within their new communities (Gamma Phi Beta and the Fancy Ladies for Tara, and The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe for Andrew). Thanks to Andrew’s exposure to the USC football team and a few years of indoctrination by the Skipper family, this was also when Andrew developed his love for sports, opening a new chapter in his life that he has both thanked and cursed Tara for, depending on victory or defeat. Andrew and Tara navigated post-grad young adult life together and quickly realized how much being in your twenties sucks. Through unglamorous jobs, tons of uncertainty, and possibly some quarter-life crises, they supported each other through it all and served as each other’s biggest cheerleaders. They moved in together in 2016 – after over 11 years of dating, they pretty much knew everything about each other, and their lives blended together seamlessly (although Andrew may not have realized how much Tara hates washing dishes). As many couples can confirm, their compatibility and patience were put to the ultimate test when their cozy Long Beach apartment became not just home but also their office, gym, grad school classroom for Tara, and sole entertainment source for nearly two years during the COVID pandemic. Not a problem for Tara and Andrew, though – they loved their daily walks together and enjoyed to-go food and cocktails from their favorite local restaurants like Lola's and Lucille's as they binged quality TV shows like Tiger King and The Last Dance. Their apartment holds so much love and many great memories from the past seven years, although they frequently daydream together about moving into a home with a couch larger than their current love seat, in-unit laundry, a gym in the garage, and plenty of room for dogs and babies! On January 29, 2023, exactly eighteen years after that fateful dance to This I Promise You, Andrew brought an unsuspecting Tara back to The Reef to ask her to marry him as NSYNC serenaded them once again. As if the proposal wasn’t shocking enough, Andrew also planned a beautiful surprise party with family and friends in attendance to celebrate their long-awaited engagement. It was a perfect day that can only be topped by May 4, 2024, the day they FINALLY become husband and wife!

Our Story

Photos

HOW THEY MET: Alyssa’s life changed for the better on June 7, 1990, when her baby sister and built-in best friend Tara was born. WHY TARA LOVES ALYSSA: Tara and Alyssa are simultaneously nothing alike and exactly the same. Focusing on the similarities, they have the same sense of humor, same excellent taste in sports teams (minus college athletics…FIGHT ON!), and they share the same approach to tackling a Disney day (plan on being there for 12+ hours, stick to the plan no matter how tired you are, and always have an alcoholic beverage in hand while in line for Toy Story Midway Mania). They are true sisters (sisters squared, since they’re also sorority sisters!) and can go from snapping at each other over something stupid to laughing together over the latest SNL episode in a matter of seconds. It is truly a bond that only sisters can understand.

Alyssa

HOW THEY MET: Tara and Alex met in the Bellflower Elementary Ensemble and became best friends after spending hours together backstage at the Civic Center and traveling from school to school with Elementary Singers. Ask her to sing “I Hope You Dance” at the wedding! WHY TARA LOVES ALEX: Alex is the type of person you want in your corner because she will do absolutely anything for her friends, including decorating for Tara’s surprise engagement party with the cutest and most thoughtful décor. They share many favorite things, including tap dancing, Death Cab for Cutie, and cookie dough ice cream (fun fact: their first jobs were at Coldstone Creamery together!).

Alexandrea

HOW THEY MET: Even though Tara and Erin grew up minutes apart from each other in the beautiful 562, they met at Chapman University after joining Gamma Phi Beta. They lived together for two years in college and spent their nights eating extremely al dente pasta in the kitchen, singing and dancing to all the mid-to-late 2000s hits, and trying to open a $2 bottle of Walmart wine with any tool other than a cork remover. WHY TARA LOVES ERIN: No matter how much time has passed between seeing each other, Tara and Erin can always pick up their friendship right where they left off. She is a true girl’s girl, a fellow competitive queen, and Tara’s favorite person to perform with, whether it’s on stage while dressed as men during Skit or during a casual wine night with the Fancy Ladies.

Erin

HOW THEY MET: Jayme and Tara met at Chapman after they both joined Gamma Phi Beta. They eventually became roommates and shared a room adorned with Toby Keith (rest in peace <3) and Mark Sanchez pictures on the walls - take a wild guess whose side of the room had the country singer and whose had the quarterback.

WHY TARA LOVES JAYME: Even though she did once try to set Tara on fire while playing with matches (classic Jayme habit), Jayme is pure light in human form, and she loves and cares about the people in her life harder than anyone. Tara always has the best time with Jayme, whether they’re out in Vegas becoming besties with the cover band at Toby Keith’s bar & grill or having a night in with the Fancy Ladies, the finest California Roots wine, Taco Bell, and Taylor Swift’s entire discography.

Jayme

HOW THEY MET: Tara and Kayla first met in 2nd grade at Lindstrom, where Tara thought Kayla was the cool new girl in class, and Kayla thought Tara was a weirdo who wouldn’t shut up about having chickenpox THREE TIMES.

WHY TARA LOVES KAYLA: Kayla and Tara are true Gemini twins who have so much in common. They are both curious, full of fun facts, and extremely competitive (seriously, don’t let them play musical chairs against each other ever again). Kayla is also a magician and a saint for being Tara’s hair stylist and dealing with her absurd amount of thick hair – one great perk of having 4-hour-plus hair appointments is that Tara and Kayla get to spend many hours together chatting about life and their laminated five lists.

Kayla

HOW THEY MET: Tara and Kendall were in the same Freshman Foundations Course at Chapman, quickly became friends, and started having lunch together in the caf before every FFC class. They bonded over shared history of being singers and cheerleaders, and thankfully, they also ended up joining the same sorority and became even closer friends. 

WHY TARA LOVES KENDALL: Whether she is playing the ultimate tour guide in whatever fabulous new city she is living in or preparing a gourmet meal for her friends, Kendall pours her entire heart into whatever she is doing. Kendall is one of the most brilliant and hardest working people Tara knows, and she motivates Tara to live bravely and passionately.

Kendall

HOW THEY MET: Tara first knew of Kristen as one of “the b*tches with the pink backbacks” (along with Vania) in middle school. Once they met, Tara soon realized Kristen was incredibly sweet and friendly, and they’ve been friends ever since.

WHY TARA LOVES KRISTEN: Kristen is a kind-hearted friend and a fun-loving social butterfly, and to know her is to love her. Tara and Kristen share countless high school cheer memories (including broken noses and ripped-out eyelashes), and they continue to cheer each other on through all of life’s big milestones.

Kristen

HOW THEY MET: They may have started out as fierce spelling bee rivals in 3rd grade, but Tara and Leanne soon became the best of friends on the annual ILC student council Disneyland trip and spent the entire day laughing over the dumbest things together – over twenty years later, nothing has changed.

WHY TARA LOVES LEANNE: Leanne exemplifies Modern Woman Energy, just like Tara and Leanne’s (imaginary) bestie Tanya Rad. Leanne has witnessed Tara and Andrew’s relationship from the very beginning and has probably cried more tears of joy over their love than Tara and Andrew have combined.

Leanne

HOW THEY MET: Thao was the sweet, quiet girl in Mrs. Smith’s 7th grade English and history class…and then she met Tara and the rest of their loud group of friends, and none of them have shut up since.
WHY TARA LOVES THAO: Thao is so cool, true to herself, smart, driven, and hilarious, and she is truly one of Tara’s favorite people. She's a Lakewood legend for taking a quint shot at a house party one time. Also, Thao and Tara joined the same sorority at different colleges, so they are sisters in addition to being friends for over 20 years!

Thao

HOW THEY MET: Tori was sitting in Tara’s seat at the 3rd grade district-wide spelling bee, and Tara politely asked her to move to her correct seat (Tori will tell you a different story). They reunited a couple years later in Ensemble, where Tara had the chance to prove to Tori she wasn’t “the b*tch with the blue bow” from the spelling bee.

WHY TARA LOVES TORI: Tori is the most loyal friend and is incredible at staying close with her southern California friends despite living in Seattle. She rarely misses a 4th of July or Friendsgiving at the Skipper house, but even if she did, she’s a photo editing queen and will add her face to any group picture taken at these events.

Tori

HOW THEY MET: Tara and Vania met in middle school and quickly realized they lived across the street from each other. On their first friend date, they ate lunch at Lakewood’s finest restaurant, Mi Casa. While they were hanging out at Tara’s house after lunch, Vania’s bike was stolen out of the front yard (but thankfully Vania didn’t hate Tara for it!).

WHY TARA LOVES VANIA: Boring Enneagram 5 Tara is grateful that a fun, adventurous Enneagram 7 like Vania is willing to be friends with her. Vania’s spirit and perspective on life reminds Tara to live in the moment and make the most of every day. Vania is always there for Tara and the rest of her friends, cheering them on and encouraging them to pursue their boldest, wildest dreams.

Vania

Recently joined the 0.01% of the world to complete a marathon // Once served as the groom’s dedicated carpool buddy (Cypress College represent) before going their separate ways to new schools // Diehard SF Giants fan—#1 passion in the world is hating anything related to Los Angeles sports teams // Father to his beautiful baby girl

Andrew Camacho

1 of 6 friends to staff Caruthers Park with the groom // Spent his high school years dedicated to CP wiffleball, where his opponents’ average age was 8 // Father to two beautiful girls 

Andrew Perkins

Big “Frank the Tank” vibes. May be washed up with his best partying days behind him. May be capable of a fun surprise. TBD. // Whether or not he keeps his clothes on in Las Vegas…also TBD. // Father to two young studs  

Chad Nason

After twice dressing up as USC’s Trojan mascot, he lucked in to a Notre Dame win, which forced the bride and groom to dress up as leprechauns // The lone groomsman not from Southern California. Ask him about: Vermont, the Pittsburgh Penguins/Steelers, or his thoughts on why Notre Dame football has struggled to return to national relevance // Father to a beautiful baby girl

Chris Carlaccini

1 of 6 friends to staff Caruthers Park with the groom // He once asked if I knew how to drive, to which I replied yes, before attempting to step on the gas of the CP Cart without the necessary step of turning it on. I would later write an incident report for (allegedly) running into the gate of the park’s maintenance garage. // Can guide you through Boston just as well as he can Los Angeles 

Daniel Wintz

Spent years bonding with the groom via sports twitter, where the bromance first blossomed // His sports teams reside in: Oregon, Minnesota, New York, and North Carolina. Not big on hometown pride.

Deary Susanto

Has trouble staying awake during luaus // Ask him about his thoughts on why the Dallas Cowboys have struggled to live up to the “America’s Team” moniker // Father to two beautiful girls 

Johar Osorio

From skateboarding before they could drive—to bodyboarding at the beach once they could—to old guys snowboarding together every few years. Justin is one of Andrew’s very best friends in the world // Enjoys taking pictures of the groom in the stalls of public restrooms // Once had his mom drive his group of friends to a 15+ night club (where they hoped to meet girls)

Justin Clores

Met the groom in middle school band // Once provided his childhood home as a place of refuge when the groom “ran away” (for less than 24 hours) // Took every opportunity to urge the groom to finally propose to Tara. Even offered her the services of taking his last name if things fell through. 

Kenny Munoz

1 of 6 friends to staff Caruthers Park with the groom // One of their earliest bonding experiences 20 years ago was over a fairly mediocre (but very exciting at the time) breakfast buffet in Waikiki // Peaked through a window to watch Andrew and Tara get engaged while making sure the song of choice played during the proposal

Tim Suarez

Perhaps needing a change of pace, he decided to move from LA to Vegas // Big fan of MMA so try to stay on his good side // World class volleyballer

Wes Wilson

1 of 6 friends to staff Caruthers Park with the groom // Man of many talents: played trombone in high school marching band while also on the varsity basketball team // Father to his young stud of a son (future futbol star)

Jonathan Flietstra

Wedding Party

Q + A

AIRPORTS:- Ontario (ONT) - 50 miles from Temecula- San Diego (SAN) - 60 miles from Temecula- John Wayne (SNA) - 65 miles from Temecula- Long Beach (LGB) - 80 miles from Temecula- Los Angeles (LAX) - 90 miles from Temecula LODGING:We highly recommend our guests look into houses on Airbnb, Vrbo, or other vacation rental websites, especially if you are planning on staying with a large group of friends/family. This is a very popular way to stay in Temecula, and there are tons of great house options in the area. We do not have any hotel room blocks, but here are some local options if you are planning to stay at a hotel.

2 miles away from the wedding venue

Ponte Vineyard Inn

4.3 miles away from the wedding venue

Inn at Churon Winery

9 miles away from the wedding venue

Embassy Suites by Hilton Temecula Valley Wine Country

SpringHill Suites by Marriott Temecula Valley Wine Country

12 miles away from the wedding venue

Pechanga Resort Casino

Travel

Experience the incredible wineries in Temecula Wine Country! We chose to get married in Temecula because we have loved coming here for wine tastings over the past decade, and we would love for you all to fall in love with Temecula, too!

Wine Tasting!

Check out the charming historic buildings, sample delicious olive oils at the Temecula Olive Oil Company, go antique shopping, grab a beer and a bite at a brewery - there are tons of great options in this cute part of town!

Visit Old Town Temecula!

Hit the slots or tables, and (hopefully) win big at one of the most popular casinos in California. You might want to bring a Skipper with you - they're known to be lucky on the slots!