Taking a break from my usual nutrition and health content to talk all things wedding! On Sunday October 27, 2019, I officially became Mrs. Rocchio! Honestly, I never thought I would have a full-on wedding. Even Chris and I would joke about throwing a casual party instead of a such a formal event. Four years later…here we are.
When we thought about it more, we really couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have so many of our close family and friends by our side, for a weekend full of love . If you’re on the fence about having a wedding, I have to say, “go for it!” It was one of the most beautiful, special, unforgettable experiences I’ve ever had in my life. I really can’t even put it into words.
Even though words and pictures won’t do it justice, I did want to share some of my special wedding details with you, to connect with you on a more personal level. Whether you’re looking to have a wedding in the future, love all things wedding or just want to get to know a little more about me, this blog is for you!
Every girl’s favorite part..lets talk about the dress!
The Wedding Dress
And the dress didn’t come easy! After going to three different bridal showrooms, I finally settled on a stunning strapless wedding dress from Kinsley James. It hugged all the right places and Chris definitely approved after the reveal 😉
You know what they say…it’s all about “location, location, location!”
The Wedding Location
In true California fashion, we decided to have the wedding on the beach. Fun fact: Chris and I had our first kiss on the beach in Santa Monica, California.
Living in Los Angeles, we decided we wanted to get out of the hustle and bustle of LA, and head south down to San Diego. It was important for us to have something intimate, yet beachy, so we landed on a beautiful resort on Mission Bay in San Diego, The Bahia Resort. They’ve definitely mastered the art of weddings there, and I highly recommend that location. We had a really beautiful setup right alongside the water for the ceremony of my dreams.
After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour by the water, followed by our reception, which was on a classic three story boat, just a short walk away from the beach (pictured below). With beautiful stained glass windows on the inside, and a big room for the dance floor and bar on the bottom, it was the perfect evening location. Our guests got to enjoy a delicious healthy meal with wine, desserts, and cocktails!
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Or…the florals 😉
At first, this was the part I cared the least about. “Expensive flowers… why do we do this?” – I thought to myself. Then when I was brainstorming ideas with the Moments In Bloom flower team, we decided to add some unique elements to the bouquets and arrangements, including a whole artichoke in mine! Pretty fitting right?! After thinking about it more, I realized that the flowers could also be a beautiful and fun way to sneak in some symbolic touches to the wedding. After all, Chris and I have always bonded over meal prep, veggies and healthy nutrition – why not add an element of that in our wedding.
We also added mini olive branches to the bouquets and used them on the men’s boutonnieres since Chris’ whole family is Italian. If you look close enough, they kind of look like small dark berries on the bouquets.
The Sweetest Thing? The Wedding Cake!
As healthy as I am, you best believe I can get down on some wedding cake. The cake tasting was a very fun part of the process! After the tasting, we picked this unreal chocolate, banana cake flavor for the bottom tier and the top two tiers were actually my personal favorite cake flavor, red velvet. The half and half frosting was also another fun touch too.
Of course, my favorite part of the cake was the wedding topper. Chris holding me up in an overhead barbell press and our wedding date on two kettlebells was very us. The only thing that would’ve made it even better is if I was doing a bicep curl with my one arm (LOL).
The fab cakes team in San Diego (3X Food Network Car War Winners) did a fantastic job! Not only did it look amazing but also tasted out of this world. Chris and I did freeze the top tier of the cake to eat on our 1 year anniversary (fingers crossed the cake still tastes good).
Getting Ready for the Big Day…Hair and Make Up
After testing out a couple different hair looks, my hairstylist, Joanna, and I decided to go with a wavy/curly look pinned to one side. It was the best of both worlds – of having some hair up but also allowing my long hair to blow free.
Chris was very concerned about the makeup…haha! He really likes my natural look and didn’t want it too caked on for the wedding, which I definitely appreciate. The most important part of marriage is honesty, right?! He sent me multiple texts leading up to our special day, pleading with me to ensure the makeup artist didn’t paint on an over-the-top look (LOL). Although I did have a lot of makeup on that day, my makeup artist, Vanny did an amazing job, making it look natural and not “over-the-top.” Chris was very impressed and loved my makeup look – winning!
The Wedding Invitations, You’re Invited…
Minted Weddings did a fabulous job with the design of our wedding invitations. We actually had a crest at the top that includes the edelweiss, to represent my Austrian heritage (my dad was born and raised in Austria) and olive branches to represent Chris’ Italian family origin.
Pro Tip: Don’t make the mistake Chris and I did and forget to leave place for people to leave their names on the RSVPs….whoops! Luckily, many wedding attendees put their return address on the invitations but we did have to do some follow texting to figure out the rest (LOL).
Other Fun Wedding Details…
I actually had six bridesmaids, two of them were guys because…well hello this is 2019, and you can do WHATEVER YOU want. There are NO rules to weddings and you can truly curate it to be exactly what you want. I was also spoiled and had two maids of honor; my long time best friend from college, Robin O’neal, who helped plan a lot of the wedding and my childhood best friend, Lauren Phelps, who is just as addicted to working out as me and gave a phenomenal speech at my wedding.
I also have to give a special shoutout to my wedding planner, Krissie aka White Lace Events. The day ran flawlessly, all her vendor recommendations were phenomenal and any trouble shooting pre-wedding she was there for me, with the most energetic and positive attitude!All photos you’ve seen in this blog were shot by my talented friends at Cuckoo’s Nest West, Hailee and Jake. I also highly recommend them if you need any type of wedding photography, engagement photos, or lifestyle shoot.
Late Night Bites
Doggos Gus Food Truck came through with the late night gourmet hot dogs at the end of the reception. Chris’ dad even said “they were the best hot dogs he’s had in his life!” If you’re near the San Diego area and have an event, I definitely recommend checking them out.
I hope you enjoyed this blog. I never really used to get what the hang up was about weddings until now. I see why it’s such a big deal because honestly, it’s one of the best experiences you’ll have in your life!
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You two look so happy and full of joy and love! You looked gorgeous! I love your positivity and your posts, best wishes to you and hubs.
Thank you so much! It was the perfect day and really appreciate the kind words! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! xoxo