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Unique places to get married come in all shapes and sizes.  The sandstone caves at the Wente Vineyards is no exception, playing to host to Rachelle & James subterranean wedding.  The caves naturally have an air of old world & tradition about them, tie that in with the couple’s worshipcenteric ceremony and you have the makings for a very spiritual affair!  Utilizing lovely wine boxes from the estate, centerpieces were tall twigs adorned with purple & green placed in beds of moss.  Bridesmaids & groomsmen wore vibrant purple while our bride kept things traditional in a ruffled Watters gown with gorgeous ivory twig wrapped bouquet.  Our favorite lovely detail however is how the cake had cascading petal like ruffles which perfectly matched Rachelle’s gorgeous flowing skirt & train!

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Novella of the Bride…

James was born in Hawaii, raised in LA, attended and graduated Cal Berkeley where he played football during his studies.  After college he left the area and continued to play, eventually quitting and returning to the bay, becoming an EMT and working on an ambulance. His family resides in LA and will be traveling up here for the wedding.

Rachelle was born and raised in the bay area, spent a short year in South Korea.  After high school she became an EMT and continued on to become a paramedic. Here she found her passion for Medicine and desire to further progress in the field…  Rachelle’s immediate family is in the area, however her extended will be traveling in from Michigan.

We both work for a private 911 ambulance provider in Alameda County and found each other when we were randomly paired on a shift one night. After talking for 12 hours straight, both of us were impressed with our similarities, common interests .  In the months to follow we did not keep in touch, both of us ended our relationships (unbeknowst to one another) and were again randomly placed on a shift together by management. Numbers were exchanged and you’re witnessing the continuation of the story.

As strange as it sounds, our best sunset was while on a 911 call. We were called to a wilderness location on top of a radio tower hill where a young man was injured. After caring for the patient and handing him off to the life flight helicopter crew, we sat and watched the most amazing sunset. As the helicopter took off, emergency lights flickering, radio chattering, our Chiptole burrito bowls in the ambulance awaiting our return, we knew love was on the horizon.

While we both come from different backgrounds, we both agree our relationship with God is what has brought and continues to keep us together. He is a HUGE part of our relationship and we strive to make Him the center of our lives.   We see the wedding as an opportunity to bring our relationship and commit before God and our friends/loved ones. We hope He will be the center of the day. There will be some form of worship and prayer during the ceremony.  We wanted our overall theme to represent the both of our personalities and styles. Our biggest goal was an intimate setting were God was the center and having an environment to enjoy our guests.

At first we weren’t excited about planning a winter wedding, but after finding Wente’s beautiful sandstone caves we fell in love. They were an easy choice – not only do they set up, cater and assist in planning the day, they have a wedding planner for the day-of to make sure everything runs seamlessly.  My {Rachelle’s} mom was incredibly helpful planning our day, without her the wedding wouldn’t have happened. She helped us plan the entire day, all the way from location to hand sewing our table runners.

James’s favorite part of the wedding day was the worship. While I enjoyed worship, I love that my own uncle officiating the ceremony called me the wrong name…multiple times =) His mistake was the most memorable and funniest mishap of the day.

Vendor Love

Venue: Wente Vineyards | Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero | Bridesmaid Dresses: B2 {with modified fabric} | Shoes: Cathy Jean | Music & Cave Lighting: Fantasy Sound Event Services | Ceremony Worship Music: Katy Wade, Nathan Humphreys, Jr and Elijah Humphreys. | Florist: Megan Haney  Caterer & BakerWente Vineyards | Photographer: Gina Petersen Photography