Shelly Garcia and Taylor Gibbons
September 26, 2004
Los Olivos, CA
Shelly Garcia never expected that an after-theater visit to a restaurant would put her face to face with her future husband, but that's exactly what occurred. Celebrating her birthday with friends, Shelly was taken by their cute waiter, Taylor. She struck up a conversation and, knowing the way to a girl's heart is through her sweet tooth, he presented her with a special birthday dessert. When she returned to the restaurant the following month (hoping he'd be there), he asked her out. Two years later, Taylor surprised Shelly by asking her to marry him.
On their search for a wedding venue, the couple visited Firestone Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley, and immediately fell in love with its wide-open spaces--a necessity for a groom from a family full of cowboys (to which Taylor paid homage by donning a black cowboy hat at the wedding).
Like any bride on a budget, Shelly had to decide where to splurge and where to save money. Her decision to create the floral arrangements on her own was a big money saver. With a bit of practice, and some help from her friends, she assembled the flowers the day before the wedding. On the other hand, knowing her photos would last forever, she allocated a large portion of her budget for a photographer whose work they both loved. Upon seeing her gorgeous wedding photos, she knew she made the right choice, and we completely agree.
