Joe & Laura’s Wedding at Holland Park West In Fresno

Joe and Laura had such a romantic and special wedding day at Holland Park West in Fresno. They were engaged earlier this year and since then it’s been a whirlwind for these two. They had their big day at a lovely park setting venue in the town that they fell in love in. Even though it was an out of town wedding for us, Joe and Laura are both from Fresno. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Joe and his sweet family for a long time and it was really special to see him married to the love of his life!

There were so many really amazing moments throughout the day and I can’t pick just one that was my favorite! They incorporated so many little details to honor each other as well as their family and guests. They had their flower girl’s basket filled with flowers from the first bouquet that Joe ever bought for Laura (I’m not crying- you’re crying!) as well as signs that were handpainted by one of their bridesmaids. They even had a special board with pictures of their family members at their wedding and photographs of Joe and Laura growing up.

Right before their ceremony, the two of them shared a special moment together by having a first touch. Instead of seeing each other before the ceremony, they closed their eyes and we led them to stand back to back so they could have a private moment to be together and to share a prayer before walking down the aisle. With all the craziness of the wedding day, this was one moment when everything seemed to slow down and they could just hold hands and think about their future together. Even though they decided not to do a first look as bride and groom, Laura had two other first looks- one with her dad right before the ceremony and also one with all the ladies of the bridal party at their getting ready room.

They had their ceremony at sunset and were surrounded by lots of love with their bridal party and friends and family. The reception that followed was also filled with so many joyful moments. They decided to do a twist on several wedding traditions and made them totally their own. In addition to their first dance and parent dance, they also added a special anniversary dance to honor the two other couples at their wedding that had been married on that same date in previous years. Then, after Laura did her bouquet toss, she handed out roses to each of the single ladies and she had a prayer with each of them. One of my favorite things that they did was the two of them served dessert to their guests. They did it as an act of service and a special way to honor their guests. Plus, they had such cute aprons as they served ice cream and pie. What a sweet idea! They originally met and fell in love through Crossfit in Fresno when Laura moved to California so their pie topper had a tribute to Crossfit. They even had two special drinks as a nod to each of their home states.

The evening ended with everyone rocking out on the dance floor. It was a wild party with handstands, a conga line, guests dropping it low, and sing-alongs! It was such a wonderful wedding and we are so happy for the two of them as they start their next steps in their lives! Congrats, Joe & Laura!