Over the years I have witnessed many different wedding traditions and customs. And this Alta Vista Country Club wedding managed to introduce me to a handful of new traditions. All I am absolutely obsessing over!  I may not be from Kyrgyzstan, but I think I may steal a few of these incredibly fun traditions for my own wedding one day!  ;)

Wedding Day

The day officially began when Garrett arrived to Alesia’s hotel with his groomsmen and family in tow.  They were greeted downstairs by Alesia’s bridesmaids. Who had an obstacle course of sorts (called “Redemption”) that Garrett had to win (or pay) his way through in order to prove that he was worthy of marrying the lovely Alesia.

The game included activities such as being given a list of dates and having to accurately guess the significance of each date (or pay for each wrong guess). He had to guess which lipstick kiss was hers on a piece of paper with 30 other lips on it (or again, pay for each wrong guess). He had to improvise and sing a song at the top of his lungs to serenade her from outside her hotel room (for all to hear). And upon finally entering the hotel room, he had to choose which door his beloved soon-to-be wife was behind (the catch? he would have to marry whoever was behind the door he chose). After guessing wrong twice and paying up both times, her bridesmaids finally agreed that Garrett had proven his love for Alesia and was now worthy of marrying her.

At this point she finally came out of hiding and they were able to enjoy their first look surrounded by all of their loved ones cheering them on!

Ceremony & Reception

Both the ceremony and reception were held at the beautiful Alta Vista Country Club, in Placentia.  The ceremony took place on their lawn decorated with a beautiful gazebo. And the reception in their main hall, conveniently located right next to each other.  Their golf course had some very picturesque locations, including their big fountain and incredibly cute bridge.  The reception was jam-packed with so many fun and meaningful traditions.  But one of my personal favorites was when the bride had her shoe stolen and in order for Garrett to have his first dance with Alesia, he and his groomsmen had to win back the shoe from her bridesmaids.

The girls presented the boys with 5 wrapped boxes, one of them containing Alesia’s shoe. And then made the boys do a funny game/task to earn a box. For example, one of the boxes Garrett had to serenade Alesia a cappella. Another box the boys had to do a number of push-ups. And another they all had to do a sexy dance (and when they didn’t get quite sexy enough, the girls got on the floor to show them how it’s done and then made them copy their moves). It was incredibly entertaining, to say the least!  I have never seen a groom work so hard to “prove his worthiness” and let me just say that Garrett and his groomsmen did not disappoint!

Alesia & Garrett

Alesia and Garrett are one of those couples that after seeing them interact for just a few minutes, you have no doubt they were meant for each other. And considering they met halfway across the world, just further confirms their relationship was fate!  If you haven’t already, you can read all about their love story on their engagement blog here!  The way that they look at each other and the way they talk about one another is filled with so much love and respect. It’s incredibly beautiful to witness and I could not be happier and more excited for the two of them!  And now, without further ado, enjoy a handful of my favorite images from their beautiful and fun-filled Alta Vista Country Club wedding!

Vendors

Wedding Photography // Stefani Ciotti Photography
Venue + Catering //  Alta Vista Country Club, Placentia
Florist // Victoria’s Garden
Dress // Oleg Cassini
Suit //  Men’s Wearhouse
DJ // Station Identification
Rings // Vartan’s Fine Jewelry
Makeup + Hair + Invitation // Ashlie Ibrahim (IG: @ashliefleig)
Second Photographer // Cara Danielle
Photography Assistant // Bee Ruiz

Love!
Stefani Ciotti