A May Wedding In Mission Viejo

A sweet couple called me from the Inland Empire, wanting a wedding on the beach. “And by the way”, the groom added, “my fiancé has been picturing a rose arbor”.  I had many suggestions where I could officiate a wedding on the beach or in parks in Orange County. Some required permits and some did not, but none of them already had a rose arbor that we could use at that time. Then I discovered a rose garden in Mission Viejo that had a blooming arbor in May. They loved the pictures I sent, and I got permission to use the space, for free, that also afforded ample privacy. The bride got her wish and they got married in May, 2015.

The bride wore diamond studded stilettos, so I was glad I had thought to bring my wedding carpet for them to stand on, as the ground was packed earth. They brought a professional photographer and the witness was the groom’s father, who was in a wheelchair. Luckily, the garden was wheelchair accessible, as they didn’t tell me they needed that. It was a completely lovely and perfect ceremony. It turned out to be a cold day, so we were happy we didn’t have the wedding on the beach after all.

Almost a year after the wedding, the groom wrote this note:

“Hi Kathleen. How are you? Thinking of you. Anniversary coming up, still telling how my pants fell down just before the wedding ceremony. Everyone asking how we did our wedding and those people wishing they had gotten married in a rose garden. Everyone is jealous, but that came from your suggestion. Thank you so much for that.” Dan M., Sun City, CA. March 9, 2016