Anna and Jamie Holland

The love story

We met through a mutual friend in 2010. After a few months of hanging out, Jamie decided to ask me on a date. We went on our first date to Oktoberfest and had a great time and continued dating.

The proposal

In August 2015, we went to Los Angeles to visit some friends. While in California, Jamie staged a very romantic proposal in Malibu on the beach at sunset. After getting engaged, we began planning the wedding.

The “I Do”

With wedding planning begun, I quickly became overwhelmed, as we both have very hectic work schedules. I needed a simple option for the wedding venue and toured many beautiful places. After some convincing on my part, my parents agreed to have the wedding in their backyard.

Although I refused to come up with an official theme for the wedding, I went for a classic and simple event with family and a few close friends. I made many of the decorations, with the help of family and friends, including signs and all the flower arrangements. We spent months planning the layout of the yard, and my dad even built the arbor out of bamboo that he grew in the yard. It was very special for me to get married in the yard I grew up in, where I have so many great memories.

For the ceremony, one of our best friends got ordained and was the officiant. We also had family friends perform music during the ceremony. These touches made it very personal and perfect for us. The wedding went very well. As always, there were some stressful moments, but everyone had a great time. Our families worked hard to make everything successful, including stepping in to help when we were overwhelmed with all the planning.

The happily-ever-after

We left the next day for our honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico!