Tanya and Donovan are one of a kind, actually, make that two of one kind. This fun, goofy, dance happy couple knew the words and moves to nearly every song. They loved to cheese it up and just have a great time partying and enjoying their guests’ and families’ company. The amazing venue provided by Rancho Guajome Adobe, and topped of by some amazing BBQ from Coops, made this quite a memorable event!
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Here is a little about the couple in the bride’s own words:
Donovan and I met at CrossFit Synapse, a gym that was in North Hollywood. I was already a member there and he just started, and he and I would share the same classes which is how we got to first talking. On Easter Sunday in 2015, my friends and I worked out and happened to run into him after, which prompted us to take him with us to brunch and this led to a day of fun and us getting to know more of one another. I later found out that Donovan actually planned his time to come to the gym during the classes I was there, and even planned to be around the gym on Easter hoping we might show up 🙂 we tease him about being a stalker, but really it was compatibility with each other from the very beginning.
Our proposal was not a normal one. After being together for about a year and a half, we were already planning our future and saying we wanted to be married. It was thanksgiving when we wanted to have fun on Black Friday and just browse. I teasingly said I wanted something to wear that was from him (like a bracelet or necklace) and instead he asked casually, “How about an engagement ring?” We found it together and that night in his parents backyard, he got down on one knee and proposed to me. Like I said, unconventional and not planned, but in our hearts we already knew what we wanted, ring or not, we wanted to be together the rest of our lives.
We waited another year and a half before getting married, to plan the wedding but more importantly, to deepen our relationship and learn more about one another. We’ve learned the most about being in a relationship and about ourselves when we went to Japan a few months prior to the wedding. They always say travel will test the boundaries of your relationship, and they’re not kidding! But with the downs there are always ups, and even in moments where it seems very difficult, we always ended up back to love, understanding, and honesty.
Our vision for our wedding always came back to wanting a casual, fun atmosphere. We wanted the gathering to be outdoors, with either a view of the mountains/cliffs or the beach. The Rancho Guajome Adobe was a surprise find when searching through the parks website and ended up being a perfect fit to mix the love of history, heritage, and nature into our wedding. We knew we wanted amazing food, and we got it with Coop’s BBQ! Best in San Diego 🙂
(We are) Still reeling from the magical day. Some of the most memorable moments were seeing each other first at a distance when I was walking through the courtyard to him, smashing his face with cake and him doing the same, and sitting alone in the ceremony area at sunset, taking in the final moments of the day and just being together. At the end of it all, it’s us, and we made a partnership to work on lasting a lifetime.
We did a pre-honeymoon in Japan a few months prior to the wedding, and are planning to spend some time next Spring somewhere in Europe 🙂
