The first thing that stood out was how at ease I felt with her. I felt totally comfortable being myself and cracking dumb jokes that seemed to crack her up.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do,what you love…
We’re easygoing people. We like being outdoors, hanging out with our friends, playing video games, reading and eating good food. Most importantly, we love being with and playing with our dogs. We have an old corgi named Louie Cheesecake and a crazy French Bulldog named Charlie. They take up a lot of our time and energy! Our jobs can be very busy and stressful, so we like to just relax and enjoy our time outside with our pups when we can.
How/where/when did you meet–and what were your first impressions?
We met on a dating app called Coffee Meets Bagel 8 years ago. Our first date was coffee and then going to an art museum.
Ronnie: The thing that stood out to me was how funny he was. We were making jokes and laughing the entire first date. He is still one of the few people who can randomly make me laugh consistently today!
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Ronnie: I don’t think there was one singular moment, but we met in our mid-20s and went through a lot of things such as moving in together, buying and renovating homes, getting dogs, and going up in our careers. It felt like we grew up together and it made me feel confident that we could get through the rest of our lives together through all its ups and downs.
Ben: There were a series of moments more than a “singular moment.” There were the really sweet times when had a really rough day at work and she drove up to the city to hang out with me and brought delicious food, or the time we competed together in a grape stomping competition. More importantly, though, it was the way we worked through harder times and came out the other side feeling more love and desire to keep tackling challenges together.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Ronnie: I had suspicions that Ben bought a ring because he was very vocal about having to get a package and then left it unopened in the back of our car for a month. I seriously think he proposed at the time that he did because the return window for it was ending and he was pretty sure I wouldn’t like the ring (true). The proposal was just the way I wanted it though! It was just us two and our dogs after taking a hike through, actually, the Timber Cove grounds.
Ben: First, I had to scheme with some of her girlfriends on ring strategy which was its own challenge as there were split opinions. Like Ronnie said, I did in fact hold the ring in my golf bag for a few weeks while I worked on finding the right time and place. This all happened during the peak of the covid lockdowns, so there was zero privacy or the ability to hide anything! We were holed up in the Russian River at the time, and we spent our weekends exploring the countryside and the little towns and nature trails. One weekend we were taking a drive up the coast to this resort called Timber Cove that one of our best friends loved. When we got there, I knew it was perfect so I ran back to the car to “get some water” and snagged the ring. We then hopped the fence to the resort which was closed down at the time and hiked around. We found a little area that actually had a heart carved into the nature wall behind us, overlooking the coast and all. And then yep, I popped the question and she said yes.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
Ronnie: We were both pretty aligned that we wanted our wedding to feel like just a great party for our friends and families. We wanted them to enjoy their stay and have it feel like a vacation or “adult summer camp” versus a typical wedding. Our guests were the primary focus of our wedding and we wanted to make sure they had a good time. In terms of style, we wanted natural, easygoing, outdoorsy, cozy, and rustic, very much in line with the style of Timber Cove.
Ben: Like Ronnie said, we wanted it to be more like a family reunion and friends “get together” than a wedding. After a year+ of covid lockdowns, it was really one of the first chances that so many people were able to see each other, and we wanted to have lots of opportunities and ways for people just to be with each other in low-pressure and fun ways. Timber Cove was amazing because it offered hiking, wine tastings, video games for the kids, and so much more.
VENUE: Timber Cove Resort, @timbercoveresort / PHOTOGRAPHER: Cedar & Pines, @cedarandpines / VIDEOGRAPHER: Mark Brown Film, @markbrownfilms / CELEBRANT: Rabbi Niles Goldstein / ENTERTAINMENT: The Klipptones, @klipptones / STYLING & PLANNING: Mae & Co Creative, @maeandco_creative / FLORA: Selva Floral, @selvafloral / CATERING & BEVERAGES: Timber Cove Resort, @timbercoveresort / CAKE: Butter and Crumble, @butter.and.crumble / STATIONERY: Wildhouse Ink, @wildhouseink / HAIR & MAKEUP: Beauty by Jasmine, @beautybyjasminechan / WEDDING DRESS: Anne Barge, @annebargebridalatelier / BRIDE’S SHOES: Stuart Weitzman, @stuartweitzman / GROOM’S SUIT, SHIRT & TIE: Tom Ford, @tomford / BRACELET: Cartier, @cartier / EARRINGS: Ippolita, @ippolita / GROOM’S SHOES: Carmina, @carminashoemaker
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