Step into Amelia and Tyler's ethereal wedding day--where whimsical florals, an 1800s schoolhouse, and deeply personal, artistic details came together to create a celebration that felt straight out of a storybook. Set in the backyard of Amelia's childhood home--an enchanting 19th-century schoolhouse--the day was filled with intentional touches, romantic lighting, and meaningful moments that reflected the couple's love story. For Amelia, the dream of marrying her prince charming in the backyard she grew up in truly felt like a fairytale come to life.
Every moment was beautifully preserved by the talented sisters of Bethany Joy Photography, whose heartfelt approach captured the spirit and emotion of the day. Videographer Chris Tack brought an infectious energy as the couple's biggest hypeman, while also creating a stunning documentary-style film that tells the story of the entire weekend. Behind-the-scenes magic was captured by Content by Kam, delivering candid moments and intimate glimpses that made the day feel even more special.
The backyard setting was transformed into a whimsical garden with breathtaking florals by Suncanyon Florals, while Draping by Kim from All About Events paired with Avenue Twelve's gorgeous lighting and décor elevated the entire space into something truly magical. Guests were treated to immaculate catering by Haute Skillet--perfect for a couple who proudly consider themselves foodies--while DJ Damian kept the celebration flowing, thoughtfully bringing Amelia's carefully curated music playlists to life.
The ceremony itself held a particularly touching surprise: a beautiful violin performance, a heartfelt gift from Amelia's mom that added an extra layer of emotion to the moment Amelia walked down the aisle. Throughout it all, coordinator Kristi--a close family friend--went above and beyond to ensure every detail came together seamlessly, making the entire experience feel as effortless as it was unforgettable.
From the historic schoolhouse to the thoughtfully chosen details and the incredible team that brought it all to life, Amelia and Tyler's wedding was a true reflection of love, family, and dreams fulfilled.
Keep scrolling to hear more from the bride and step further into Amelia and Tyler's fairytale wedding day.
Favorite Moments of the Day as Told by the Bride
"My favorite moment of the day was our private first dance. After Tyler and I took our sunset photos, we had this special moment to ourselves that I will always remember and cherish. It was so beautiful to be together in that moment without all of the distractions and it was really grounding. Other favorite moments of mine (besides the obvious: getting married):
- Getting ready and getting married in my childhood home. I used to walk around my backyard when I was younger, imagining marrying my Prince Charming and it was so surreal to have that daydream come true.
- Including nostalgic details of the schoolhouse I grew up in like using the antique stove as the guest table, the bird cage as the card table and ringing the school bell to announce the ceremony.
- Surprise bouquet from Tyler the morning of.
- Had a quiet moment to myself and wrote my vows morning of.
- Singing my heart out to Unwritten with all my bridesmaids before walking down the aisle, to calm the nerves.
- My childhood art teacher, Tan, came to draw portraits of our guests during cocktail hour.
- Special, quiet moments with my family.
- Having my sweet niece & nephew as my ring bearer and flower girl, pulled along the aisle in a wagon.
Having our favorite people by our side all day to celebrate. - Making all of our invitations from scratch which made them that much more special to us and enjoying that chapter together."
The Inspiration
"We got married in my parents backyard at my childhood home. I grew up in an old 1800s schoolhouse, so as you can imagine, there was a lot of daydreaming and adventuring in that backyard as a child. I had a love for books and fairytales and I used to walk around imagining I was marrying my Prince Charming, and it was surreal for all of that to come to life as an adult. We wanted to include elements of the house and sentimental pieces that made the day feel personable, while also elevating the space to feel whimsical and magical, like all of my fairytale stories did. I knew I wanted mixmatched bridesmaid dresses that they could each choose so they could feel just as beautiful and special that day. The property already has so much beautiful foliage, so I knew I wanted whimsical, pale pastel florals that complement the backyard instead of overshadow it. I wanted the ceremony to be my fairytale moment with the violinists and flowers and the reception to feel more loose and fun with bistro lighting, a disco ball and late summer food and drinks. It was perfect."
Color Palette
"I didn't have a specific color palette but I leaned towards pale pastels for the flowers, and my bridesmaids had mix-matched dresses but they followed a theme that had cooler tones and whimsical textures."
Ceremony
Their Love Story
"Tyler and I both grew up in Arroyo Grande and went to Arroyo Grande High School. We were two years apart, but we knew of each other through mutual family friends--because in AG, everyone knows everyone. I always had a little crush on him in high school, and we were officially introduced at a mutual friend's birthday bonfire when I was a senior and Tyler was a sophomore in college. A few years later, I was starting college at Boise State while Tyler was finishing up at the University of Oregon. Because of our shared friends, we kept running into each other at holiday parties and hometown summer gatherings. Around that time, I learned the crush was mutual--but since we were living in different states and doing our own things, nothing really came of it. That changed in summer 2019. I had just transferred home to Cal Poly, and Tyler was flying in from Arizona to interview for jobs in San Luis Obispo. Every time he came to town, he asked me out. At the time, I was focused on school and work, so--much to my dismay--I had to say no the first three times. Finally, in July 2019, our schedules lined up and we went on our first official date at Luna Red in SLO. The night before, I was at a Mid-State Fair concert when at least five people came up to me saying, "Tyler is looking for you." I eventually found him at Jimmy's Watering Hole, where he had apparently recruited a mini search party just to double-confirm our date the next day. It was one of the many endearing moments that made me start falling for him right away. After a few more dates in San Luis Obispo--and after Tyler officially landed a job back on the Central Coast--he moved home and everything really started to blossom. The boy I had always had a crush on turned out to be an incredible man, and I quickly fell in love with him. Four and a half years later, after lots of traveling, sunset chasing, and making memories together, Tyler took me on a date day and got down on one knee at Baileyana Winery in Edna Valley--one of our favorite places in San Luis Obispo--and asked me to marry him."
The Details
"Having my wedding at my childhood home was obviously very special and sentimental. Some of my favorite details was including nostalgic details of the schoolhouse I grew up in like using the antique stove as the guest table, the bird cage as the card table and ringing the school bell to announce the ceremony. Some other favorite details were when my childhood art teacher came and drew guest portraits during cocktail hour, my personalized embroidered book purse (because I had to incorporate my love for books of course), the violinists during the ceremony, and we included silent disco at the very end of the night to keep the party going without the noise!
We also made all of our invitations from scratch before the wedding (and made date nights out of it) which made them that much more special to us and enjoying that chapter together. I loved the idea of having a newspaper-style welcome booklet for guests to read while they are waiting at the ceremony. I made that within days before the wedding, but with the help of my friends mom who works at a printing store I got them done just in time."
Cocktail Hour
Reception
Knowing what you know now... what advice would you have for other brides planing their wedding?
"Slow down, and enjoy the moment. It's so easy to get caught up in all the logistics, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter if it even rains as long as you are with your person and focusing on the main purpose. Also, your vendors really do make or break your experience. Don't just focus on execution, focus on energy and overall compatibility."
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