“I am a major planner, so Mac had an extremely hard time coming up with a plan for a proposal. I pretty much plan every weekend so any deviation to the plan would have been a clear give away. Mac knew this, so he planned to surprise me at work. I was definitely not expecting him to show up at my office, but he did. One Friday in November, he partnered with a few co-workers of mine, to schedule a late afternoon meeting. As I was preparing to go to the meeting, I looked up from my desk and saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I looked up to see who was carrying them and realized it was Mac. I was shocked. He told me he was surprising me and taking me from the office. I told him I had a meeting and he let me know that was a hoax set up by him.

He drove me to a park near our home and walked me to his favorite spot – a gorgeous path with a nice walking bridge. That’s where he got down on one knee and proposed! Of course, I said, YES!!

He had more surprises lined up after that. He had my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew waiting nearby. My brother-in-law did a mini engagement photo shoot for us that day. Afterwards, we went and celebrated with my parents. The night ended with a delicious Italian dinner at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants.

We later did a larger engagement photo shoot in San Francisco with our wedding photographer. I wanted to visit multiple SF venues for the photoshoot. Parking can be difficult in San Francisco. I knew Mac wasn’t excited about having pictures taken and I figured driving multiple places would be out of the question. To make life easier, we hired a VW Bus to drive us from place to place with our photographers. The VW Bus also made for a great backdrop in photos. The forecast for the day had been great until the day prior. Rain showed up in the forecast. It actually worked to our benefit because we got some great photos with an umbrella as a fun prop. It also meant the pier we visited was empty. Bonus!” -Abby, the Bride

How did you find your photographer?

Dusty and Amy photographed my cousin’s wedding a few years back. I was very excited to learn that they traveled to the bay area as well for engagement and wedding photos. I love their style.

What are you DIY-ing for your wedding?

Yes, the majority of items. Invitations, place cards, menu cards, flowers and much, much more!

What are you looking forward to the most?

Seeing all the hard work come together. I’m getting married a bit later in life. I have been dreaming about this day for so many years! I am excited to see it all come together and have all my friends and family together in the same room at the same time to celebrate our special day. -Abby, the Bride

Event Credits

Photography: Drozian Photoworks // VW Bus: Vantigo // Hair + Make-up: Charismatic Bride