Written By: Ruth Dunbar

 All girls have fantasies of their wedding day. They dream of what their groom will look like, where they will get married, who will be there and sometimes even what will be eaten. Few have an opportunity to truly make their dream a reality. When Lauren and Aaron Flores exchanged their vows on June 20, 2009, Laurens childhood fantasy came to life. 

 They were married at Laurens childhood home in La Habra Heights, Ca. outside of Los Angeles. It is a one acre property that provides a picturesque setting with its birch trees and circular drive. It is this vision that allowed Lauren to develop dreams of her big day. It was a complete dream come true, said Lauren.  

 Lauren and Aaron had met three years earlier when Lauren was 22 and Aaron was 24. They had gone out with mutual friends to Dennys and struck up an immediate friendship. Aaron was smitten right away but shy. Lauren needed some convincing that he was the one. Over time, they became more than friends. Their engagement satisfied another of Laurens dreams. She always wanted her family around to share in this big moment and Aaron made sure that they were.

  They travelled to St. Petersburg, Florida where her sister and brother-in-law live to celebrate her 25th birthday. Aaron had told everyone but Lauren that he planned to pop the question. They went to a park, her sister was taking pictures of them by a fountain and Aaron handed her a velvet book. As she turned the pages, she saw pictures of them together during their courtship and at the top of each page were lines from a song he had written for her. When she got to the last page, there was a picture of him standing on one knee with a ring. When she pulled back the book, Aaron was on one knee and he proposed.

 It was very important to me to have my family around, Marrying your best friend is the best thing,said Lauren. For their big day, they wanted to create a whimsical or magical atmosphere yet also earthy. They set the tone by using their silhouettes on the invitations and stationary. They also used cameos to continue their theme. The bridal bouquet was accented with a cameo pin and the bridesmaids wore necklaces with cameos. Their reception was held in the backyard. They wanted the tables to have an old world look. The centerpieces were floral arrangements in mercury glass and silver containers. Also, there was a hutch where they housed the place cards. The place cards were hanging inside on a screen of chicken wire. In addition, there were pictures of their family members in 8 X 10 and 5 X 7 frames decorating the inside of the hutch.

 As a gift for their guests, each of their 200 guests was able to pose for a silhouette artist and could take the creation home. Some now have them hanging in their homes. The guests were so touched by the vows that even asked for copies.  Many of the guests came away feeling that they had been a part of something unique, a wedding that did not completely follow the norm. It was special. With her wedding, Lauren truly made her dream a reality.

It was amazing, said Lauren.

"It was all that I could have hoped for."

Credit:

Photography By: mathieuphoto.com