We see & hear about couples getting engaged or married on a daily basis, but very rarely do we get to relish in the excitement of our own friends' engagements. Today, we celebrate the genuine love of one of L'Relyea Events very own, Julia Evans. Julia & her fiancé, Galen, sat down with us to share some details of their engagement & their love story. It is not hard to see how in love & humble these two are, and we could not be more thrilled to share with you this type of inspiring love! Julia & Galen will be getting married at the Villa Chanticleer in Healdsburg.
1. First & foremost: The proposal!
As cheesy as it sounds, I am a wedding planner and my fiancé proposed on Valentines Day!
The morning started as most of ours do - with pancakes {he literally makes them every day, it’s amazing}. From there, we gathered our things, made a picnic lunch and packed our puppy, Oliver, in the car. Our first stop was Iron Horse, my favorite winery, where we shared a flight of bubbles and watched as the two groups on either side of us made the mistake of doing chardonnay and pinot flights. Who would pass up Iron Horse sparkling wine?! I just don’t know! Needless to say, we bought a bottle and moved on.
We took the long route out to the coast and drove Bohemian Highway over the bluffs. We stopped at all of his favorite view spots and planted ourselves for a picnic on a grassy knoll across from Salmon Creek with an amazing view of the ocean. I would be lying if I denied that every 30 seconds I thought - just maybe - he was going to pop the question. I even had myself all nervous when I mistook a quarter in his pocket for a ring! But no, after a delicious lunch and no talk of marriage we packed the car and moved north up the coast to walk Oliver along the bluff’s off of Carlevaro Way {a favorite surf spot of his}. We cozied up in the sand, watched Ollie run from the waves and again, I just knew he was going to do it! He paused at a view point, got very serious, pulled me in close and asked… if I was ready to go home and get ready for dinner. And so, again, we packed up our things and continued on our journey ever so slightly more sullen than before.
At this point it was clear that I was a little disappointed. We were on our way home, all the amazing view points were gone and I was convinced it wasn’t going to happen. As we made our way through the redwoods he looked at me and told me that all he wanted was to propose to me today but unfortunately the ring hadn’t arrived yet. I, of course, felt a little silly for seeming so disappointed and told him that it wasn’t about jewelry or a fancy diamond. For me all I wanted was him and the perfect moment and I would never try to control his moment ;) I told him he was officially off the hook and I didn’t expect anything.
Our drive continued and he suggested that we cap off the day with a walk in Armstrong Woods. As we drove out there he made a sudden turn off our mapped route. If I remember correctly I asked him if he was taking me to the dump which he responded with an annoyed eye roll and a firm no. In my defense - the roads are very similar! We continued up, the view became more expansive and at the top of the hill Galen pulled over, yanked on the e-brake and without even unbuckling his seatbelt turned to me and all in one breath said “Julie-will-you-marry-me?”. I cried, vigorously nodded, kissed him and said “should we get out of the car?”. We both laughed!
Lucky for us, our day started at Iron Horse so we enjoyed the next hour sitting on the side of this deserted road with our little pup and an amazing view sipping high end champagne out of Klean Kanteen caps {we forgot glasses}!
The day was absolutely perfect! My advice to the nearly engaged ladies of the world is don’t attempt to plan your own proposal because no matter how unplanned his might be, it’ll always be better than you could even imagine!
2. Tell me your favorite thing about Galen (if you could choose JUST one!)
He is incredibly loyal, loving, determined and dedicated. He works harder than anyone I know and I truly believe he could do anything he put his mind to. He’s inspiring!
3. Your favorite memory together:
Aside from every memory! Two years ago we went to Sayulita Mexico with friends and I think it’s safe to say it’s where he truly fell in love with me. I joke that I’ve loved him since the second time we met but I remember knowing after this trip that he felt the same and we would be together forever.
4. How you met:
The first time: AOL Instand Messenger! We met when we were 13 and freshman in high school. His best friend lived in my hometown and they would go to our football games. There he met a friend of a friend and somehow we acquired each others screen names. Then, like dorky little teenagers we would chat online for hours! We became really close friends and spent nearly everyday of that summer on the Russian River. Of course teenagers change and grow apart and we went our separate ways.
The second time: A 4th of July canoe trip on the Russian River. The same friend that connected us originally invited me with him on this long standing canoe trip tradition. I went and inevitably ended up in Galen’s canoe for the entire trip. We’ve been together ever since. Thank you Paris ;)
5. Tell me a little bit about your wedding & the planning so far:
Well, I think my favorite thing is our venue. We are getting married at the same venue that my parents got married at over 30 years ago! As any good planner would I locked in all my vendors ASAP but most of the little details are still in the works. It might sound silly, but our ultimate goal is for it to be fun! As a planner I have a unique insight on how quickly it passes and how overwhelming the day can be so what I want more than anything is to enjoy the company of my guests and have fun with my new husband! The design and details will fall into place from there.
6. If you could describe your love in 3 words, they would be:
Amazing, pure, consuming, honest and everlasting {3 isn’t enough!}
7. Tell me about what it was like during your engagement shoot. What the experience was like, how you felt, what your vision was, why you chose the location, what you were hoping to get out of it?
Ok - and I mean this in the best way possible - but it was totally weird! I’ve never really been behind the lens of a professional photographer so I was pretty nervous. Galen, on the other hand, could not have seemed more at ease. He was so adorable and involved! He kept pausing to scope out the next best location and asking the photographer about various angles - I loved it! After the first few shots, I was right there with him and it was so much fun! I was able to forget about all the people that were there and the lens in front of us and just be with him.
Galen and I both have a passion for nature and being outside so it was important for us to find a very natural setting. We debated on redwoods, oak grove, ocean, bluffs, cliffs - I could go on! We came up with Muir Woods because it was a beautiful setting and truthfully it was equal distance for us and our amazing photographer {shout out to Brooke Beasley Photography}!
As a planner I know how important it is to have this experience, interact with your photographer and be behind their lens before your wedding day. Brooke made us feel so incredibly comfortable and at ease it was amazing - she’s amazing! I think that alone got us everything we needed out of the photoshoot - not to mention the gorgeous photos! Thank you Brooke!
8. Tips for soon-to-be brides as a wedding planner AND soon-to-be bride!
1. First and foremost I will pass on the advice that my boss passed on to me when I got engaged - have fun with it and do all the fun things you are supposed to do! Have an engagement party and celebrate with your friends and family whenever possible. This is a huge moment for you both and at times it will inevitably feel stressful so I mean it, celebrate!
2. Remember two conflicting things: ultimately this is about you and your partner so do what you want because it’s your day BUT this is huge for your family so when possible pick your battles and give a little
3. Give your fiancé things to do too! As a planner this is hard for me - it’s my job so I just do it. But, remember that this is their wedding too so involve them. If you are having a difficult time involving him, give him a specific project to work on like planning the rehearsal dinner!
4. Give yourself plenty of time to plan!
5. Hire a planner! I couldn’t stress this enough - I am a planner and I’ve still hired a planner. The last thing you want is for everyone {friends, family, vendors} to be asking you one thousand questions in the months leading up to your wedding. That my friends and future brides, is the remedy for a bridezilla! Of course your going to be snappy and irritable when your mind and body are being pulled in a variety of directions. Do yourself {and your fiancé} a favor and prevent that from happening before it even begins.
We can not wait for Julia & Galen's big day! How special it is for us to get to experience such true & inspiring love like these two have. Congratulations you two! We wish you lifetime full of love, laughter & happiness!