We first met Christin and Martin during a site visit at a wedding venue; they were looking for their wedding and we were there visiting the property. We had such a great time chatting during our tour of the property that they later contacted us for their wedding planning. Over the next nine months we got to know thisadorable couple and hear all about their unfolding love story, and today I am thrilled to share it with you.
How they Met
Christin and Martin lived only 3 blocks from one another in San Francisco for two years. Every day, they went to the same restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Christin, in fact, walked her puppy Riley by Martin’s apartment every single morning. Their paths, however, never crossed on the streets of San Francisco. In January 2011, Martin and Christin were both spending quality time in Las Vegas, Martin and Christin saw one another for the very first time at a Garth Brooks concert. Martin, being the gentleman that he is, offered to take a group photo of her and her friends. After the successful photo shoot, Martin and Christin quickly got to know one another and could not believe how much they had in common, including almost being neighbors. After the girls went on their way, the two brothers were fortunate enough to score 2 front-row seats to the show. Having these far superior seats is something Martin would never gloat about to this very day. After the show, they made sure to run into each other again. In fact, all of their friends hung out for the rest of the evening and had a blast. That night, these friends saw Martin and Christin dance for the very first time and soon, they will see their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Laufik.
Courtship
Christin and Martin wasted no time in getting to know one another once they returned to San Francisco. On Wednesday of that week, they went on their first date at Solstice, a neighborhood restaurant. As usual, they were both late. The anticipated brief get-together turned into hours of conversation. Needless to say, both were quite smitten. When he got home, Martin immediately texted Christin and thanked her for a wonderful evening. He then stared at his phone, convinced that this bumbling maneuver appeared much too eager. But Christin promptly responded with: “I can’t stop smiling.” And the two have been smiling ever since…
Travels
Their first trip together was on Valentine’s Day to Napa Valley, a place which would have very special meaning in the year to come. At dinner, they enjoyed a wine called “Terra Valentine.” On future trips, they were able to meet one another’s incredible friends and family. They included visits to Seattle, Alaska, Cabo, Washington DC, San Diego, Idaho, Sedona, Belize, the Carribean, Hawaii, and even Thailand. In between, Martin and Christin enjoyed their busy lives in San Francisco. That year, Christin accompanied Martin to multiple soccer games and every Stanford home football game. Now that’s love.
Proposal
In early December, Martin surprised Christin with a weekend trip to Napa – a special place for them ever since Valentine’s Day. On December 3rd 2011, on a beautiful autumn day in Napa, he took her to a winery named Terra Valentine. A view of the Valley and a table with a bottle of “Marriage” wine awaited the couple. Here, with family blessings in hand, Martin got down on one knee, and asked Christin for her hand in marriage. It was the most wonderful Yes he had ever heard.
From the Bride...
I will never forget walking down the aisle, it is the best memory from my wedding day. It was such a poignant moment, filled with so much emotion and excitement! Another memorable moment occurred at the very end of the night as we all danced and sang to the last song of the night, "Sweet Caroline," all of our guests assembled in one large group hug around us. It was so spontaneous and the love in the room was palpable!
There were so many special details that we incorporated to make it unique to our personality. We kicked off our wedding weekend with our rehearsal dinner, held in a 100 year old barn in Saint Helena emulating one of our favorite events during the courtship: a lobster feed! Our cake topper was hand painted by a friend that included our dog, Riley. Our wedding dinner was a romantic candlelight dinner in a wine cave that began with a slideshow made by family. Rather than table numbers we used photos from our favorite places that we've traveled together. Since Martin loves chocolate, and because we aren't huge cake fans our dessert table was replaced with port and chocolates. My Grandma made our sweet ring bearer pillow. Now, we are excited to begin making our own family traditions as newlyweds.
From the couple... Our Favorite part of planning the wedding:
He said--
planning the honeymoon & choosing the venue.
She said--
Pinterest!! Wedding planning is a great excuse to spend a copious amount of time on pinterest. I loved finding creative ways to incorporate details that personalized our wedding.
Photography: Jen Skog, Planning & Design: l'Relyea Events, Venue: Hans Fahden Winery, Floral: FluerEssence, Cinema: Weddings on Film, Lighting: The Lux Productions, Catering: Park Avenue Catering and Best Beverages Catering, DJ: Michael's Music, Rentals: Wine Country Party & Events, Transportation: Pure Luxury, PhotoBooth: A Flying Camera
