a wedding story
by Jennifer Teel-Wolter
104 l Sacramento Bride and Groom l summer • fall 2010
T
ake one fun-loving couple, turn tradition on its head,
and what do you get? A show-stopping wedding that’s
anything but what you’d expect.
At first glance, Ashleigh Yates seems like any other bride.
Vibrant, beautiful, and bursting with joy about her Big Day
– but Ashleigh was no ordinary bride and her wedding was
no ordinary day.
“The first thing Ashleigh said to us when she booked her Shortly after arriving in Hawaii, Ashleigh and Kristopher
wedding, was that she didn’t want her wedding to look like met through the online dating site, match.com. They
anyone else’s and she didn’t want it to feel like her mother’s exchanged emails and eventually started talking on the
country club,” says Jennifer Galisatus, Events Manager for phone. It was then that the couple realized they were living
Serrano Country Club. on different islands. Still, the connection was too strong to
In fact, Ashleigh and Kristopher were looking to create ignore and they maintained contact.
a day that could belong to no one but them. They were After a month, Kristopher couldn’t wait to meet his
determined to design a day that was truly and completely mystery girl any longer. He offered to fly Ashleigh over for
one-of-a-kind. the weekend and she accepted. Right away, it was love.
The couple first met in September of 2006 in Hawaii, “I knew the moment I saw him for the first time,” says
where Ashleigh was attending school and Kristopher was Ashleigh. “He surprised me at the airport with a huge bear
serving in the military. hug… That was it and we were together from that point on.”
“My plan was originally to go to Hawaii to study for a year Things moved quickly for the couple. Within a month,
and then return back to my home in Sacramento,” recalls they were discussing marriage. Ashleigh changed her plans
Ashleigh. to move back to Sacramento and remained with Kristopher
But fate had other ideas. in Hawaii instead.
summer • fall 2010 l Sacramento Bride and Groom l 105
video sTills by acTi-video producTions
After one year of blissful dating, the couple decided to
take the leap to marriage. Almost immediately, they began
discussing dates and plans – despite the fact that Kristopher
hadn’t formally proposed.
“I didn’t need all of that,” explains Ashleigh. “He was
starting to plan something big, but he was in the military
and working hard…I just didn’t need the trappings; he was
enough for me!”
As it turned out, it wouldn’t be the last wedding tradition
the couple would twist to fit their personality.
When it came to planning their nuptials, they knew they
wanted a wedding that was a rockin’ party - full of life,
laughter, and fun. They briefly considered a beach ceremony
in Hawaii, but quickly realized that they wanted to share
their special day with all of their family and friends. For a big,
family wedding, only one location would do – Sacramento.
“My Mom and I decided upon Serrano Country Club,
because it’s beautiful and she’s a member there…but we
knew we wanted to transform the space to make it less wanted it to be different and edgy.”
formal and more ‘us’,” says Ashleigh. “They were open to A color scheme of pink, balanced by black and white, was
it – they were great.” selected for the wedding. As a theme, Debra envisioned modern
At first, Ashleigh and her mother set out to plan the glamour meeting vintage rock and roll. It was the perfect
wedding themselves. But planning a wedding from across an reflection of the couple’s personality and spirit.
ocean is no small feat and Ashleigh soon realized that she’d For the ceremony design, Debra stuck to a fun and whimsical
need help. Calling in a coordinator was a must. scheme of hot pink and baby pink, with pops of black. The vows
“Jennifer at Serrano recommended Debra at Très Fabu. I were to be held outdoors on the Serrano Country Club lawn,
looked at her web site and I was in love with it! And once I so Debra designed a faux ceremony alter with a table, accented
spoke with her on the phone, I knew she was perfect for the by billowing pink fabric, which was pinned to create a ruffled
wedding,” remembers Ashleigh. effect. On top, elaborate floral arrangements created a sense
Ashleigh shared her inspiration for the wedding with of space and defined the area. Three large cylindrical vases,
Debra, vintage cameo drawings she’d seen featured in a decorated with black and white striped ribbon, were filled with
Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, and immediately the massive arrangements of light and hot pink roses, with bursts
creativity began to flow. of cream and white blooms for contrast. White lilies sprung out
“Ashleigh and Kris’ wedding really stretched me as a and above the arrangements, creating a second tier of flowers
designer,” recalls Debra Hiebert of Très Fabu Event Planning and heightening the visual effect above the bride and groom’s
and Design. “She had this elegant inspiration of the cameo, head.
and she definitely was a girly bride who loves pink, but For the aisle, Debra decided to create something new and
she didn’t want the day to feel old fashioned or sugary. She totally unique – a polka dot bridal aisle.
106 l Sacramento Bride and Groom l summer • fall 2010
“We wanted something girly, playful, and different, so we bride and groom, which were enlarged and hung above the
thought – let’s try polka dots,” says Debra. fireplace in the country club. Smaller versions of the cameos
Small circular puddles of pink petals were painstakingly also decorated black and white pillar candles, belted with
arranged down the grass aisle way. At the entrance, two black damask print ribbon.
square pillars stood with round arrangements of roses atop While Ashleigh wanted a more elegant feel for the dinner
them. Spheres of pink roses hung from Shepard’s hooks lining portion of the reception, she was clear that the rest of the
the aisle, completing the circular theme of the design. evening would have a distinct rock and roll vibe.
With the whimsical ceremony décor complete, Ashleigh and “Kris and I are just edgier people,” explains Ashleigh. “We
Debra set about designing the reception. As a nod to the vintage love our tattoos, we love 80’s rock, we love to party and have
inspiration for the day, Debra found a dramatic black and white a good time – we wanted that to come across in our wedding.”
damask fabric, which served as the foundation for the reception Debra set out to design two distinct, but complimentary, areas
décor – draping it along the entryway, the reception walls, and for the post-dinner events. Outside on the deck of the Serrano
skirting the bar.
The bride wanted an elegant feel for the dinner, so a
sophisticated table of pink silk linen, clear chargers, and black
Chivari chairs was selected. Atop each place setting sat a black
satin napkin and a tiny favor box with a cameo seal affixed.
The look was completed with a mass of pink roses accented by
cream calla lilies, sitting in a black-footed bowl.
For the head table, lacy black and white print tablecloths
were selected. Clear chargers held a pink satin napkin and
cameo-topped favor boxes. Whimsical balls of roses, topped
with black and white striped ribbon sat in silver candelabras.
Beneath the taller arrangements, a row of dainty pink and
white roses sat in vases surrounded by large black and white
ribbon bows.
To bring the bride’s cameo inspiration to life, Debra had
Robyn of Philosophia Designs drew custom silhouettes of the
summer • fall 2010 l Sacramento Bride and Groom l 107
County Club, she created “his” and “hers” party lounges
inspired by the bride and groom’s favorite designers.
“Ashleigh loves Betsy Johnson, so for her area we went
wild with it. Bright colors, loads of pink, and animal prints
made the area really fun. For the groom, we set out to
create an Ed Hardy vibe – with tattoo prints, leather and
lace, and cigars.”
Custom lounge furniture was brought in to set the
scene. For the Betsy Johnson-inspired patio, zebra print
pillows were added and pink chandeliers hung. Matt Brys
of Extreme Productions elevated the mood with pink
ambient lighting and two shades of pink spotlighting on the
chandeliers.
Across the way, the vibe shifted from girly glam to
vintage rock and roll. Cigar stations with Ed Hardy lighters
were displayed. Chairs were wrapped with black corset
backings, complete with metal grommets for a punk edge.
To top it off, Matt Brys designed custom gobo lighting
inspired by the couple’s tattoos and projected it in the area.
As the planning grew more complete, it was clear that
this was going to be a wedding unlike any other. In fact,
the popular television show Platinum Weddings soon took
an interest and requested to feature it.
“At first we were skeptical,” recalls Ashleigh. “Even
though we’re not traditional, it was still our day and a huge
moment for us – we didn’t want it to be intruded upon…
but the television crews were really great. They were so
respectful and we hardly knew they were there – and now
we have that keepsake to preserve the day!”
After months of planning and designing, the wedding
day finally arrived on July 25th, 2009. It was a hot day, but
Debra worked with Serrano to provide welcome drinks of
ice tea to keep everyone refreshed. Dainty, pink parasols
were also provided to shield guests from the sun, and
provide a pop of color to the ceremony lawn.
After saying, “I do”, Ashleigh and Kristopher took
photographs with their photographer, Sarah Maren, while
guests enjoyed cocktails and passed hors d’ouevres. As a
special surprise to the bride from her mother, the couple’s
favorite champagne (pink of course) was bottled with
custom wedding labels and poured for the guests to enjoy.
Then, dinner was served indoors in the black and white
bedecked reception room. A gourmet plated meal of prime
rib and bacon-wrapped chicken, roasted red potatoes,
asparagus, and Serrano salad was served.
After the meal, the newlyweds and their guests were
ready to party! The couple moved to cut their cake, a
ashleigh & Kristopher's wedding professionals: stunning three-tier pink creation with black, ruffled ribbon
debra hiebert, tres fabu event planning & design adorning each tier. Little did they know that Ashleigh’s
jennifer galisatus, serrano country club mom had worked with Debra and the cake designer,
sarah maren, sarah maren photography Karen’s Bakery and Café, to create a second wedding cake.
Karen's baKery & cafe In stark contrast to her first elegant design, Karen crafted a
matt brys, extreme productions rockin’ masterpiece inspired by Betsy Johnson. Karen even
108 l Sacramento Bride and Groom l summer • fall 2010
added custom tattoo designs, two sparrows, as a nod to the provided by Matt Brys. When the show ended, Ashleigh’s mom
bride’s two favorite tattoos. announced on the microphone that she had a “rock star tribute
“That cake was amazing,” Ashleigh says. “Looking back – it for a rock star love.”
was what I really wanted for my wedding cake. I think I just “All of the lights went out and ‘For Those About to Rock’ by
thought I needed to have the more traditional, elegant design. AC/DC came on suddenly,” explains Matt Brys. “Then, right on
But I ended up being surprised and getting both!” cue the most amazing firework show began – everyone was
The night’s surprises were far from over. Ashleigh’s mother stunned, especially the bride and groom.”
added two additional grand floral arrangements to the Betsy It was the perfect way to end a truly show-stopping affair.
Johnson-inspired patio, complete with animal print wrapped Ashleigh and Kristopher shared another dance under the stars
vases, studded with pearls. She also added an ice luge to the bar and their rock and roll, fairytale wedding came to an ending
set up, topped with the couple’s monogram, where guests could just as fabulous as its beginning.
create their own martinis. “In the end, we had exactly the day we wanted. It was totally
“It was so hard keeping these secrets from Ashleigh,” recalls and completely ‘us’,” says Ashleigh. “And that’s how it should
Debra. “I’d get nervous every time I spoke with her, because her be.”
mom had arranged so many surprises.” Will there ever be another wedding like Ashleigh and
The biggest surprise by far was awaiting the couple as the Kristopher’s? Far from unlikely, it’s pretty much impossible.
evening waned. They’d been dancing to 80’s hair band music From the custom cameos to the designer-inspired patios to
provided by Extreme Productions, while Sarah Maren snapped the tattooed lighting, every element was infused with pure
journalistic-style photographs of the festivities. Guests enjoyed personal style. Like a true rock and roll classic or a fine work
the two lounges, custom drinks, and the couple’s unique guest of art, it was inspired by a spirit so free and unique, there’s no
book – black canvases and paints with each guest providing an duplicating it.
abstract art stroke. Yes, Ashleigh and Kristopher Yates’ wedding will stand on its
All of the sudden, the party moved outdoors to view a own – a bona fide one-of-a-kind. And there’s nothing more rock
slideshow of the couple and their wedding day on LCD screens star than that. c
summer • fall 2010 l Sacramento Bride and Groom l 109