It all began with a misunderstanding. “We initially didn’t think much of one another, but when a mutual friend thought he overheard me saying that I liked Trevor, he decided to play matchmaker,” Jessika Salmonsen explains of her first interaction with Trevor Thompson. “Little did Trevor know, I didn’t like him at all – in fact, I barely noticed him as our group of friends went out for pizza that night.” However, under the impression she was interested in him, Trevor began to openly court Jessika, and they eventually went out on a date. “From there, we were inseparable,” Jessika smiles.

After being together for three years, Trevor felt confident that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with his girlfriend. He planned to pop the question on a family trip to Nevada for the Fourth of July. “He had hoped to propose on the 4th in front of the family after the fireworks, but when the logistics didn’t quite pan out, he ended up asking me to marry him in private the evening of the 5th,” shares Jessika. As the bride-to-be worked for the wedding planning company Details Defined for five years straight out of high school, her choice of a coordinator was an easy one. During their three-year engagement, Jessika and Trevor worked with Details Defined to design an idyllic, rustic wedding. “I had a lot of experience with wedding planning previously, so nothing came as a shock. However, you don’t realize how many emotions play into the process with family and friends,” tells the bride. “I had to remind myself frequently what the purpose of the wedding was so that I wouldn’t lose sight of the people I loved.”

Family played a large part in simple nuptials, from being there to hear ideas to designing the floral arrangements to building reception décor. Therefore, it was no surprise that both the bride and groom wanted their mothers and fathers to walk them down the aisle. “We felt both parents deserved a special role in the ceremony,” Jessika notes. Trevor awaited his bride’s arrival in their chosen open-air park setting underneath a large bridge. The space was bedecked with minimalism in mind as not to detract from the sprawling beauty of the nature around them. Bridesmaids glided through the area in differing navy blue dresses holding nosegays of pink and white blooms. Jessika’s parents walked their daughter – wearing a stunning strapless gown with a modified trumpet skirt – down the steps to the altar. “I remember walking down the aisle and seeing Trevor’s face just light up,” the bride muses. “He wasn’t supposed to, but he kissed me once my dad gave me away. I think he was just in awe with the feeling, so we just embraced it!”

After a customized ceremony that focused on the support of family and friends, Trevor kissed his bride, and guests retired to a nearby tavern to continue the revelry. The indoor space was also adorned with minimal décor, leaving long wooden tables bare of linens, leaving the planter boxes – made by Trevor’s uncle – as the focal point, brimming with ivory and blush roses accented by verdant eucalyptus sprigs and surrounded by glass votives. Each place setting featured a champagne mat beneath a menu and place card. Attendees enjoyed a variety of culinary options, including a charcuterie board, pan-seared Northwest salmon, and New York strip steak, followed by an array of desserts displayed on a separate table. Small cupcakes sat below the couple’s main confection: a one-tier lemon vanilla cake with lemon frosting and raspberry preserves, which featured a custom “Mr. & Mrs. Thompson” topper.

Jessika’s advice for future brides is for after the ceremony: “Slow down, take a breath, have a moment with your groom alone, and prep for an enjoyable evening. Let him help calm you and ease you into the celebration after the vows,” she implores. “Embrace that feeling of love, excitement, and happiness with him after the ceremony is over, because you deserve it just as much as he and your guests do.”