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 Fall/Winter 2008 Magazine SUBSCRIBE  |
A Beautiful Wedding
“John presented me with an engagement ring attached to a Charger onesie for the baby. And, I said, ‘Yes,’ of course” Lindsey and John Hays Lindsey Minton found she was expecting a baby girl the very same day she became engaged to her sweetheart, John Hays. She quickly found that planning a wedding while expecting a baby, and later caring for a newborn, was a unique challenge. Her proposal was unique as well. John, a firefighter in San Diego's
East County, took Lindsey to lunch in Coronado, where they had
been on their first date nearly one year earlier. Choosing the Location Lindsey’s first inclination was to have the wedding at the beach. She and John are both San Diego natives, so the location seemed logical. But as the planning progressed, other, even more logical, considerations trumped. “John loves to golf with his dad and brother and brother-in-law,” Lindsey said. “My mom found Maderas Golf Club, closer to where we live in Poway.” The couple planned an October ceremony, and Lindsey noted that the trees and flowers in the club’s environs would look particularly pretty decked out in fall foliage. Keeping the Guest List Manageable Early in the planning process, the couple knew that keeping the number of guests to a manageable group would take a generous helping of compromise and more than a little diplomacy. “I am an only child but my husband is one of seven children. His father is one of nine,” the bride said. “Narrowing down the list was one of the hardest things. By the time you get done with family and trying to get all your friends in there…it was challenging.”
In May the couple’s daughter Keira was born. “Planning a wedding is hard all by itself,” noted Lindsey, a San Marcos State student, pursuing a degree in kinesiology. “Planning a wedding with a baby, well, it was one more big thing.” John jumped into the planning tumult and proved very helpful. “He found the DJ. Hearranged the pastor,” said Lindsey. “He really did a lot.” They settled on an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception for their 150 guests. Lindsey chose autumn colors for her wedding décor. Her bridesmaids wore red, tea-length dresses layered with a copper underskirt. The bride found her dress at Susanti in Escondido. The simple, ivory gown featured a small train and a gathered waist with crystals on the bodice. A Family Affair The Hays’ wedding was very much a family affair. The morning of the wedding, Lindsey’s mother had put a locket with pictures of both the bride’s deceased grandmothers in the bouquet. Lindsey’s father walked her down the aisle to her waiting groom. One of Lindsey’s bridesmaids was actually a bridesman, her cousin, Cole, who is much like a brother to Lindsey. The ceremony also included a dedication of their new daughter, who was wearing a christening gown hand-made by her grandmother (John’s mother). The dedication ceremony for baby Keira was akin to a baptism, said the new mother. “So many family members were attending, too” said Lindsey. The reception venue glowed with autumn colors, elegant bronze tablecloths and ivory-and-red floral arrangements. Lindsey had worked with a florist who designed the table arrangements, the bridesmaids’ bouquets and Lindsey’s own cascading bouquet using descriptions Lindsey gave her from magazines. “Whatever I wanted, she got it right,” Lindsey said. The flower girl’s diminutive floral tuzzie-muzzie-style bouquet featured a dangling bell that tinkled whimsically as she walked. Music for a Celebration For the reception, John and Lindsey stipulated only that the music inspire their guests to dance and celebrate. “We got our wish because that dance floor was full,” she laughed. “People were up and having fun the whole time.” The couple chose the classic, “It Had To Be You” for their first dance. “We had choreographed the whole thing,” Lindsey said. “I have been dancing since I was very young, but still I was very nervous. John wanted to do it more than I did. He is a pretty good dancer!” A Fun Toast Following his toast to the couple, Lindsey’s father and two family friends performed a skit, playing on blow-up musical instruments and lip-synching to songs. “It was so cute and funny and memorable,” remembered Lindsey. “Everyone really got into it.”
The Hays’ wedding cake featured an elaborate four layers of various flavors, from chocolate Bavarian raspberry to champagne. Intricate “embroidery” icing flowers, ribbons and fresh flowers made the confection, from Bon Bon Bakery in Rancho Bernardo, a real work of edible art. Wedding favors included See’s chocolates and commemorative matchbooks for the firefighter groom. The couple enjoyed a brief honeymoon touring Temecula’s wineries in the week following the wedding. As fate would have it, as soon as they returned, John was called away to help fight the wildfires in East County. “He was gone to help out right away,” Lindsey said. “So between the baby and the fires, it was ‘Right back to real life!’” Vendors |
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