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 Fall/Winter 2008 Magazine SUBSCRIBE  |
A Destination Wedding on the Bay Diane and Valin Brown
Who could have predicted a convention center business meeting would turn into love? When Valin Brown called to book a convention center room for a business event in Colorado in 2004, he had no idea what he was in for. Says Diane Grogan (now Brown), “I was an event coordinator and one day my boss told me I needed to contact a very important client. I called him and was immediately smitten with Valin’s voice.” Diane says she told a co-worker as soon as she got off the phone, “I’ll bet you $5 that guy is cute.” A few days later she and the client met, their eyes locked…and that afternoon her co-worker paid-up. Diane asked her boss if it would be okay to date a client, she got the green light, and the following Monday they went on their first lunch date. The couple dated for four months, but Diane says she felt nervous because of a past relationship which had recently ended. They broke up for 9 months, then she wrote him a letter asking for a second chance; two years later, Valin proposed. How He Did It The two had talked about marriage; however the proposal was definitely a surprise for Diane. “He asked me to Cheeseman Park, where we had one of our first dates. It was a Friday after work, we were in sloppy clothes, and he seemed nervous. He brought wine, a blanket, put out the whole spread, and then asked me if he could read me some of his new pieces,” says Diane. Valin proceeded to read poetry and journal entries about their relationship, including its evolution and depth of meaning to him.
“I started crying,” says Diane. “Then he cried, and got down on one knee and asked if I would be his wife.” Valin presented her with a heart-shaped one-carat diamond in white gold with diamonds encircling the band. Valin added one more twist to the ring tradition.
“When we first dated, he said he never understood why men who are engaged don’t wear a ring. So when he proposed to me, he also held out another box with a man’s white gold band inside and asked me if I’d do him the honor…he’s been wearing his ring ever since we got engaged.” After the proposal, a black stretch limo whisked them to a restaurant where Valin had reserved a private room. After dinner, a horse-drawn carriage met them outside. “We rode around downtown after this beautiful proposal and romantic dinner, and I waved my hand to everyone yelling, ‘I’m engaged!’ It was such a dream evening,” says Diane. Choosing the Wedding Venue
When they first started dating, Valin said he didn’t know if they could enter into a serious relationship because he was planning to move to San Diego. “I told him I’d move, too. He was very set to move out here,” says Diane.
Valin took Diane to America’s Finest City in February 2007 for a visit and Diane says she was sold on the place. “By the second night I told him ‘let’s just move here now!’” For years, Diane knew she wanted to marry on a yacht. Valin, who had wanted a land-based wedding, acquiesced. “He was so happy we married on the boat – we got so many compliments, and ultimately he said he couldn’t have imagined being anywhere else. It’s all about the love. He did it for me since he knew it was my dream. It was a magical day.” While living in Denver, Diane had researched San Diego-based yachts and found San Diego Harbor Excursion. She called the offices, and by conversation’s end with wedding sales manager Carlie McVay, she was sold. While online looking for florists, Diane came across a person who did florals and wedding coordination. Diane called the woman who offered to help Diane with day-of coordination. Diane was thrilled; however she knew there was still much to be done planning a wedding far away from her home base of Denver. Luckily, Valin secured a position as chief executive officer for the Carlsbad Education Foundation in San Diego, which started Feb. 2008 – just three months before their wedding. Now in San Diego, Diane could much more easily hammer out the rest of the wedding details. Wedding Weekend Because no wedding guests hailed from San Diego (family and friends flew in from Chicago, Texas, Florida and Denver), the couple saw the wedding as their chance to sell their loved ones on San Diego. They also wanted the trip to be a lovely get-away – a time for everyone to enjoy the city for its sun, fun, and relaxed recreation.
Showing Off San Diego The wedding party of just 50 guests included members of the couple’s family as well as a few close friends.
"We made so many plans for everyone for three nights before the wedding,” says Diane. Events included a meet-and-greet for the in-laws Wednesday evening. Friday afternoon incorporated a bridal celebration for the women, including a wine tasting and game night at the Cask Room in downtown San Diego. The guys raced cars at Miramar Speed Circuit. Afterward, everyone met for drinks and appetizers at downtown’s Rock Bottom Brewery where they took over Top of the Rocks (the restaurant’s top floor). Rehearsal evening was held at the couple’s Balboa Park condominium building overlooking the park. The couple rented the 12th floor community room and hired Continental Catering for an Italian-themed dinner in homage to their honeymoon destination: Italy. As well, to make the guests feel relaxed and pampered in their rooms at downtown’s Bristol Hotel, the couple created and left in each room custom-gift baskets including gourmet wine and chocolates, candles, matches, bath salts, a jazz compilation CD and a booklet about San Diego. The Wedding Day The couple had their wedding nupital taken in Balboa Park prior to the wedding. Diane says people told them to wait to see each other until the wedding, but she argued it just made more sense to shoot the photos prior to the ceremony.
“I wanted our photos to be somewhere just as picturesque as a boat. Balboa Park was perfect.” A sunset wedding was just what Diane and Valin ordered and on April 27, 2008, the party boarded the yacht at 6 p.m., surrounded by accents of fuchsia, silver and cream. As they stepped on the boat, guests were handed a glass of champagne and each female guest received a fuchsia rose tied with a silver ribbon. The bride sparkled in the sunset in her ivory, floor-length, mermaid-style dress embroidered with sequins, rhinestones, and faux pearls. So did her veil – a single layer, fingertip ivory veil with beaded trim, and tiara (borrowed from her sister). She wore Valin’s late grandmother’s pearl necklace as a bracelet. Valin’s family gave Diane the necklace for Christmas that year, and told Diane his grandmother wanted her pearls to go to the first daughter-in-law in the family. The half-hour ceremony took place on top deck and the couple said their original vows to one another as the sun set over San Diego Harbor. The Reception On The Bay Afterward, guests enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeuvres on the middle deck; the main deck below was the setting for the sit-down dinner. Diane and Valin wanted the experience to reflect them, so Diane created the menu cards.
“I printed everyone’s name in cream ink on fuchsia paper with their chosen entrée selection,” says Diane. After dinner, guests headed back up to the top deck to enjoy the evening skyline and salty sea air. Just before docking, Diane changed quickly into her after-party cocktail dress. Then the two rushed through a tunnel of sparklers held out by wedding guests along the boat. A Cinderella Carriage pulled up to the boat just as the party docked. “People didn’t know it was coming, so everyone cheered for us,” says Diane. The party joined the couple at the W Hotel’s Beach Bar afterward for a beach-themed party, which lasted until 2 a.m. Gift of a Honeymoon The couple stayed for two days at the Bristol Hotel, then flew to Italy for an 11-day tour of Tuscany, Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice, and Lake Como. The honeymoon was paid for through a gift registry that offers guests the chance to contribute to a couple’s honeymoon in lieu of a wrapped gift. “We didn’t need more stuff for an apartment, but we really looked forward to the honeymoon to Italy!” After the Party's Over Diane says their dream wedding came true. “It met all my expectations. In the end, it all came together so perfectly. We’ve been getting so many compliments on the whole thing. We’re so thankful for all of it and for all the people who could be there to share it with us.” VENDORS
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