My name is Claire, and my groom is Pier. We were married November 1, 2014 at The Gardens At Peacock Farms in Arroyo Grande, CA.Our wedding was in the early afternoon, so rather than having a formal, sit-down dinner reception, we planned an afternoon tea. We had yard games set up in some areas, and there were tea tables set with finger sandwiches and scones and other goodies. Our venue was a tea garden with walnut trees and a fountain and broad floral hedgerows, and surrounded by a working vineyard, so it was perfectly suited for our event. My dress was the Walnut Creek in ivory, customized to include the same lacy tulle from the bodice as the top layer on the skirt. There were so many funny and tearful and beautiful moments during the day, I have a hard time putting one above another. Still, there are a few things that stand out in my memory. At the end of the ceremony, Pier made two tries at stomping on the glass before the third one successfully hit its mark. Then, when we came into the reception after photos, my sisters expertly serenaded us with the "Queen-To-Be" song from the movie Coming To America, and later my older sister's toast inspired some intense emotional confusion by bringing everyone to tears, then putting us all in stitches. Maybe the best moment was just the most cliché. I elected to walk myself to the chuppa rather than be given away, which was the right choice for me, but I had a little knot in my stomach from trying really hard to hold back tears. When I came up the aisle, seeing Pier there wiping away his own tears made me feel so at ease, I stopped trying so hard not to cry. The two of us just cried and giggled our way through the ceremony. Also, I just felt so beautiful! My hair was big, my makeup was flawless, and my dress and accessories were all so perfect - my shoes were John Fluevog, and my earrings and tiara were handmade by my sister.
