Makenna thought a neighbor had played a prank on her courtyard. Spencer had directed her there after a visit to the botanical gardens, a weekend designed to feel entirely ordinary. It was not until she saw the setup that she understood her boyfriend had spent months planning the moment she would say yes.
The couple met at church when they were eight years old. They attended the same junior high and high school, and for years they were simply friends. It was not until college that their relationship turned romantic. Spencer, now a professional baseball player for the Detroit Tigers, knew Makenna wanted a proposal she would never see coming. So he kept her busy with friends and family, and when they returned home, he led her to the courtyard. After Spencer proposed, Makenna spotted her mom through a window. Spencer had secretly flown in her entire family and gathered their friends so everyone could celebrate the engagement together.
That same attention to experience carried into the wedding. Makenna had always pictured getting married in the summer, but Spencer's baseball schedule pushed the celebration to November. Rather than give up her original vision, the couple reimagined it for fall at Montage Healdsburg, with planning by Carly Saber Events and photography by Victoria Beardslee.
The floral design by Fig & Vine used soft blush and fresh greens to bring a light, romantic quality to the November celebration. Chocolate brown accents introduced warmth and depth, grounding the brighter palette and helping it feel at home against the autumn landscape of California wine country. The combination allowed the wedding to reference summer without pretending it was taking place in another season. Fresh color and richer fall tones worked together to create a palette that felt appropriate for both Makenna's original vision and the November setting.
With an early November sunset to consider, timing became an important part of the wedding-day design. Makenna and Spencer planned their ceremony for golden hour, allowing the final warm light of the day to become part of the setting. The timing made the most of the shorter fall day while giving the ceremony the sunlit atmosphere Makenna had envisioned for a summer celebration. They exchanged vows surrounded by the natural beauty of Montage Healdsburg before slipping away for portraits as the light began to fade.
One of the smallest details of Makenna's bridal look carried the greatest meaning. Attached to her bouquet was a pendant featuring a photograph of her grandmother. The keepsake allowed Makenna to keep her close throughout the ceremony and wedding day, quietly incorporating her memory into a celebration filled with family. After the ceremony, another beloved family member joined the couple for portraits: their dog. The photographs gave them a chance to pause together before joining their guests for the evening ahead.
Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktails and passed bites before making their way to the Grand Lawn for the reception. There, a glowing tent from Encore Events Rentals created a warm setting for dinner and dancing beneath the wine country sky. The tented reception allowed the celebration to remain connected to Montage Healdsburg's vineyard surroundings while giving the evening a sense of intimacy once darkness fell. Against the November landscape, the warm glow of the tent also provided a natural transition from the golden-hour ceremony into the nighttime celebration.
For Makenna, one of the most memorable moments of the entire wedding happened when she and Spencer entered their reception. The ceremony was finished, the nerves had disappeared, and she had changed into her second dress. As the newlyweds made their entrance, guests waved napkins in the air and the energy of the dance floor was already beginning to build. After months of planning around baseball schedules, seasons, travel, and logistics, the moment represented a shift. Everything formal was behind them, and they could finally enjoy the party they had created with their favorite people.
Guest experience remained a priority as the evening continued. An ice cream cart from Noble Folk became one of the reception's late-night highlights, while slices of pie offered another sweet option for guests between trips to the dance floor. The casual desserts fit naturally into a celebration that balanced the luxury of a wine country setting with thoughtful details intended to make the night genuinely fun for everyone attending.
Dinner and dancing beneath the tent were not the end of the night. Once the main reception wound down, Makenna and Spencer moved the celebration indoors to the ballroom for an after-party, giving guests another space to keep dancing well into the night.
According to Wedding Chicks.
