Destination backyard Wedding by the American River | Jennifer Lourie

Sarah Elizabeth and Aurel had an incredible intimate destination backyard wedding in Carmichael, California overlooking the American River. Carmichael is a small city outside of Sacramento, and not one that most people would associate with a destination wedding- but I am here to prove all you naysayers wrong. After meeting on Bumble and sharing an incredible first date, they shared that “we've been inseparable ever since,” leading us to this once in a lifetime wedding location. Traveling from Austin, Texas; these two combined Aurel’s Romanian culture and Sarah Elizabeth’s love of the American River to create one unique and unforgettable romantic wedding.

Sarah Elizabeth and Aurel chose to have their wedding in Carmichael overlooking the river, because, “sitting on the bluff over looking the river is one of my absolute favorite places to be.” The house belongs to a long time family friend, and it was a location that the two of them had frequented before. It serendipitously was also the first place “where we told each other we loved one another for the first time.” It only seemed appropriate to tie the knot on that very location, so the two scurried into planning a destination wedding for all members involved; except Bob and Jan, owner’s of the beautiful property.

I absolutely love seeing two cultures combine, and Aurel and Sarah Elizabeth did an amazing job of sharing Aurel’s Romanian background with their wedding guests. His family would be traveling from Hungary, so small parts of the ceremony were written in Hungarian; and the ceremony was translated onto sheets of paper for them to have. All weddings guests were asked to participate in a shot of “Palinka to kick off the night, which is another Hungarian tradition to start your meal.” They also had delicious Hungarian gingerbread cookies designed for each place setting!

There are so many things that can be said about this destination wedding, but if I had to wrap it up, it would be that you could definitely feel the love in the air all night. The dance floor overlooked the American River, and while having a wedding in a residential neighborhood has challenges, Sarah Elizabeth and Aurel skirted them by finishing their evening with a silent disco dance party. This was my first of these, and I hope in the future other weddings include them; because it was a blast! All wedding guests were handed headphones pumped with the music from the DJ, and everyone was able to dance through the night. They ended their backyard wedding evening with a gorgeous sparkler exit, concluding the event with a quote the couple shared that I’m sure reigned true, “We want everyone to have a blast!"