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closeJim Hamilton and Michelle Thomas both grew up in San Luis Obispo, both attended San Luis Obispo High School (albeit, at different times),and she even lived next door to a close friend of his. And yet, the two had never met – until 2004, when their paths finally converged. Michelle was celebrating a friend’s birthday at San Luis Obispo’s Mission Grill. Jim was there with a friend.
“I thought he was the most handsome guy I’d ever seen,” Michelle recalled. “She had a huge smile when we first caught eyes,” Jim said. “I can still picture the exact moment like it just happened.” Michelle was the one to break the ice. Aft er she introduced herself, the conversation and laughs came easy. The two resolved to meet for a date the following week.
“It was after that date that I called my best friend and told her I just went on my fi rst date with the guy I was going to marry,” said Michelle. “I just knew.”
The Proposal
Aft er dating Jim for two years, Michelle began to feel anxious about their future together. Little did she know, he was already looking for a memorable way to propose. He decided a trip to San Francisco would be the right opportunity. “I wasn’t sure exactly when or how I would pop the question until I spotted a rooftop garden at our hotel with views all around the city” he said. Michelle was taken by surprise when Jim got down on one knee, uttered the famous words and presented her with a ring he had designed himself. “She just hugged me and said, ‘You did it!’ which luckily meant ‘yes,’” Jim said.
Making Plans
Both Jim and Michelle knew they wanted to be married in their hometown. Th ey also wanted an outdoor setting that was romantic, yet relaxed. They decided to tour the Dallidet Adobe gardens in San Luis Obispo where both of Michelle’s sisters had held their wedding receptions. One stroll down its tree-lined brick paths, and the couple knew it was the right place Although they hired an event designer, Elegant Details of Santa Maria, to pull together the wedding arrangements, both Jim and Michelle were equally involved in planning. They pored over bridal magazines together, attended wedding fairs and spent hours with their event designer. Michelle, who acknowledged she wasn’t a “fussy bride,” was glad for others’ input. She even asked her bridesmaids to choose their own gowns, all in the same shade of espresso brown.
“I know a lot of grooms kind of take a back seat in the planning process, but I couldn’t imagine making all these important decisions without Jim helping me every step of the way,” she said.
The Big Day
On September 21, 2007, the night before the wedding, a rare early autumn storm sent down showers just as the couple was preparing for their rehearsal dinner. “I didn’t sleep at all that night,” Michelle lamented. “I remember waking up every two hours and running to the window.” Rain continued to fall on the morning of the event. But an hour before the 12:30 p.m. ceremony, the clouds lift ed and the garden was bathed in sunshine.
“The morning was kind of chaotic, and I was focused on the weather,” Jim recalled, “but after the clouds parted, I was just calm. I wanted to absorb every moment.” Michelle’s nerves were equally rattled, even after she had donned her gown and waited in the bridal tent. But when the time came, she hugged her mother, took her father’s arm and began to feel more at ease.
Jim recalls being overcome with emotion at the first glimpse of Michelle. He immediately sensed her anxiety and hoped to calm her fears.
“I wanted to make eye contact with her and acknowledge how great everything turned out, how all of our worries didn’t come to be,” he said.
The ceremony was very traditional, yet the couple found ways to personalize the day. Their officiate was Jim’s brother, John Hamilton, who had been ordained through an Internet site. Th e couple selected photos of themselves at various stages of their lives and hung them throughout the garden. They also assembled a cart of their favorite candies so that guests could take home a sweet memento of the day.
Even the reception fare, Santa Maria-style barbecue, was a form of self-expression. “It’s who we are – we’re not super fancy,” explained Michelle. “A party for us is having a barbecue with our friends.”
By the time, the couple left for their honeymoon in Maui, the stress of the event had dissipated, replaced by warm memories. They were even able to see the silver lining in the rainstorm that threatened their day. “When the sunshine poured in, in a way it made me appreciate the day even more,” said Jim. “Of course, marrying Michelle in a downpour would still be my favorite day.”
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