Makenna and Spencer’s story began long before either of them could have imagined exchanging vows in California wine country.
The two met at church when they were eight years old and grew up attending the same junior high and high school. For years, they were simply friends. It was not until college that their relationship became romantic, eventually leading to a surprise proposal Spencer carefully orchestrated around the people Makenna loved most.
Now a professional baseball player for the Detroit Tigers, Spencer’s career would also influence one of the biggest decisions surrounding their wedding. Makenna had always pictured getting married in the summer, but the baseball schedule pushed their celebration to November. Instead of giving up her original vision, the couple reimagined it for fall at Montage Healdsburg with help from Carly Saber Events, captured by Victoria Beardslee.
A surprise proposal disguised as an ordinary weekend
Spencer knew Makenna wanted a proposal she would never see coming, so he made sure there was nothing about the weekend that would make her suspicious.
He kept her busy with friends and family, and after a visit to the botanical gardens, the couple returned home. Spencer directed her toward their courtyard, where Makenna initially thought a neighbor had played a prank.
Then she realized what was happening.
After Spencer proposed, Makenna spotted her mom through a window and discovered one more surprise. Spencer had secretly flown in her entire family and gathered their friends so everyone could celebrate the engagement together.
That same attention to experience would later become an important part of their wedding.
Summer colors met a November wine country setting
Makenna may not have gotten the summer wedding date she originally imagined, but she did not have to sacrifice the feeling of the season.
At Montage Healdsburg, soft blush and fresh greens from Fig & Vine brought 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. Instead, 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.
Golden-hour vows made the most of an early sunset
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.
The couple exchanged vows surrounded by the natural beauty of Montage Healdsburg before slipping away for portraits as the light began to fade.
Makenna carried her grandmother with her
One of the smallest details of Makenna’s bridal look carried some of 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 Makenna and Spencer for portraits: their dog. The photographs gave the couple a chance to pause together before joining their guests for the evening ahead.
A glowing tent transformed the Grand Lawn
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.
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A second dress signaled it was officially time to party
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 Makenna and Spencer could finally enjoy the party they had created with their favorite people.
Ice cream and pie replaced the usual late-night sweets
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.
The celebration moved to the ballroom for an after-party
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.
It was a fitting ending for a wedding that had required the couple to rethink their original plans without losing sight of what they actually wanted.
A professional baseball schedule may have moved their wedding from summer to November, but Makenna and Spencer found a way to have both seasons in one celebration. Blush and fresh greens brought the lightness of summer, chocolate brown embraced the warmth of fall, golden-hour vows made the most of the California sun, and a glowing reception tent carried the celebration into the night.
For two people whose story began when they were eight years old, the date on the calendar mattered far less than finally getting to celebrate everything that had brought them there.
