Anabella & Wyatt

Anabella and Wyatt were so much fun to work with. Their wedding took place on Anabella's father's private estate off of Huffaker Lane, in a very affluent agricultural area of South Reno. As I was growing up, my dad would take me for drives through this area, where we could see all the goats, sheep, and other livestock that live out here.

Anabella's father, Tom Ortiz, owns Sierra General Real Estate, so he had a beautiful plot of land right next to his home to host his daughter's wedding.

It was a lovely outdoor wedding, right at the end of August, just as things started to cool down a little bit. It was incredibly windy during setup. It was so windy, in fact, that my DJ shade tent got uprooted from the ground and thrown by the wind! But luckily the wind died down before the ceremony began.

The wedding ceremony was truly picturesque. As the late August sun began to set over these Northern Nevada foothills, Anabella's white dress heavily contrasted with the verdant green grass of her father's property.

Anabella's Vows

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However, I do know one thing for certain: spending the rest of my life loving you was the easiest decision I've ever made.

Anabella looked absolutely stunning on her wedding day! Her father wore a sky blue suit, and Wyatt, the groom, wore a fresh white one. Their ceremony looked like a scene straight out of a movie.

Both Anabella's uncle, who officiated, and her father spoke about the deep history of this land. The officiant explained that this is six generation family ground: back in 1881, Anabella's great great great grandparents, Giobattista and Benedetta, immigrants from Italy, bought this 88 acre ranch, and the old ranch house just below us has been the heart of the family ever since.

He then drew everyone's attention to the horse drawn buggy beside him. It belonged to Anabella's great great grandfather John, who used it to court his wife Annie, and their wedding photograph was displayed on that very buggy. As he put it, a buggy once used by a man courting the woman he would marry now sat there, generations later, as another bride from that same family prepared to make the exact same promise.

Her brother Chase gave a very touching and heartwarming speech. He joked that he was responsible for 40 percent of Anabella's personality and 75 percent of her sense of humor, then walked us through a lifetime of her phases, from Polly Pockets to her whole hearted iMovie rendition of Titanium (all the passion and visual effects, just not the high notes). He landed on what he admires most about his sister: her gift for being the light that helps other people see a bright and loving world. He also thanked Wyatt for always showing up for Anabella, and raised a glass to the new couple.

Her father Tom's toast was just as heartfelt. He told the story of a daughter who has always wanted just a little more out of life, one more hug, one more story, one more stuffed animal, and who leaves a little bit of herself, her laughter, her kindness, and her joy, everywhere she goes. He welcomed Wyatt as one of the hardest working young men he has ever known, a man who lets Anabella be Anabella, and toasted the two of them to more laughter, more adventure, and more love.

The rest of the evening was fairly relaxed, until it came time for the traditional dances, which were very emotional and very sweet.

When it came time for dancing, Anabella and Wyatt's new family did not disappoint! Anabella was a big fan of Gold Digger by Kanye West, which I was happy to play. Some of the younger girls in the family knew how to dance Boots on the Ground, and it brought them tremendous joy to dance it in front of all their friends and family while the crowd cheered.

I also personally really enjoyed the choreographed dance to Crank That by Soulja Boy. That song came out 19 years ago, in 2007, and even though it's technically not a group dance song, it's a crowd favorite, and it fit right in with Anabella's earlier request of Gold Digger.

Their vibe was classic soul and Motown, all Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Al Green, and Bill Withers, layered into feel good 70s throwbacks like Fleetwood Mac, with a handful of modern pop and throwback hip hop moments to light up the younger crowd.

Thank you so much to Anabella and Wyatt for having me at your beautiful wedding, and congratulations to you and your family!