A Rustic Military Wedding at Lake Oak Meadows in Temecula, California

Natalie Galusha (26, a residential counselor) and Darick Galusha (24, a marine) met on Christian Mingle, and two months into dating Darick was deployed to Afghanistan. For the next six months, the couple continued to talk about their future together over Skype, and when Darick returned home they were engaged in three months time. Darick proposed at a family barbecue that Natalie didn't think he would be able to attend, but he surprised her by showing up with a ring. The couple chose Lake Oak Meadows in Temecula, California for their wedding venue, which was a beautiful vineyard with a lake and large surrounding trees covering the area. When Natalie noticed they typical red and blue color palette at several Marine-inspired weddings, she decided to go with a different combination of navy blue and champagne. "Our decor theme was more wood, and I created signs from wood panels and placed our bible versus on them, as well as signs for different stations," says Natalie. "Since the venue was a vineyard, we had a wine and sake bar as well. We had a wonderful cigar bar and candy bar, and they [guests] also received homemade peach jam labeled with "spread the love."