On a sunny winter afternoon, Kris stopped by Starbucks to order one of his favorite drinks, a peppermint latte. ”I happened to notice a very cute girl standing outside checking her phone,” he says. Wanting to inconspicuously sit within talking distance to her, he proceeded to walk over and sit on a bench that no one was on. “I realized why no one was sitting on it—it was soaking wet. I stood up and told her, ‘Now that makes sense why no one is sitting there!’” The charming, if damp, icebreaker worked, and the two hit it off. “I thought he was going to be my new best friend,” says Sasha. “I think he had other intentions in mind though!”
By the time the two started talking marriage they had been together for three years and had even begun the process of adopting three foster children Sasha had unofficially “big sistered” through her church. “I told the kids that I was going to surprise her with a proposal at a nice restaurant with them there,” says Kris. “I got down on one knee, all while pulling the ring out in one smooth motion, and proceeded to tell her how much these past three years have meant to me.” The shocked bride looked down at the ring case, but something was missing. “I quickly realized that when I had opened the box it was upside down and the felt that holds the ring had gotten stuck to the top of the ring box, so with a quick sleight of hand movement I gave it a quick tug and there the ring sat. What a relief!”
With only three months to plan for their June wedding, the couple chose Lake Tahoe as the setting. “I wanted to have a vintage/country-style wedding, so for the reception Kris’ family’s cabin was the perfect place,” says Sasha. “It is located near Echo Lake (15 minutes from Tahoe) and holds quite a bit of sentimental value to us as well, [since] we had vacationed together there many times as a couple.”
There was concern that the snowpack would not melt in time for the wedding, but even with a Plan B in place, the weather turned out to be perfect. Sasha adds, “There was so much sunshine we had to provide our guests [with] sunscreen.”
The ceremony at the family cabin was very small and intimate. Both Sasha and Kris spent many hours picking out the perfect playlist of songs.
“We had our children standing next to us at the altar, which made it very special to all of us,” Kris shares.
“Part of my family lives in Russia and Ukraine,” says the bride. “Due to the quick planning and the long distance, they were unable to make it. I am very close to my sister in Russia and it was breaking my heart not to have her share the day with me, so I arranged for my cousins to set up Skype on the iPad to stream the wedding online so everyone could watch it in real time. It was the next best thing to having them with me.”
―Darren Elms
