On the Field of Romance

Whitney Scholler and Tannan Whidden Winter

On the Field of Romance

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Meeting in a theater—not a movie theater, but a real theater—literally set the stage for Whitney and Tannan’s dramatic May wedding. The two had known each other for years during school, but then they had, Whitney says, a “falling out” and went their separate ways after high school. Tannan went overseas on a job, but returned a short time later. When they saw each other again, they both realized they were destined to be together. “We just wondered why we hadn’t seen it before,” Whitney says.

For their celebration, they knew they wanted a church wedding, but they also knew they didn’t want to have the ceremony in a church. Sound impossible? Not for these theater lovers. When friends of Tannan’s parents offered the use of their Ramona property, the solution was obvious—Tannan built the church. Over the months, they planted grass seed with the help of Tannan’s father, a landscape architect, and Tannan worked to construct the chapel for their wedding.

The celebration started early with a Wednesday movie night at Whitney’s house, complete with a vintage popcorn popper. The following nights, guests gathered for a casino night and then the rehearsal dinner, an informal affair that help set the casual yet elegant ambiance for the next day.

Whitney’s brother was her “maid of honor,” and she says she would call him that just to tease him. Their bond was no joke, though, and the day was all the more special to have him next to her during the ceremony. Meanwhile, Tannan’s sister served as the “co-best man.” With her grandfather, an ordained minister, officiating and photos of departed loved ones in her bouquet, it was truly a family affair. Of the unconventional mixing of the bridal party, Whitney says, “We wanted the people to stand up for us who were important to us.”

The vintage motif loved by Whitney and Tannan was evident throughout both the ceremony and reception. The bridal party donned black clothing they had selected to fit with the feel of the décor. As Whitney made her entrance in her Vera Wang gown with its burned-out floral pattern, a phonograph played the traditional wedding march. Rich Old-World colors of avocado, brick red and persimmon were incorporated throughout the decorations of the reception tent.

Although everyone had been seeing each other through the week and no icebreaking was needed, the couple had cocktails served before the ceremony. They had planned the ceremony to start at about eight o’clock. Then, when it looked as if the unusual late-May storm was going to start pouring rain, they decided to move the festivities up by 45 minutes. “I think we were the only couple in the world who didn’t care about having a sunset wedding,” says Whitney. “And we ended up having one anyway.”

After celebrating with a family-style feast and the cutting of the cake, everyone smelled the tantalizing odor of freshly baked cookies. When the valets pulled up in their cars, guests discovered personalized bags of the cookies and frosty cold milk waiting for them to enjoy on their ride home.