Real Wedding: Diane & Chris

In 2010, Diane Cichelli and Chris Quick were living in NYC when they met at one of Diane’s office happy hours. When Diane ordered a Fernet Branca, a drink well known among San Franciscans, Chris overheard and discovered they were both recent transplants. In fact, both had moved to NYC from SF on February 1, 2010. Diane, 31, and Chris, 33, had lived in SF for several years, but never met. Chris proposed two years after their memorable first date at the Times Square Olive Garden (a joke). The couple, who are both directors of client services—she at Xerox and he at Nielson—tied the knot at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa. They toasted with Champagne—not Fernet Branca—but the festivities were all them, nonetheless.
—By Michelle Wilson

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OC Memories

The orange trees Diane remembered from her upbringing in Irvine inspired the color palette of the wedding. Muted oranges and other fall colors gave the wedding a warm, inviting glow.

Feathered Bodice

“It was the first dress I tried on and I instantly loved it,” says Diane of her “Bengasi” gown by Pronovias. “The dress stood out because of its uniqueness. I have never seen a bride in a feathered bodice.” My whole family had come to NYC to help me pick my dress, so I tried on a few more to make their trip worthwhile!”

Floral Chic

Champagne dahlias, white cattleya orchids, champagne ranunculus, green hydrangea, silver brunia, scabiosa pods, succulents, lamb’s ear and orange mokara orchids were brought together with torn linen, silk, and burlap for the bridal bouquet.

Favorite Moments

The couple agreed their favorite moments from the wedding were “looking into each other’s eyes during the palm ceremony” and “seeing all our friends and family who traveled so far to celebrate with us.”

Hi AND LO

A mix of high and low flower arrangements on the tables allowed guests to converse naturally during dinner.

Superfan

Chris is a die-hard University of Michigan football fan. His bride surprised him with a football-shaped groom’s cake and a life-sized cardboard cut-out of quarterback Denard Robinson—for picture-taking, of course!

Two-Stepping

The bride and groom took a crash-course dance class to prepare for their first dance to “Love that Girl” by Raphael Saadiq. The result? “It turned out pretty well, all things considered. Except our ‘big finish’ was backwards to the guests—oh well!”

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Pinned Love

Diane pinned three brooches to her bouquet for her grandparents who could not travel for the wedding. “It was a special way to think of them that day.”

Soulful Performance

The band, Soulville, surprised the newlyweds with a live version of “Gangnam Style.” They sang the entire song in Korean!

Run with it

The table runners were made from upholstery fabric the bride’s parents found in L.A.’s garment district. Diane’s dad cut and made the runners himself.

Tiny Desserts

“Chris and I never leave room for a big dessert, so we wanted guests to have a variety of small, sweet bites. We had red velvet, chocolate and spice flavored cake pops. People were grabbing them by the fistful!”

Tiny Trees

Miniature trees from Beau Coup displayed escort cards. Diane’s florist said they reminded her of a small orange grove and were in keeping with the O.C. theme.

Mini-Moon

Their mini honeymoon to Cabo was cancelled due to a tropical storm. Instead, the couple drove to Santa Barbara’s Bacara Resort and Spa. They plan to travel to Greece in the spring of 2013 for their honeymoon.

Italian Surprise

Diane’s father surprised guests with bags of Jordon almonds, each a different color, explaining their symbolic association with health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity

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[box title=”Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa, Photography by Duane Peck Fine Art Wedding Photography”][nggallery id=329][/box] [box title=”Get Their Style”]