The Wedding Rev -- Don Toshach, Rancho Mirage, CA (2025)

08/22/2025

Teal said one day not that long ago that she picked up a gift certificate from the Stone Eagle Golf Club shop for her First Tee charity auction. Rob served her and that was that. Each of them were married to other people. Just a simple business transaction.

However, two years later on June 9, 2023 (the date is etched in Rob's memory), Teal played the course with a guy friend and said hello and thank you to Rob in the shop afterward. Rob had previously sized her up to be a “soccer mom” who occasionally played golf, but that changed when Teal shared that she had had five birdies that day. Hmm, super cute and funny, legit golfer, and the guy she was with WASN'T her boyfriend. Sold!

Rob seized the moment and invited Teal to play a foursome with him and a couple of other guys the following week. Then finally they had an official golf date as a twosome, where Rob discovered that she was a much better golfer than you. Suffice to say that it didn't take too long before golf buddies turned into romantic partners.

The first year of dating raised the bar extremely high by checking two of their bucket list boxes—the Masters in August, and two weeks exploring Italy. We shouldn't forget that they played the world-class courses of Sage Valley, the San Francisco Golf Club, Whistling Straits, The Preserve, Half Moon Bay, Shady Canyon, and The Hay at Pebble Beach, with more to come. Lest people think that it's only about chasing a little ball around 18-hole greens, the two of them have gone to 19 concerts in the last two years and have seen over 40 artists together.

As if we couldn't tell where this was going already, Rob and Teal went all in and bought a house in La Quinta. You could say things were getting a little serious!

Teal shares the story: “The second night in our house after I came home from a work meeting in Orange County and sat in traffic for 4 hours. I opened the door and saw rose petals on the ground and a sign that said, 'Love of my life, go this way.' As I turned the corner, there was another sign that directed me down the next path until I found Rob standing there in our new living room in a white dress shirt with a bottle of champagne opened and poured. I put down all of my bags that I had shlepped in from the car and went over to him. I grabbed his hands and they were ice cold and I knew right then that he was going to propose. He told me wonderful magical things and got down on one knee, and I said 'Yes' about 10 times and it was amazing!”

Bright and easy this morning, I had the privilege of conducting the wedding of Teal and Rob. I got a call from her a few weeks ago as her mother Juliann (better know as Tutu) was one of my hospice patients several years ago. Originally they were going to do their small wedding at their home, but then they decided as avid golfers to move it to Stone Eagle Country Club in Palm Desert. They wondered how early that I was willing to do the ceremony since it was forecast to be 117. We landed on 8:30 a.m. when the temp was supposed to be 84 degrees. It actually ended up being 95! But no matter. We dotted the i's and crossed the t's, vows and rings were exchanged and then we walked down the steps to the lower green for them to each make a short iron shot. Rob's ball got closest to the hole, to his own amazement. I closed the ceremony with a beautiful poem written by Teal's late mother, the pronouncement, a prolonged smooch, and their introduction as Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn!

Rob's family from British Columbia was present via livestream, and the newlyweds are flying out tomorrow to spend part of their honeymoon with them. Truly a full-circle moment this morning. Congrats, best wishes, and Happy Honeymooning to Team Blackburn! Super fun couple in love and definitely the quintessential Palm Springs area wedding! (Sidenote: That's Teal's golf bag. Rob said that his Callaway bag is nowhere near as cool!)

08/11/2025

How did Michael and Alexandra get together? It was December 2017 when their paths crossed when Alexandra was visiting California for the first time. The two of them immediately clicked despite their different lifestyles and the way each were brought up—Michael from the West Coast, and Alexandra hailing from a Greek family on the Eastern Coast of Canada. Michael wasn't shy about expressing that he wanted to spend every day with Alexandra during that first trip and then he urged her to come back and visit you soon. And she did.

They were quite the travelers while getting more serious about each other. What welded them together the most, though, were your mutual values of the importance of family, trust, and being loyal and supportive. They've grown and matured together as they've overcome challenges as they've gotten to know each other on a deeper level. These two have been there for each other through the ups and downs of life.

The new Fabros wanted to keep it short and sweet late this afternoon at Lake Oak Meadows. The 93 degree temps were manageable even while wearing my robe and stole. There were funny and touching moments during the streamlined ceremony. It was great to see wedding coordinator Lisa and DJ friend Mike, both of whom I haven't seen in awhile. I'd never worked with the videographer team before and both of them said that they had never experienced a better wedding ceremony because it was personal directed at the couple vs. being a platform for the minister's ego. I told them that I've always done weddings that way...it's about honoring the couple not me!

Best wishes and Happy Honeymooning to the new Team Fabro!

07/13/2025

Randi said that a mutual friend set the two of them up. Jordan elaborated, sharing the fascinating back story leading up to their first date: “Randi and I met on October 2, 2022. One of my longtime friends who I met in the Marines, Shane, had gotten a girlfriend Brooke either during deployment or not long after. So, as you could imagine we started hanging out a little less. Shane had finally convinced me to come hang out with him up in Orange County where I finally met Brooke. I remember we had planned to hang out at a private beach in Laguna that Brooke knew about. The beach was called Three Arch Bay. It was very scenic with many sea anemones in tide pools. Shane and I decided to examine the anemones a bit closer.

“As a small-town Texas boy, I can safely say I had never seen such a thing past National Geographic on the television so I was intrigued seeing them in the flesh. Shane, never being afraid to see what happens though trial and error, decided to remove a sea anemone from its perch on a underwater rock. As I witnessed this dude from Pennsylvania (where I assume anemones are not readily available) remove the it from the rock I felt as if it didn’t like that, which I told Shane 'Umm, I don’t think he liked that.' I could only imagine what Brooke, a California girl, could have thought of the sight of two dumb small-town Marines playing with the wildlife.

“Apparently, Brooke thought it was quite funny and with my sympathy for this poor anemone, she knew then who needed to hear this story. Little did I know this moment would change my life.

“Brooke brought this story up to one of her co-workers at the Huntington Beach Equestrian Center (Randi). Randi, being an animal lover herself, heard the story and I guess that was enough for her to go on a blind date with me.”

Indeed it was enough. In fact, they both agreed to met up at the racetrack's annual horse sale. How romantic! LOL Randi disclosed, “I thought two things going into that first meeting. 1) If he’s coming along to the sale, he must like animals, which is a good start 2) It's within walking distance from my house so if I don’t like him I can walk home anytime.”

Suffice to say that Randi didn't come close to pulling the ripcord and bailing out. The two of them clicked. They went on several more dates that month—first hiking, then visiting a pumpkin patch, and going to the aquarium. It didn't take long for Randi to conclude that her assumption of this man as a tough Texan Marine was off, and he was nothing but a giant kid at heart and loved her animals from day one.

Within two months of meeting each other, Jordan went all in and helped create the future Randi had been dreaming of as he spent a month building Barnyard Buddies. That he would devote hundreds of hours in the mud and rain for a girl he had only just recently met spoke volumes that this relationship was likely going to go the distance.

In fact, before long, the two of them went engagement ring shopping, but the custom one Randi selected wouldn't be ready for a few weeks. So as they both made plans to venture to their favorite travel destination—Utah's Zion National Park—a marriage proposal wasn't even on Randi's radar. Oh, she was in for a surprise!

Jordan passed along the details: “Randi and I love road trips and exploring national parks. We had planned a trip to Utah with Brooke and Shane. I thought it would be fitting the people that set us up also would be there for my proposal to Randi. Weeks in advance I planned and coordinated how Iwould do it at Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park. Our first night at Bryce Canyon was very cold and a rough camping experience so Brooke told me it probably wasn’t a good idea to pop the question there. We had collectively decided we didn’t want to rough it at Bryce another night. After searching for Air BnBs or a warm hotel room for hours we happened upon an amazing resort close to Zion National Park. The resort had amenities like jacuzzies, a restaurant, and great hiking nearby, so we all had a big boost in morale after freezing the night before.

"The next day I couldn’t wait any longer to pop the question. I had been holding this surprise for too long I felt and was worried Randi would find the temporary ring or begin to catch on to my plan. As we hiked though the beautiful Zion Valley, I told Brooke and Shane out of Randi's earshot that I was ready to get this over with so I didn’t have to stress about when the perfect time would be anymore. I let Randi walk ahead a few paces and dropped to one knee. She said 'Yes!'" Randi said that it couldn't have been any more perfect.

Late this afternoon in the perfect mountain beauty and weather of Crestline, I had the honor of helping Randi and Jordan become Mr. and Mrs. Blackmon. They got married at the bride's cousin's home and picturesque acreage a mile and a half outside of town. This couple had seen me perform the wedding for another family member Kelly, who married Bryan, last year with me at the helm, and I became their officiant, too!

The bride made her entrance on her horse with their ring-dog Oliver following along dutifully. Her father Larry helped Randi dismount and then escorted her down the aisle. The stone altar/platform on-site and flower arrangements created by Kelly made for one of the most beautiful wedding settings I've been a part of in 35 years of being a wedding officiant. Lots of laughs during the ceremony. Vows were expressed. Oliver brought the rings to the groom on clue. A few readings and a closing prayer late, I was pronouncing them to be husband and wife. After the kiss, I introduced them as the new Mr. and Mrs. Blackmon. A memorable day was had by all, including me!

Congrats and Happy Honeymooning to Team Blackmon! ❤🙏

05/25/2025

This duo met seven years ago than the Sprouts grocery store where they worked. They were immediately comfortable around each other and had such “pre-romantic” conversations like Daniel, when he lightly scolding her to not eat raw green beans out of the produce department because that would be stealing. Gabriella would counter by reminding him not to eat the muffins that were earmarked for donation! Soon Gabriella got promoted to another Sprouts store, and they lost touch and didn't reconnect until a year later when Daniel started shopping at her store. Daniel would always find Gabriella at the store and ask her to go shopping with him.

One day, Gabriella dropped a strong hint about a really long hike that you wanted to try but had no one to accompany her. Daniel said that you loved to hike, even though he'd never actually been on one! Well, that little white lie led to a memorable hike day and moving from the Friend Zone right into the epicenter of being an inseparable couple. It didn't take long to move into discussing future forever together plans of being married. It got more serious when they moved in together, then followed by the purchase of a home two years ago.

Gabriella tells the proposal story in her words: “On our 3-year anniversary we went back to the hike that we did on our first date, Goat Canyon Trestle Bridge near Jacumba, CA. We spent a long weekend lounging in the desert sun and soaking in natural hot springs. On our final day of our trip we wanted to hike back out to the abandoned train car where we had tagged our names inside of three years earlier.

“We were on the trail before sunrise even came over the mountains. It was freezing cold. The trail was much more overgrown and we were just happy to be together. After exploring the first couple of train cars I heard a distressed 'BABE!' come from behind me. When I turned around Daniel was there with a small heart-shaped wooden box in his hands. Daniel said he had a well-thought-out speech, but he stumbled on all the words and all that came out was 'Will you marry me?' I was in total shock. I didn’t hear anything I just saw he was down on one knee and I froze. After probably too much time he asked '…Well..?' I yelled out “YES!”

“We walked back to our car in giddy excitement. The first person we saw gave us a polite nod and said good morning and I blurted out 'WE’RE ENGAGED!' I’m sure that was a lot to take in before his 7 a.m. mountain bike ride but he seemed genuinely happy for us. We spent the rest of the day in total bliss.”

The bliss continued on their wedding day today at Pampas Farms in the hills west of Temecula. Gorgeous day and setting. Gabriella admitted post-ceremony to being nervous and feeling like it was all surreal and out-of-body. Very normal, I told her. Daniel was less nervous and more composed. They said all the right things in the right places, and before long I was pronouncing them husband and wife. Loud cheers erupted from their family and friends when I introduced them as Mr. and Mrs. Wert.

Best wishes and Happy Honeymooning to Team Wert! ❤

10/21/2024

Kim and Aidan met other while working together at Guest Services at the Irvine Spectrum Center, circa October of 2018. Aidan was her trainer. Mmm, very interesting! It wasn't long in getting to know one another that they discovered a shared passion for the video game that was a favorite for both of you--Kingdom Hearts.

Then one night, Kim was working at the giant Ferris wheel as the operator at the controls, and Aidan was carefully loading guests into the gondolas. As the guests laughed and screamed as the lighted wheel went 'round and 'round, they both helped next-in-line customers, talked casually, played the question game, and practiced their air volleyball skills. It was in that moment that Kim felt a spark as she thought she wanted to know this man more. Instead of waiting for him to make the first move, Kim did the millennial thing, found Aidan on Facebook and Instagram, and slid into his DM's. That fateful day? November 14, 2018.

Eventually, Kim convinced Aidan to give her his number and promptly asked him out to the movies. Their first date? Two weeks later, when you saw watched the “romantic” flick “Wreck-It Ralph 2” together. It was the “perfect first date,” they agreed, co-mingling their mutual love for Disney movies. It brought forth lots of nonstop smiling. That first date led their first road trip together, holiday celebrations, meeting family and friends, moving in together, getting two cats named Cloud and Scooter, and saying "I love you" to one another. But we're getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we? There's more to this love story. In February 2019, on Aidan’s birthday, Kim planned out a whole day for him--brunch on the beach, then Fashion Island, and test driving a Tesla for fun, all which made for a memorable day. The cherry on top was the end of the evening theater viewing of “How to Train Your Dragon 3.” Aidan loves dragons, Kim explained, so that was a no-brainer. Kim lso confessed: “That was the night where I accidentally let it slip and admitted that I loved Aidan for the first time. However, because of Aidan’s selective hearing, he didn’t hear it and I was worried I would be rejected if he heard it. About a month later he went to Vegas with his Irvine Spectrum coworkers and had some liquid courage and drunkenly texted me that he loved me. I personally loved the texts from that night and was glad I knew that he loved me, too, even if it was thanks to his friend Alcohol. The next day, Aidan called me while he was at the pool, sober this time, and admitted he actually, truly loved me.” AWWWW!

That “I love you” led to that aforementioned first road trip together visiting Zion National Park, parts of Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and Phoenix. The proverbial couple's intimacy question of “Do you travel well together?” was answered with a resounding “YES!” After that road trip, Kim started nursing school, which she admitted was one of the darkest times of her life as it was filled with stress and anxiety, along with being within a whisker of dropping up or being kicked out. She was grateful for Aidan's unconditional love and support and that of your folks.

Then COVID hit, and Kim had to move home during the lockdown to live with her parents. The months of isolation and having to endure a long-distance relationship turned out to be an incubator allowing their love for each other to grow stronger. Once the lockdown lifted, they decided to move in together during the Fall of 2020 with some of their closest friends, Justin and Sarah, who were both members of their bridal party.

Caring for COVID patients as a nursing assistant through the winter of 2020 was a monumental challenge for Kim, and Aidan was at the same time starting his first accounting job in Irvine. Graduation from nursing school came for Kim, and a new job as a neuro trauma unit nurse in Long Beach was the result. The two of them moved to Long Beach to live together, and Aidan did the long commute to his job in Irvine. It was a sacrifice of love on his part, leaving behind his family and friends in that city so Kim wouldn't have the long commute while being emotionally and physically drained after demanding 12-hour shifts.

So is there a proposal story coming anytime soon? I'm glad you asked. You betcha! Aidan discloses all the details in his own words: “Love is a powerful emotion that makes you do crazy things. In 2022, I had a crazy idea: it was time to propose to the love of my life. Kim and I wanted to go to Colorado for vacation. Kim had never been to Colorado, and I had an idea to make this trip extra special. Thus, I started a four-month proposal plan. I was able to sneakily plan my proposal when Kim was asleep for her graveyard shifts when she used to work at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. Luckily, I was able to hide the engagement ring at my parents' house if Kim decided to do a random 'spring cleaning' before vacation, which she did. I contacted a college friend, Audrey Elliott, who lives in Colorado. We were able to catch up, and when I asked for her help, she was more than happy to assist.

“Audrey and I devised a plan to schedule a night when we all hang out when Kim and I were visiting Colorado. It allowed Kim to meet Audrey, and they both hit off. Once the night ended, Audrey suggested she could be a tour guide when we went to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and took pictures. On November 2nd, 2022, we explored the Garden of the Gods. I suggested taking more photos at this resort, which has a great view of the Garden of the Gods. I told Audrey the secret code I would say to signal her when it was time to make a proposal: 'Can we take one more picture?' I said the secret code, pulled out the ring, got down on my knee, and asked Kim for her hand in marriage. Kim was caught entirely off-guard, but it didn't stop her from giving the biggest smile and replying yes! She was highly impressed. I outsmarted her since she is a nurse who needs to think of many possibilities, plus she is very detail-orientated.” Well done, Aidan!

So yesterday, pre-sunset, with the chandelier and trees lit in Meadows wedding site at the Los Willows Wedding Estate, Aidan and Kim made it official. He entered via the venue's electric sports car/golf cart with AC/DC "Back in Black" blaring. I shared their long but fun love story, led them in their exchange of vows and rings, listened along with everyone else to them read their personal and poignant love notes to one another, and after a final reading, pronounced them as husband and wife. Their first kiss was Mr. and Mrs. was long and passionate, but tasteful. They headed back up the aisle as the new Mr. and Mrs. Arguelles, ready for a memorable reception before jetting off to Hawaii for their honeymoon.

Truly a fantastic couple with who to collaborate on making their ceremony a special one. Happy Honeymooning to Team Arguelles!

10/13/2024

Nobody really needs to hear another boring sermon about marriage. I ask couples like Myrna and Joe to recount their love story for me. What they each gave me in their own words as a point/counterpoint exchange was SOOO them, and cool, and loving, and funny that I couldn't bring myself to do anything with it other than quote them:

Myrna's side first, because women typical have the first and the last words (OOPS! Did I say that outloud? My bad.) Let's hear from Myrna as she sounds like the lyrics of a country song: “I was a city gal who made the big leap from Corona, CA to the tiny town of Hanford, CA for a shiny new job title. In this quaint little place, I became a regular at a tap house called Plan B every Friday after work, where I would indulge in exactly two beers—because, you know, moderation! My buddy Tim and I, both die-hard Dodgers fans, would chat about baseball. Then there was Joe, the mysterious lone wolf at the bar, who would occasionally join our banter as a proud Cubs fan. I couldn’t help but think, 'Wow, that silver fox is quite the catch!

"Fast forward a few months, and while I was living it up in Chicago for the Dodgers/Cubs showdown, and Joe slid into my DMs like a pro. We made a bet on the series, and let’s just say I ended up buying him a beer when I got back.

“We tried dating a couple of times, but the universe had other plans. Fast forward less than a year, and we were back to being pals. He even helped me with my first home purchase, tackling my endless honey-do lists—just friends, of course! One fateful night, while we were binge-watching TV on the couch, he held my hand, and I thought, 'Well, that escalated quickly!' A few years later, here we are, writing the next chapter of our lives.”

Now, it's Joe's turn to drop the deets on how he popped the question, and I quote: “A couple of months before I retired, I concocted a secretive plan to propose to Myrna. My luck we were also planning a 40th birthday party for her. It took me about a month of shopping around the different stores and websites and found the perfect ring. I had one problem. I wasn't sure about her ring size. I had our good friend (and adopted daughter) Kenia to get this info for me, so I didn't tip myself off. I got the ring a month before her party. I hid it in various spots in the house to make sure she didn't find it lol. I only told a few people of my plans and when I planned on doing it. The night of the party arrived and right before we sang 'Happy Birthday' and cut the cake, I ran inside to get the ring. After we sang 'Happy Birthday,' I got the mic from our DJ and started a little vanilla speech. Then I knelt down and made my proposal to her in front of our friends and family. The look of disbelief on her face made me laugh and she snatched the ring away from me and said 'Yes!' '
Now it's Myrna's turn to bring it home, and I quote: “We've both had a blast learning and evolving in this relationship! We've been each other's emotional support during some of life's curveballs. I've leaned on Joe a bit more than he leans on me, mostly because I'm the anxious parent and he's the calm in my storm, reminding me that everything will be just fine (with a side of laughter, of course). Our favorite pastime? Traveling and indulging in delicious dishes at newfound spots while sipping on fancy cocktails that make us feel like we’re living that classy life! Our daily grind consists of motivating each other to crush those workouts, with Joe playing the role of my culinary wizard, making healthy eating a piece of cake—minus the cake, though!”

Did I say previously that Myrna would get the last word? I wasn't joking...here you go from her lips to your ears via my voice: “I jokingly nag Joe all the time about how upset I am that he didn’t swoop in on his horse to rescue me sooner, so we could have had more epic years together. But deep down, I’m just super grateful that life decided to deliver me my dashing, silver-haired hero! I can’t wait to make up for lost time and the start our own unique version of our 'happily ever after.'”

As you can see from the photos, I performed the nuptials for this wonderful couple pre-sunset yesterday on their family's ranch in Nuevo, just east of Hemet. Perhaps the highlight of the festivities, besides tying the knot for these two, was the entrance of the "shot girl," one of the bridal party members who danced and pranced while tossing miniature bottles of alcohol from her basket to the gathered guests. It was the second marriage for Joe and Myrna, so it was as much of an excuse to party and celebrate with their adorning friends and family. I led them through vow and exchanging rings, and then they toasted their union with shots of tequila from engraved shot glasses commemorating this landmark day in their lives. I pronounced them to be husband and wife, they kissed passionately, and I introduced them as the new Mr. and Mrs. Bradish as they were halfway up the aisle as I couldn't hold them back from their excitement.

A fun time was had by all, including me. Best wishes and Happy Honeymooning to Team Bradish!

08/18/2024

This love story began slowly more than 7 years ago. It took a few asks before Pablo convinced a cautious Marilyn to agree to a first date in Coronado. His persistence paid off. Marilyn didn't dress up for the date because she still was guarded and didn't want to move too fast or give the wrong impression. Over dinner, they were not shy about interrogating each other as they each came from different parts of the world and might see things differently. However, they discovered that they had the same interests, bonded due to their mutual appreciation of music, and had same beliefs. Everything aligned.

After 4 ½ years of dating, Marilyn began to wonder if this guy was ever going to pull the trigger and pop the question to her. After all, she already met his family during the summer of 2021 and you all got along famously.

But Pablo had a plan. On New Year’s Eve 2021, he asked Marilyn if she wanted to go out to dinner. This is during the height of COVID and Pablo came down with COVID that New Years Eve. Being a homebody, and Pablo feeling sick, Marilyn wasn't really interested in braving the cold, as well as the potential of catching the virus. However, once again, his persistence wore her down and they went to dinner. Where? Coronado, where they had their first date. Marilyn didn't think anything of it. He was a sentimental guy so it didn't register it was going to be anything more than some time together.

Marilyn tells the rest of the story: “We wrapped up dinner and he asks me while in the car if I want to go see fireworks, I’m thinking, 'Sure, why not?' I should have known Pablo wouldn’t care to see fireworks, yet I’m still clueless. We’re at the parking lot, same one we parked at when we had our first date, and all I’m thinking is how long we had been together and how time flies. We go by the ferry landing, and get out of the car. I had on a long trench coat and it was a cold night. Fireworks go off, we kiss, and I look at him. He bends down on his knee. I had put my hand in my pocket and I felt something, and it was in a small little satchel that says “Will you?” and he asked me to marry him. We both cried tears of joy and wanted to share the news with family. I called my dad to inform him of the proposal, and my dad knew all along. I was so surprised, because I never discussed the importance of that to Pablo, but him knowing how tradition is important to me that meant a lot. We don’t go to church as much as we would like to for a few reasons but we do make sure we keep God in the center of our lives daily as we pray every night before dinner and as we navigate our good and bad times together.”

Marilyn contacted me right after the 4th of July about doing their wedding, convinced from reading my on-line reviews that I was their guy. They wanted a "legit ordained pastor" not an internet-credential officiant for their Marina Village at Mission Bay nuptials this afternoon in San Diego. i typically don't do the five to six-hour roundtrip from my home for weddings, but they really wanted me, and I caved. I'm grateful I did. Fabulous couple, easy to collaborate with in the short timeframe between booking and today's wedding day. i'm tired from the long drive, but it was worth it!

Congrats, best wishes, and Happy Honeymooning to the new Mr. and Mrs. Maradiaga!

The Wedding Rev -- Don Toshach

08/22/2025

08/11/2025

07/13/2025

05/25/2025

10/21/2024

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08/18/2024

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