St. Louis native Emma Leyton planned her own engagement celebration without even realizing it. In late 2016, she was on vacation with her parents and boyfriend, Travis Lehman, in Sonoma, California. Additional family members were due to arrive, so Emma had arranged for a dinner outing once everyone was in town. Little did she know, Travis would propose that morning—and dinner would end up being their engagement party. “I actually thought we were going to celebrate my birthday,” she says. “Everyone was in on the secret but me!”

Travis popped the  question when she would least expect it—while the two were on a jog together that morning. “Looking back, I realize he was acting a little weird at the time,” Emma says. “He kept stopping to figure out the perfect spot to ask the question. He had the ring in his pocket the whole time!”

Family members were waiting excitedly at the house where they were staying, and the group spent the rest of the day visiting local vineyards before a memorable dinner.

The couple is planning a September wedding and reception at The Coronado, with guests flying in from California and New Zealand. “We’ll be so excited to have everyone together in St. Louis,” Emma says. “Many of them have never been here, so we’re planning little touches to make their time here special.”

Emma says her personal taste leans toward the vintage and unusual, so the 1920s building seemed like a natural choice for both the wedding and reception. “We wanted an indoor wedding because we weren’t sure how warm the weather would be in September,” she notes. She plans to make the day a vivid one with bridesmaid gowns in greens and blues, and wildflowers of many colors.

Emma, a Clayton High School alumna, works in marketing for Fitbit, and Travis is a consultant for Deloitte. The pair will continue to live in San Francisco.

resources
ceremony | The Coronado
reception | The Coronado
gown | Watters
florist | Flowers & Weeds
band | Accolade
honeymoon | South Africa

wedding party
matron of honor | Mollie Leyton Glazer
bridesmaids | Maddy Secundy, Lacey Lehman, Emily Goldstein, Jocelyn Wagman
best man | Ollie Farnsworth
groomsmen | Nick Brittain, Will Perriam, Paul Yun, Rajdeep Kanwar, Sudar Purushothaman
bride’s parents | Steve & Terri Leyton of St. Louis
Groom’s parents | Cris & Melinda Lehman of Millbrae, California

wedding date | September 16, 2017