20 Years of Friendship, One Summer Wedding | Sunshine and Josh in the Sunflower Fields

Sunshine arrived at the ceremony in a white 1950s Chevrolet pickup named Hank, with her dad behind the wheel. He walked her toward the aisle, but not all the way. Her children were waiting to take over and walk their mom the final steps to Josh. Her son wore his U.S. Navy dress whites. Her daughter wore a dress she had made herself—and had also handmade Sunshine’s veil.

Sunshine and Josh were married on July 18, 2026, at the home of their best friends. They didn’t want a traditional wedding venue or a day that felt overly formal. They wanted something personal and relaxed, so they chose Buckingham Gardens in Clover Creek. Their description was “a big summer party with a wedding,” which turned out to be exactly right.

The ceremony took place on the lawn beneath mature trees. Soft terracotta fabric and white lace were draped over a simple wooden frame, with the garden filling in the rest. Outside, the reception tables were covered in white linens with fabric runners, small bottles of flowers and candlelight. A dance floor sat in the middle of the yard beneath a disco ball, with string lights stretched between the buildings.

Sunshine carried a bouquet in peach, burgundy, cream and green by Buckingham Blooms. Her lace gown had a soft blush undertone, and Josh wore a light-colored suit with a pale pink tie and coordinating boutonniere.

Planner Samantha Barnard helped pull together all the moving pieces that come with turning a private home into a wedding venue. American Party Rentals provided the tables, chairs and other reception rentals that helped make the yard feel ready for a full afternoon and evening of celebrating.

The day also brought together a part of Sunshine’s family that is rarely all in the same place. It was the first time her parents had all of their grandchildren and their great-grandson together.

Josh’s daughter was there to celebrate with them. His son was deeply missed while fulfilling his own U.S. Navy responsibilities. His absence was felt, especially alongside the pride of having Sunshine’s son standing there in his Navy whites.

Sunshine and Josh first met in 2003 at McChord Air Force Base. Sunshine was serving on active duty as a medic, and Josh was a firefighter. Their families became friends, and their children have known one another for most of their lives.

They stayed connected through marriages, children, divorces and all the different turns adulthood can take. More than twenty years after they met, Josh asked Sunshine to dinner. She showed the message to a friend and asked if it sounded like a date.

Her friend said "yes" and told her to "get cute"!

That first date was tacos and margaritas at Red Star Taco Bar. It led to weekend grocery-shopping dates, trips, dinners at home and a relationship that apparently surprised almost no one except Sunshine and Josh.

Their first trip together was to Chicago for St. Patrick’s Day in 2021. They fell in love with the city and returned several times, so Josh knew it was where he wanted to propose.

He had already bought the ring months before the trip.

Sunshine loves vintage jewelry and had repeatedly admired one particular ring posted by Je Karene, a jeweler and small business owner in Puyallup. Josh quietly visited the shop, expecting to talk about having something similar made.

The original ring was still there, tucked away in the safe.

He bought it and gave it to a friend to hold because he knew that if he kept it himself, he probably wouldn’t make it all the way to Chicago without proposing.

On the morning he had planned to ask, Sunshine suggested visiting the Museum of Science and Industry before heading to Navy Pier. Josh followed her through exhibits and crowds of schoolchildren with the ring in his pocket. At one point, she stopped to watch a presentation about glaciers while he tried to patiently wait for his moment.

They eventually reached the end of Navy Pier and sat down on a bench. When Sunshine asked what he was thinking about, Josh stood up, told her he had practiced this a thousand times, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.

They celebrated with Chicago pizza and an Old Style beer.

Pizza also became part of their wedding day. Sirius Wood Fired Pizza served fresh pizzas from its mobile oven while guests moved between the tables, yard games and dance floor.

One of our photographs caught a member of the Sirius team carrying over a pizza in an open box. Inside was a handwritten note thanking Sunshine and Josh for letting them be part of the day. It was a small interaction, but it fit the feeling of the wedding. Even the people working the event felt welcomed into it.

Pour & Pose Bartender handled the drinks while everyone relaxed outside enjoying pizza, and visiting together.

Sunshine’s best friend Michelle Green with Buckingham Blooms created the flowers for the ceremony and reception. Peach, burgundy, cream and green carried through the bouquets, boutonnieres, tables and ceremony backdrop.

Michelle also set up a small private space where Sunshine and Josh could slip away after the ceremony. Before returning to everyone else, they shared a quiet glass of champagne together. It was only a few minutes, but it gave them a chance to stop and take in the fact that they were finally married.

Michelle’s husband, Brandon Green, officiated in Scottish garb. He opened the ceremony with the full wedding speech from The Princess Bride, which earned immediate laughter and made it clear that this ceremony was going to feel like them.

Another memorable part of the property was the bright white garden room, with its wall of small vintage paintings and soft green velvet loveseat. It was a natural fit for Sunshine’s love of old pieces and gave photographer Tori with Sage + Soul Photography a completely different setting for portraits without ever leaving the property.

Hank, the restored Chevrolet that brought Sunshine to the aisle, added another piece of history to the day. Nothing felt included simply because it looked good in a photograph. The details had stories attached to them.

Once their friend DJ Dave started the music, the wedding fully turned into the summer party Sunshine and Josh had imagined. Guests danced outside beneath the disco ball as the light faded and the string lights came on.

Their niece Morgan had started the day as the flower girl. By the reception, she had moved on to challenging people to dance fights and announcing that she planned to become a DJ.

Sunshine and Josh describe their relationship as the easiest and most natural love either of them has known. You could see that ease throughout the wedding. They seemed comfortable in the middle of it all, surrounded by people who had known them through many versions of their lives.

Their closest friends weren’t only attending. They were hosting the wedding, planning the day, arranging the flowers, officiating and playing the music.

This wasn’t a group of people being introduced to Sunshine and Josh’s relationship.

It was a group of people who had watched it take shape.

Looking back, Sunshine and Josh say they wouldn’t change the years that came before. Every marriage, child, career, friendship, loss and new beginning helped shape the people who eventually sat down for tacos and margaritas and realized something between them had changed.

Their love story didn’t begin the first time they met.

It began when the timing finally caught up with them.

After more than twenty years of friendship, their wedding didn’t feel like the start of something unfamiliar. It felt like the next part of a life that had been quietly bringing them together all along.

Wedding Team

Photography: Sage + Soul Photography, photographed by team photographer Tori

Planning: Samantha Barnard

Flowers: Michelle Green Buckingham Blooms

Officiant: Brandon Green

Jewelry: Je Karene, Puyallup

Catering: Sirius Wood Fired Pizza

Bar service: Pour & Pose Bartender

Rentals: American Party Rentals

DJ: DJ Dave

Restroom trailer: Privy Chambers

Bride's Makeup: Glamoramic

Bride's Hair: Shyla @Stylingshyla253

Venue: Buckingham Gardens

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