Inside Days of Our Lives Stars Arianne Zucker and Shawn Christian’s ‘Rustic, Elegant’ Nevada Wedding! (Exclusive)

Arianne Zucker and Shawn Christian are sharing the details of their recent “rustic, elegant” wedding.

“We wanted to give our guests an experience that would live in their hearts and memories forever,” Zucker, 50, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.

The couple — who met on the set of Days of Our Lives and began dating in 2013 — tied the knot on Saturday, Aug. 17, at Jacob’s Berry Farm in Gardnerville, Nevada.

Festivities kicked off the night before the wedding as guests gathered at a wine bar “for a sunset celebration on the water,” says Zucker.

On the couple’s big day, 100 of their family members and close friends gathered at Jacob’s Berry Farm, a venue the bride describes as “a perfect combination of the incredible outdoors, against the stunning backdrop of the Sierra Mountains, blended with the earthy fun of a rustic, elegant barn party.”

“We felt this property encompassed all of who we are and we wanted to share that feeling with our guests,” she adds.

The couple’s top priority was making sure everyone felt involved in their special day.

“Our biggest must-have was for everyone to take pleasure in being part of the experience,” Christian, 58, says of the celebration which was planned by coordinator, Cynthia Ferris-Bennet.

Christian’s best friend and best man, Tony Yasik officiated the ceremony, which offered some traditional elements, with the couple honoring Zucker’s Jewish heritage with the stomping of the glass.

Zucker wore a dress she ordered off of Pinterest — one that conveyed a sense of “boho and country elegance” — which she paired with a belt and cowboy boots and walked down the aisle to Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long.” Her glam was by Sarah Santa.

“Not big designer names. Less flash, more fun!” she tells PEOPLE. “I think when looking for a dress you have an idea in your mind that goes with the theme of your wedding and then bam, it pops up in your Pinterest page. I have never been about designers, just how the clothes feel when you wear them.”

For her second look, worn at the reception, Zucker went for a different mood: “flow, elegance and well…sex appeal,” she adds.

Guests dined on seasonal roasted vegetables, Atlantic salmon, filet mignon with locally sourced mushrooms, and rosemary parmesan focaccia with vegan cookies, brownies and mini cannolis as dessert, all from catering company Sierra Chef.

One of the biggest themes throughout the night was fun and dancing, with a wedding flash mob line acting as the centerpiece of the evening’s entertainment with music from McClains DJ.

Dance instructor Catherine Arens helped choreograph the couple’s entrance — a performance that combined elements of swing, waltz and funk. 

The couple’s official first dance, though, was to Gabby Barrett’s “One of the Good Ones,” which Zucker lip-synced as Christian watched on in tears. “It was beautiful,” Christian adds.

The wedding came roughly two years after the couple’s 2022 proposal on Lake Tahoe — a “total surprise” to Zucker, who thought she was coordinating a Father’s Day adventure. Christian asked her to marry him, getting down on one knee to reveal a Tahoe-blue, teardrop-shaped aquamarine Tiffany ring.

“After being together for 11 years and working through highs and lows of our relationship, I have become a better woman, mother and partner because of Shawn,” Zucker tells PEOPLE. “He has given me the tools to elevate my goals in life and I can only see us growing closer each and everyday moving forward.”

For Christian, the wedding helped cement the couple’s devotion in a more public way, among family and friends.

“Marriage with Ari means we are honoring our devotion and commitment to bringing out the greatest gifts in each other to create a better world within us and around us,” he says.

And the celebration they enjoyed as a means of ringing in the next chapter is one they would replay over and over “There was so much dancing and laughter and we would do it all over again,” he says.