Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 0

The Couple: Nicole & Gerald

Wedding Date: August 24, 2013

Photography by Marcie Lynn Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved: My uncle sponsored a firefighter charity event and invited me to go with his group and I went! His friend since childhood, Michael, is an Oakland firefighter and was one of the event chairs. I had just moved back to California and was a little down in the dumps because I didn’t have much of a social life and didn’t know many people after 13 years in Texas.

We were in the lobby area for the first couple of hours which happened to be near the bar. Gerald was bartending along with 3 other guys that night. We shared a couple of smiles but never spoke. A few days later the firefighters, while back at the station, were reviewing the night’s events. Gerald described a girl with a black dress and leopard shoes (a highly intoxicated lady was pointing them out to everyone that night). Out of 24 fire stations in Oakland, Gerald and Michael (my uncle’s friend) were at the same station. Michael heard the conversation and set up a date for us.

What else would you like to share about your big day? We had a surprise wedding! We went to San Francisco City Hall and posed for photos for a fake wedding that we then posted on social media. We told everyone that we eloped! Then we planned a big reception in Lake Tahoe. Truth was that we were actually getting married at the “reception” in Lake Tahoe!

We loved getting to surprise all of our guests and letting them know that we didn’t actually get married at City Hall, we were getting married that day! Revealing to my dad and seeing the relief on his face that he didn’t miss out on his only daughter’s wedding was amazing. It meant the world to him to walk me down the aisle

We wanted something unique, something nobody had ever seen before and certainly weren’t expecting! We wanted our guests to feel comfortable and relaxed, like they were just going to a backyard BBQ party.

Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 1 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 2 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 3 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 4 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 5 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 6 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 7 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 8 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 9 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 10 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 11 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 12 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 13 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 14 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 15 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 16 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 17 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 18 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 19 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 20 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 21 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 22 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 23 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 24 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 25 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 26 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 26A Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 27 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 28 Nicole & Gerald by Marcie Lynn Photography on www.realweddingsmag.com 29

Ceremony and Reception Site: Painted Rock Lodge

Officiant: Lawrence Hom, Oakland Fire Department Captain

Photographer: Marcie Lynn Photography

Videographer: Lake Tahoe Films

Wedding Planner and Flowers: KMK Design

Caterer: Gordon’s Backyard BBQ & Catering

Cake/Desserts: Cookies homemade by family members

Bridal Attire: Pre-owned Wedding Dresses

Hair: Chelsey Burtis

Make-up: Natalie Cusson

Signage: Emily Van Orden on Etsy

DJ/Entertainment/Band: All in the Details

Honeymoon Location: Turks & Caicos

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.

Photos courtesy of and copyright Marcie Lynn Photography.

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