It’s Real Weddings Wednesdays everyone! From beautiful, stained glass windows to the bride’s romantic, open-back wedding gown from De La Rosa’s Bridal & Tuxedos, this wedding is sure to inspire you in more ways than one. So grab your reading glasses, take a break from planning, and tune in for Taylor + Chris’s jaw dropping, one-of-a-kind Cathedral wedding in San Fransisco!
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
Tell us a little about you and your beloved.
We met through work in January of 2019. Chris was one of the owners of a flotation therapy spa I worked at in Roseville. I had worked there in the past before he had owned it, but a few years later I had a gut feeling to go back to work there again. Little did I know that my gut feeling would lead me to meeting the love of my life! He walked through the door on the first day we met and there was a mutual, instant connection and a feeling that there was something very special about him. We started dating shortly after we met and knew very early on we wanted to marry each other. My husband originally planned to propose to me in his home country of Greece in September of 2020. Unfortunately COVID-19 cancelled that trip we had been so eagerly planning. So he decided to keep our trip more local and take us on a roadtrip to San Diego instead. We had a fancy dinner overlooking the beautiful San Diego skyline and Coronado Island (where my parents were married) and he proposed to me after dinner. He had it filmed and we both cried tears of joy. We both don’t really remember what he had said but I do remember eagerly saying ‘Yes!’ through lots of happy tears! We then FaceTimed my family who had been in on it the whole time.
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
What was the best part of your wedding day?
The whole day was an absolute dream come true. We both agree that seeing each other for the first time as I walked down the aisle with my parents was indescribable. We both cried! We had decided on doing a first touch instead of a first look where we read our vows to each other privately before the ceremony. Having that intimate moment between us helped calm our nerves and feel more connected on our big day. Our first dance was complete magic but the last dance we shared at the very end of the night was one of the most amazing, memorable moments of the whole day. After all our guests had left, we arranged for a private final dance for the last song of the night. We chose the song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis since it was “our song” throughout the course of our relationship. That special moment and the feelings we felt will live in our hearts forever.
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
What else would you like to share about your big day?
Our wedding day is something that our guests to this day still talk about for one specific reason. For the entirety of our day, San Francisco experienced a massive rain and wind storm that caused the most torrential downpour that no one was expecting! It was recorded as San Francisco’s 4th wettest day in its history. There are plenty of articles about it online. Luckily, both of our venues were indoors so we didn’t have to plan around the storm. The fact that it wasn’t raining the day prior and was perfectly sunny the day after made it that much more unbelievable. But that made it so much more special to us. If they say having rain on your wedding day is good luck, then we have all the luck in the world since we got a whole storm! Our wedding was completely full of intentional [and] sentimental details as well. My groom wore a photo charm on his boutonniere of his late father, and I wore a photo charm of my late great grandparents around my bouquet. I wore my late great-grandma’s peignoir as my getting ready outfit, my two little brothers were my Men of Honor, I had my dad walk me halfway down the aisle where then my mom joined us and they both got to walk me the rest of the way down. My groom’s wonderful mother gave a beautiful speech at the reception, and I surprised my mom with a mother-daughter dance after my father-daughter dance.
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
What advice would you give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Details seem like they matter, and this is coming from a Type-A bride who was obsessed with the details, but in the end that’s not what you will even be thinking about on your big day. Prioritize the experiences and emotions you want to feel instead. One of the best things I ever did was pick out a signature perfume (or cologne) after we got engaged. I’d wear it for every event/planning day leading up to the wedding (bridal showers, bachelorette parties, dress appointments, cake tasting, etc…) then wear it on your wedding day and honeymoon. Now I only wear it on special occasions and whenever I wear it, it brings me right back to that rainy day in San Francisco where I married the love of my life. Also have a plan B in the case of unpredictable weather!
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?
Our day was truly perfect in our eyes and everything — surprisingly, had gone extremely well! Aside from a couple weather related hiccups, like all our flowers almost being late to the ceremony due to a downed tree, there was nothing in our control that we would’ve changed. But if we had to come up with something, maybe we would’ve chosen to sit down and actually finish a slice of our cake instead of having just the one bite from our cake cutting!
Wedding photos captured at Fairmont, San Francisco by Samantha May Photography
Photos courtesy of and copyright Samantha May Photography used with permission.
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