HOW DID YOU BOTH MEET?
We met at work! We both worked for the same restaurant, and Emily did not like Yaro at first. She eventually warmed up to him when she found out they had the same birthday. We became fast friends and started dating about 4-5 months after we first met.
WHEN DID YOU BECOME ENGAGED AND HOW?
Since we have the same birthday, instead of buying each other gifts, we go on a birthday trip. It was our third birthday trip, and Yaro said Emily should pick the general location, but that he wanted to plan at least one of the trips, as Emily had planned everything so far—Emily immediately knew it was coming, but let him do his thing. We got engaged at Lover’s Point, in Monterey, CA in late 2023.
#WEDDINGGOALS
We knew that we wanted the wedding to be small, with just close friends and family. Neither of us are super outgoing or enjoy large crowds. We are very close with our family, and wanted them to be involved in everything. Emily’s brother-in-law, Josh, officiated the wedding and was also a groomsman. Emily’s sister was the maid of honor and very involved in planning. The ceremony and reception were held at her sister and brother-in-law’s home in Sacramento. Emily’s dad and uncle were the bartenders and Emily’s mom did all of the table flowers. We knew we were balling on a budget, and everyone jumped in to help with whatever we needed to make the day absolutely perfect.
HOW DID THE PLANNING GO?
The planning was stressful, and we procrastinated a lot. Our maid of honor helped a ton with finding vendors. The easiest vendor was our photographer, who was so nice and understanding and answered our million questions. The biggest struggle was that we felt like we were missing things—until we realized that it’s our day, and we should make it special how we want it to be, without having to follow “rules.” After we realized that, it became a lot easier. At the end of the day, we just wanted to be married to each other.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF WEDDING PLANNING?
Finding certain vendors was a struggle—we reached out to a lot of people we never heard back from. Also, realizing how expensive everything actually is was a major reality check.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OF STAYING WITHIN YOUR BUDGET AND HOW DID YOU MANAGE IT?
We went slightly over budget since there were certain things that weren’t accounted for when we were planning. We always knew we wanted a small, intimate wedding, so we didn’t have to leave anything out and had everything we wanted.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CEREMONY?
The ceremony was made so lovely and personal by our officiant, Josh, my brother-in-law. Because Josh knows us both so well, he was able to make his speech both touching and hilarious. We did private vows prior to the ceremony, which was also something from the beginning that we knew we wanted to do. It was so special to be able to keep that moment just between the two of us (and our photographer). Yaro’s vows made me laugh, and my vows made Yaro cry—both got the reactions we were hoping for.
ANY MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM YOUR RECEPTION?
My dad and I were dancing to “I Gotta Know” by Elvis Presley, which is a really fun, upbeat song that my dad used to sing and play on the guitar when I was little. I remember dancing to this song a lot throughout my childhood and thought it would be the perfect song for our dance. Unexpectedly in the middle, Yaro’s daughter joined in the dance—this was not planned in any way. She is autistic, and normally not the type to dance, but she, along with my dad and I, had the time of our lives dancing in circles. My dad was able to spin both of us multiple times, and it ended in lots of giggles and happy tears.
SPECIAL DANCE SONGS
First Dance: “First Time” by Hozier
Family Dance—Father/Daughter: “I Gotta Know” by Elvis Presley
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE DETAIL?
The decorations were absolutely perfect. The theme was autumn, and the entire backyard looked like an autumnal explosion—everywhere you looked were fall leaves and rich, gorgeous colors, exactly as we’d imagined. Everything was also made better by the decor being done by family. It felt like home.
#VENDORRAVES
The catering was absolutely fantastic—we had someone onsite taking care of the food, and he made sure to take extra care of the maid of honor, who was the last to eat since she was running around making sure everything was perfect. Everybody raved about the garlic parmesan mashed potatoes; they went fast, but he saved some specifically for her since he was worried she wouldn’t have any. Our photographer, Erica, was fantastic—she made everyone feel comfortable, even when not everything went according to the timeline.
SPECIAL DETAIL
One of my favorite details was the custom coasters my husband made through his Etsy shop, YaroGCreations. They doubled as place cards, with each guest’s name on one side and our ceremony archway and wedding date on the other—a special keepsake for everyone to take home.
WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF YOUR DAY—BRIDE’S PERSPECTIVE?
The private vows. We each wrote our own, and they were a surprise on the day of. I wasn’t nervous about anything that day, because I was so sure of what I was doing, and that I wanted to marry this man. Those are words that will forever remain private between me and my husband. The father-daughter dance with my step-daughter joining was also such a delight—in my dad’s words, it “couldn’t have been more perfect if we tried,” and the fact that it was completely unscripted made it all the better.
WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF YOUR DAY—GROOM’S PERSPECTIVE?
The vows. I like how private and personal the moment was—it truly represented who we were. Second was the ceremony; it was private and I felt at home, and my wife was beautiful. Finally was the dinner—obviously because of the mashed potatoes, jk jk—but it was beautiful, with perfect lighting and setup. My daughter unexpectedly joining the father-daughter dance was a legendary moment.
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR GUESTS WILL REMEMBER MOST?
Probably the garlic parmesan mashed potatoes, from what people have been telling me!
ADVICE FROM THE COUPLE
Don’t worry about what you “should” be doing. Just do what you want to do for your own wedding. New traditions can always be made, but make a point to take time to breathe and enjoy the day.
WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?
Told myself to relax while planning. I had all the help I needed, with my sister carrying a huge portion of the planning and execution.
