Gillian and Aaron met at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, where the two arrived early to support friends in the band playing a concert. “I saw him from a long way away, but did think to myself, ‘Wow, that guy really has his own thing going on…I like it!” remembers Gillian. “He was also by himself. He was totally cool and comfortable with this arrangement.” The two ended up chatting backstage after the show and really connected. “I couldn’t believe we met in San Francisco even though we lived so close to one another in midtown Sacramento.”
After dating for some time, Aaron woke Gillian up one Sunday morning to the news, “Pack your bags, we’re going to Disneyland.” Using up a jar of exchanged change at the local Coinstar, the couple set off on their last minute adventure, enjoying the park for a couple days, then a nice dinner on Tuesday. “The lights were low, and I noticed he hadn’t been eating much. And then, he brought out the jewelry!” she laughs. “I had actually asked for diamond earrings instead of a ring and a diamond necklace along with it if he was feeling generous. He had both!”
The bride- and groom-to-be soon discovered all of the wedding goods and services available to them, along with some hefty price tags. “We really wanted to go to Europe for our honeymoon so we couldn’t spend every last penny on the wedding,” Gillian says. “So we came up with creative ways to save.”
Choosing to host the wedding in a friend’s beautiful backyard, Gillian’s mom took on the task of design and décor, while the fashion-savvy bride dived in on choosing a dress for the bridesmaids and herself. “I really loved seeing how the planning brought everyone together, especially toward the end when it was go-time,” she says.
“You have to have a coordinator on the day of the wedding. This is a must. You will die without it.”
Aaron drafted up vows that were both unique and true to the couple’s humor and spirit. “He compared our relationship to that of various symbiotic organisms,” she shares. “I’m fairly sure that his are the only vows to ever make a successful reference to ‘fecal matter.’”
The couple also prepared a small performance for one another at the reception—him on the guitar singing “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and her singing Ingrid Michaelson’s “You Take Me the Way That I Am.” She adds, “Music is a big part of our relationship, and it was so special to be able to incorporate that part of our lives into our wedding.”
— Darren Elms
