Mary + Jeffrey

How did you meet?

Hinge

Tell us about your engagement.

Baker Beach in San Francisco. My mom, sisters and one of my best friends from college were in town visiting after the Taylor Swift Concert. We were walking the beach looking at the Golden Gate Bridge, and my friend kept taking items from me, in a way he thought was super sly. He took away the coffee, the coat I was holding, etc. Eventually I turned to Jeffrey, reached for his front pocket and said “What, are you going to propose or something?” Jeffrey looked at me with a smile, shook his head and grabbed the ring from his back pocket, and proposed in front of the Golden Gate Bridge with my mom and sisters and best friend there. It was perfect, and “so me” to be impatient.

#WeddingGoals

I wanted a ceremony outside with the beautiful mountains in the background. I wanted to show both families (who were visiting from out of state) beautiful lake Tahoe. I expected perfection for the day because I am a very Type A person.

How did planning go?

Good! We had a two year engagement so had a decent amount of time to plan everything. Favorite time was picking the venue–when we saw it we just knew it was meant to be! Also loved trying all the food, drinking all the drinks, and trying all the desserts with Jeffrey! Worst moment would have to be trying to make a decision on if we should get a tent. I wanted everyone to be able to experience the beautiful mountains but also realized you can never trust the weather in Tahoe (and this came to be SUPER true on our wedding day). I didn’t originally want a tent because I didn’t want the views obstructed. We finally settled on a clear tent which still allowed guests to view the views and turned out to be a lifesaver the day of.

Biggest Challenge

Planning all the details and then realizing that some things are just out of your control—like the weather.

How was the Ceremony?

Memorable. And I mean that because we were standing up there, saying our vows with 45 mph gusts of wind hitting us in the face the entire time. My bridesmaids had to stand on my veil to prevent the veil from smacking our guests in their faces. Also, our Uncle Jeff, who has since passed away from cancer, was able to say a few words about life and love, which we will cherish forever.

Memorable Moments

The night ended with Jeffrey and I dancing together with all of our friends and family, joining hands and forming a circle around us, drunkenly and loudly singing “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. That will always be a core memory for me.

Funny Moment

My veil blowing off! We were doing our first look and taking pictures when my veil flew off my head—I literally turned around and saw it blow over the hotel. Our photographer, Peter, tried to chase it but was too late, it was gone…until our venue’s coordinator, Kyra, was the MVP and went around the hotel and found it in the driveway. I added about 50 more bobby pins to secure that baby for the ceremony.

Special Dances:

First Dance: Simply the Best by Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek Version)

Family Dance: Forever Young by Rod Stewart (Father/Daughter), and Ripple by Grateful Dead (Mother/Son)

Last Dance: Piano Man by Billy Joel

What was the best part of your day?

Mary: The vows. Jeffrey is more of someone who shows me how he loves me instead of telling me how he loves me, so I was completely blown away with how well spoken and heartfelt his vows were. It was also my first time every seeing him cry!

Jeffrey: Saying yes to Mary, and then celebrating with all our friends and family. Singing Piano Man at the end of the night was amazing too!