After four years of dating, Sabrina and Roland got engaged—and married—within one day! The couple, who had met years earlier through friends and later reconnected one night at church, eloped in Hawaii.
A year later, they followed up with a traditional Catholic ceremony back home, marrying at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament followed by a reception at The Citizen Hotel. “We always knew we would get married in that church,” says Sabrina. “Have you seen how gorgeous it is in there? You don’t even need any flowers or decorations because of how grand the inside is.”
The ceremony, in front of 150 guests, included special rites of marriage, including the blessing of coins, lighting of the unity candle, and the laying of the veil and cord. “As soon as I saw him standing at the altar, I was just thankful for that moment and even took a pause to take it all in,” says Sabrina. Roland agrees. “I was blessed and lucky enough to have found my life partner, and she was walking toward [me] one step at a time,” he says. “Now we’re walking on this journey of life, side by side.”
Their wedding style, featuring gold, rose gold and blush, was classic with vintage touches. Throughout the wedding day, Sabrina felt “love in the air,” explaining, “there were periods of time where everyone was on the dance floor, not a single person was sitting down. Every single person was enjoying themselves.”
The bride’s favorite wedding detail? Her custom-made Zandra Lim gown. “The dress was everything. I didn’t want to take it off,” she says. “I kept telling Roland I wanted to sleep in it.”
Meanwhile, the groom had a sense of humor about attire. “As difficult as it may be to find the perfect wedding dress, I think it’s equally difficult to find the perfect white tuxedo to match,” he says. “I could have written a book titled 50 Shades of White after all the research, appointments, swatches and fabric we looked at.”
Sabrina, a registered nurse and Roland, a financial consultant, spent a week in Maui for their honeymoon, where they “really appreciated all the sunrises and sunsets.”
They’re currently living in Sacramento and are open to future plans. “Who knows where we’ll end up,” says Sabrina, emphasizing, “As long as we’re together, it’s always a fun ride.”
— Kristen Castillo
