How did you meet?
We worked at the same company, but had never met since Sophie was on the recruiting team and Uli was on the engineering team. We were both invited on a trip to Tahoe with some co-workers and had a chance to get to know each other while there. We started as friends, but shortly after the trip an office happy hour turned into the two of us getting dinner and drinks together, and we realized there was something more than a friendship.
When did you get engaged, and how?
We got engaged in May 2022 after almost three years together. We were about to go on our first big trip to Italy for two weeks. Sophie knew how much we’d miss our dog, Luca, so she planned to surprise Uli with matching shirts with his face on it while in Italy. But when the shirts arrived, she was so excited she quickly showed Uli and made them put the shirts on for what she thought was a typical Saturday–brunch and a walk with Luca in Golden Gate Park.
After reaching the top of a hill overlooking Stowe Lake, Uli got down on one knee. And in matching dog shirts, Sophie said yes! It was personal and low-key, exactly what we both wanted. After, we went to Sophie’s mom’s house for a surprise engagement party with our friends and family.
#WeddingGoals
We were bringing together two very unique cultures: bride is Jewish and groom is Mexican. It was really important that both of our cultures could shine. We knew we wanted lots of color and great music that both sides of our family would enjoy dancing to.
How did the planning go?
We didn’t have a wedding planner, but luckily work was slow for Sophie (thanks to a lot of hiring freezes in the tech scene) so she had a lot of time to dedicate to planning. We also got a lot of support from Vine Hill House who responded to every question within hours and were really accommodating.
There were a lot of fun moments like finding the perfect templates on Etsy that highlighted Uli’s Mexican heritage and could be woven throughout the day-of decorations. Or when Sophie’s grandma gave her the garter from her own wedding day. There were also a lot of tough moments, like realizing we’d need to pay for a shuttle service which ate away a big part of our budget!
Biggest Challenge
Wedding planning is just time consuming and it’s exhausting. It’s truly all-consuming. For us, the biggest challenge was feeling like our lives were on hold. We didn’t travel in order to save money, and many of our dinnertime conversations revolved around the wedding.
#VendorRaves
Alicia Parks was an incredible photographer. Her photos were beautiful and she was an absolute joy to work with. She helped me stay calm throughout the whole day.
Vine Hill House is an incredible venue to work with. They also include day-of coordination in their package and it helped the day run so smoothly. They were fantastic to work with.
How would you describe the ceremony? Was there anything specific that made it unique to you as a couple?
We had a Jewish-style ceremony that embraced some of the traditions Sophie and Uli both connected with, while being officiated by the mutual friend who had invited us on the trip to Tahoe that brought us together. We had a beautiful chuppah adorned with Sophie’s grandfather’s tallis (prayer shawl) and a symbol of a long and enduring marriage. Prior to the wedding, we had a small Ketubah ceremony (Jewish marriage license) where our immediate family came together with Sophie’s Cantor for an intimate ceremony. We wrote our own vows to each other and read them in front of everyone. Sophie is usually the funny one and Uli is more emotional. But our vows were a role reversal. It was as if we wrote the vows we knew the other person would want to hear. After our first kiss, Uli stomped on a wine glass and we were officially married!
Memorable Moment
We did The Hora which is a traditional Jewish dance and got all of our guests involved. We sent Uli’s relatives in Mexico a YouTube video ahead of the wedding so they would feel comfortable joining and most of them volunteered to throw us up in the chairs.
Funny Moment
On the morning of the wedding, Uli’s groomsman, Miles, opened up his suit rental and realized they had sent him a green tie instead of a tan one. Jennifer, the girlfriend of another groomsman, ran out to the nearest department store in search of a matching tan tie. When she couldn’t find one, she bought all the groomsmen black ties. It ended up looking even better than the tan, and she saved the day!
Best Part of Your Day
Sophie: For me, the ceremony was definitely the best part of the day because of how personal it was. We were able to bring our guests into our story, and I remember looking out and seeing everyone I love supporting us, and it just felt so special.
Uli: The vows made us both cry and set the tone for the rest of the wedding. Our guests felt the love we have for each other and made folks feel warm inside.
Favorite Detail
Our dog, Luca, was in the ceremony but left for the reception. We had wooden drink stirrers made on Etsy with his smiling face at the top, along with large cutouts of the same picture for the photo booth. These details made for some really cute photos and got our guests laughing.
What do you think guests will remember most about your wedding?
We have been told that the most memorable part of our wedding were our vows. We didn’t realize we were such good writers! But I think because we shared our love story, and were vulnerable and honest, it left a lasting impression on our guests.
Advice from the couple:
You truly can’t control everything. No matter how detailed your spreadsheets are, or how careful you are with your budget, there will be surprises (usually guest-related) that are out of your hands. Learn to let it go and focus on what matters.
What would you have done differently if you had the chance?
Of course there are some little things like paying extra for another hour at the venue, or having full service videography, but overall, there isn’t anything that we really would have done differently. Our day was perfect for us.
