Turn A Zoom Wedding Into A Wow Wedding

Lauren and Luis met while she and all of her friends were dressed as Unicorn's at a Dia de Los Muertos party on Halloween weekend and saw each other daily for the next five days. Luis was the first one to have serious feelings, and Lauren says that over the winter she took a trip to Europe, and the time spent apart showed her that she really did have deep feelings for him. She knew wanted him in her life and needed him by her side forever.

When they were ready to plan their wedding, Lauren headed over the Bay Bridge to the BHLDN bridal store in Walnut Creek, California. She tried on a number of dresses and even purchased a few to try on when they were shipped into the store. Once she got in her car, she knew she wasn't going to be wearing any of those dresses on their wedding day. Once they came in she tried them on just to be sure, but then it was official. She hadn't yet found The One.

She knew she needed to back to BHLDN and this time she brought a picture with her. Her stylist Claire was waiting for her with the Seely dress she wanted along with a few others. She felt so beautiful in the Seely, (WTOO By WATTERS Seely Gown) that it was clearly the dress for her. I have to agree, Lauren Rocked that dress! Luis was in a very handsome ensemble by Perry Ellis from head to toe.

Fast forward to January 29, 2021. Lauren and Luis had decided to have a Zoom wedding in their apartment living room hosted by the County Clerk at San Francisco City Hall. When I arrived with my camera gear, Lauren had two of her dear friends helping her get ready in the spacious bathroom and Luis was fiddling around with the iPhone camera stands and the TV and laptops so that their family could be included in the wedding, and then have a toast together virtually from all over the world.

The rings were set in their beautiful boxes. They went with the Brilliant Earth company because they specialize in ethically sourced diamonds and metals. She wore the Secret halo Platinum engagement ring and the Petite Comfort Fit Wedding Band. Luis's band is the Comfort Fit Wedding Ring. Her bouquet had been delivered by Marina at Fresh, a local flower shop.

We decided to set up a little first look in the living room because we'd committed to squeezing as much "big wedding" as we could into this tiny San Francisco elopement. I had Luis face me with his back to the bathroom and Lauren walked out looking SO stunning. So much emotion was on both of their faces, that I was really glad we'd set this up. He just lit up when he turned to see his beautiful bride ready to be his forever soulmate.

Very quickly the hour approached and it was time to connect with the staff at City Hall. Many of you know that SF City Hall weddings are what I'd specialized in for the last ten years, so seeing some familiar faces in the office for the first time in ten months was really overwhelming and joyous for me as well. I didn't want to disrupt their wedding, but I'm glad I was able to quickly say hello to the office staff and let them know how much they were missed by all of us during the pandemic lockdown. The feeling was definitely returned and my heart was really at peace right then.

The marriage license and ceremony were both very straightforward as they always are with civil ceremonies. They exchanged vows and rings and sealed their promises with a kiss to the thunderous clapping and cheers of their family who were watching over the laptop. We popped some bubbly and quickly brought in their stunning cake from local baker Butter& who always get my seal of approval. I'd brought a selection of cake toppers for them to choose from, and once we popped that on, they were ready to go as you can see from the pictures.

Their wedding photography wishlist was the beach and Golden Gate Bridge photos with the Lovers Lane forest path to round out their elopement pictures. It was a perfect day as we stopped by East Beach and then headed up to Battery East and then Lovers Lane. The whole day was a four-hour experience, and it was perfect.

Lauren says that what she loves the most about her relationship with Luis is that they're best friends and they balance each other out. She shares that it wasn't long after they'd met that she realized she was completely able to be herself with Luis, which was something she hadn't even realized was lacking in her past. They both agree that they're better and sweeter people, because of their love for each other.