Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met at a winery in Sonoma when Lana’s dog dragged her over to meet Caitlyn and her dog, Walt. For our first date, we went to a Robyn concert. Lana very much did not play it cool and sent Caitlyn flowers the next morning. We quickly fell in love. After a year of dating, we got engaged at the very same winery that we (and our dogs!) first met.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
When we talked about getting married, Lana said all she wanted was to get married at City Hall and to celebrate the occasion with pizza. San Francisco City Hall is one of the most beautiful buildings in a city full of beautiful buildings. Living in San Francisco, we’ve spent so much of our relationship in the shadow of it’s Beaux Arts Rotunda (our first date was a stone’s throw away!), that it was such an easy decision to get married there.
How many guests did you have?
We had a total of 3 guests as well as our photographer Amandarose Szezorak present.
Tell us about your outfits.
Lana wore a dress by Toni Maticevski. I wanted a dress that felt modern and formal, without feeling fussy. I wore a pair of white Manolo Blahnik's and pearl and diamond earrings that Caitlyn gifted me the morning of our wedding. Caitlyn wore a white suit. After trying on what feels like 100 different white suits, she was able to make her own with a combination of a blazer from BHLDN and a pair of white slacks from J.Crew. Dress shoes felt too stuffy, so she paired her suit with a pair of Saint Laurent sneakers.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
The most important thing to us about planning our wedding is that we wanted the day to be about us and the commitment we were making to one another. We didn’t want to worry about anything complicated, the logistics, or anything else other than the vows and promises that we were making to each other on that day. We didn’t want to have to factor in anyone else’s preferences or worry about anything else other than each other. We knew we’d never be able to serve guests at a fancy reception pizza, but we wanted to do it– so we did.
And of course, love. I still can’t believe I’m lucky enough to call Caitlyn my wife!
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We decided to get each other’s first initial tattooed the morning of the ceremony. They were a symbol of the lifelong commitment that we were making to each other by getting married.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Remember that the most important thing is that you were lucky enough in this great big world to find the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with. It’s not about any of the little details.
A principle that we wanted to adhere to is authenticity – we didn’t want to include anything that didn’t feel authentic to us. We only wanted to do things that felt true to who we are or what we stood for. When we talked through the day, we didn’t want to do anything because we “had” to – we only included things because we wanted to.
At the beginning of wedding planning, it sometimes felt like none of the examples or inspiration I found felt like or looked like us. When I would feel lost, I’d try and go back to the list of things that felt important to us – rather than a checklist of things that had to be included.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We exchanged plain gold bands we purchased from a tiny jeweller called Zlatarsvo Luka Ljubljana in Ljubljana, Slovenia (where Lana’s mom is from). It was the same store that Lana’s parents bought their own wedding bands from. It’s a tradition that we hope to pass down to our children one day. Lastly, I want to call out that Trader Joe’s provided my last-minute bridal bouquet. I hadn’t planned to carry flowers, but as I was grabbing a few wedding day necessities I saw one lone bunch of chamomile flowers. I tied them with a piece of white ribbon.
Photographer : Amandarose Szezorak @agsphotoart | Ceremony Location : San Francisco City Hall | Celebrant : City Hall Judge | Flora : Trader Joe’s @traderjoes | Lana’s Hair + Makeup : by Lana | Caitlyn’s Hair : Majolyn @cozy.goon | Catering + Beverages : Golden Boy Pizza @goldenboypizza | Tattooist : Britt Naami @brittnaami at Gold Leaf Ink @goldleaf.ink | Lana’s Dress : Toni Maticevski @toni_maticevski | Caitlyn’s Suit : The Tailory New York x BHLDN @bhldn (Blazer) + Pants : J.Crew @jcrew | Lana’s Engagement Ring : D & H Jewelers @dandhjewelers | Caitlyn’s Engagement Ring : Cartier @cartier | Wedding Rings : Zlatarsvo Luka Ljubljana, Slovenia | Lana’s Shoes : Manolo Blahnik @manoloblahnik | Caitlyn’s Shoes : Saint Laurent @ysl | Lana’s Earrings : Effy Jewelry @effyjewelry | Caitlyn’s Earrings : Ohana Jewel Shop @ohanajewels_