Real Wedding | Gena + Andrés

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met through friends at the billiards table at The Page in San Francisco. After a few dates at our favorite café bench, our relationship began to take shape and found ourselves together in Paris on the one year anniversary of our meeting. Having shared a few more trips abroad, moved in together, and withstood a global pandemic, we became engaged at the end of 2020. I’m a florist and co-owner of Marigold, an event floral studio, shop, and soon to be café in San Francisco. Andrés is a writer at a San Francisco-based design technology company who spends his free time solving crosswords, bird watching, and taking photos.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

One of the many perks of living in San Francisco is having a gorgeous City Hall to be married in. It had always been the intended and ideal venue for our ceremony, with its beautifully lit balconies below the dramatic domed ceiling. Neither of us are religious, so SF City Hall provided a catheralesque space where our friend Leila could officiate as an ordained minister. The space is also significant because we both love San Francisco and intend on growing our family here.

How many guests did you have?

30 guests, including the couple.

Tell us about your outfits.

Gena: I wore a dress and veil by Kamperett. The Adelaide dress was exactly what I imagined getting married in: both timeless and effortless. Andrés wore a black three-piece suit, made to measure by Tailors’ Keep. Every aspect of the suit was chosen by Andrés with the help of the team to create a timeless outfit from scratch.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

Making sure we were able to find a way to safely bring our families and close friends together to celebrate, and take advantage of the intimate setting to make it truly special. Most importantly, the wedding had to be what we wanted for ourselves. Flowers were an important aspect of the overall vision and design. My business partner and Marigold co-owner Aubriana had total creative freedom sourcing and designing for the wedding. Knowing my aesthetic, color palette, and favorite elements, she went all out creating a floral vision befitting of a florist’s wedding. Freda Banks captured our day and the details beautifully.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

While we wanted a small, intimate celebration, it was crucial we make every aspect of the wedding true to who and what we love. This meant including our friends in the ceremony as officiant and processional musician, hiring vendors we know and love supporting, crafting a dinner menu from Tacos el Precioso based on our favorite Mexico City restaurant Contramar, pairing the food with wine from our friend’s winery Cameron Winer y, and of course, incorporating an abundance of flowers from Marigold. Every detail was intentional and personal to us, down to the mezcal mixed into the margaritas and 20th Century Cafe Russian Honey Cake.