Wedding | Christy & Daniel

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We are two Creative Directors who have spent over thirteen years creating, exploring, and evolving together. Christy leads brand design at Instagram. Daniel leads brand design at an AI company and consults for top branding agencies. Together we blur the line between work and art, life and play. Our world is defined by humor, good design, and an ongoing pursuit of beauty that feels lived in, not polished.

We share a deep creative connection, a tendency to overanalyze typography, and an Australian Shepherd named Taco, a loyal shadow with movie-star energy.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We chose the Fairmont Penthouse in San Francisco, a space with history that feels almost alive. The suite has hosted presidents, movie stars, and secret affairs, and you can feel it in the air, the weight of old glamour, the whisper of something mischievous. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio spent part of their honeymoon here, and legends say she used the library as her quiet escape. It’s the kind of place that already carries its own mood board: gold ceilings, velvet banquettes, a hidden bar, and a view that looks like a movie still.

We didn’t want a venue that needed to be “made beautiful.” We wanted somewhere that already had a story to tell. The Fairmont Penthouse felt cinematic, a little haunted, and wildly romantic — old San Francisco glamour with a pulse. The night we envisioned wasn’t stiff or staged; it was meant to feel like an art film that had gone slightly off-script. Champagne, city lights, jazz echoing down marble halls, and the kind of energy that blurs elegance and abandon.

How many guests did you have?

Around ninety. Enough to fill the room with warmth and energy, but still close enough that every face mattered. It began like an elegant dinner party and slowly unraveled into something looser and more electric. A night that felt intimate, cinematic, and a little enchanted.

What was your budget? 

The budget was around $100K, placed where feeling mattered most. We chose emotion over tradition and atmosphere over excess, spending on the elements that shaped the mood and leaving everything else behind.

Tell us about your outfits.

For us, fashion isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s a shared language, the way we flirt, create, and express ourselves. Our wedding looks had to be more than beautiful. They had to say something.

Christy wore a sheer custom gown by Wiederhoeft, a designer she has long been in awe of. The dress was romantic and sculptural yet daring, a fairytale reimagined through the lens of desire. It was fully sheer, worn with a custom thong, a choice that felt both vulnerable and powerful. She wanted to make a statement about confidence and beauty without the armor. The gown’s craftsmanship, with its corsetry, godet panels, and hardware detailing, felt poetic and rebellious all at once.

For the after-party, she slipped into the Wiederhoeft Champagne Salon Corset and Mini Skirt with Paisley Lace, a look that felt equal parts fantasy and freedom. It carried the same sense of mischief and sensuality, but lighter, looser, and made for dancing until sunrise.

Daniel wore a custom Thom Browne suit, perfectly tailored and slightly subversive. The look balanced control and ease with a crisp shirt, Thom Browne shoes and socks, Cartier cufflinks, and a vintage Audemars Piguet Ultra Thin watch. The Celine sunglasses came out once the night turned into a blur of dancing and champagne.

There was a quiet full-circle magic to it all because Wiederhoeft once worked for Thom Browne, the designer behind Daniel’s look. Together, we looked like a study in contrast, structure and seduction, restraint and abandon. Less bride and groom, more muse and artist.

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

The most important thing was that it felt true. We wanted a wedding with pulse and personality, not perfection. The world of weddings can feel like a performance, but we weren’t interested in playing that part. We wanted something real, something that looked a little wild and felt completely ours.

We didn’t have an army of planners or an endless budget, just a shared instinct for beauty and chaos. After thirteen years together, we learned that love rarely fits into neat timelines or flawless plans. Letting go became the most romantic thing we could do. In the end, the magic came from the people, the laughter, and the moments we couldn’t have planned even if we tried.

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

Absolutely. We wanted the night to feel layered, textured, and unpredictable. Silver trays sat next to white waxy flowers that looked almost surreal. Cabbages and cauliflower were tucked into arrangements just to keep guests guessing. It was part humor, part rebellion — a dinner party that refused to behave.

We built hidden moments throughout the night, like a secret bar tucked inside the Penthouse pool room. Our first look took place in the library, a space rumoured to be Marilyn Monroe’s private escape, which added a quiet sense of myth to the day.

Heritage and energy were essential too. Christy’s mom wanted a nod to her Salvadorian roots, so the night opened with traditional dancers that set the tone for what was to come. Later, they brought in La Hora Loca, a Peruvian tradition that literally translates to “the crazy hour.” It’s the moment when the structure of the night collapses into pure chaos. Masks, drums, feathers, lights. It’s all about letting go, about losing inhibition and becoming part of something collective and wild.

For us, that was the point: the mix of high and low, polish and madness, ritual and freedom. A party that felt alive.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Don’t chase perfection, chase feeling. The most beautiful weddings aren’t flawless, they’re alive. Let it move, let it spill, let it breathe.

You don’t need everything to match, you just need it to feel like you. Feed people well, keep the music loud, find each other in the middle of it all. Take a moment that belongs only to you, even if it’s a kiss in a hallway or a drink shared in secret.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Florist – Empress Floral Co. Working with Katie from Empress Floral Co. was like collaborating with an artist who speaks in texture and tone. She instantly understood that we didn’t want traditional “pretty” florals — we wanted something alive and unpredictable. Together we built a world of waxy white blooms, silver trays, and sculptural arrangements that mixed fruit, florals, and even vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower. The result was part still life, part fever dream — romantic, strange, and deeply cinematic.

Photographer – Weddings by Nato, Nato has a gift for capturing emotion without staging it. His photographs feel like stills from a film you wish you could live inside. He caught the laughter, the chaos, the quiet in-between moments — everything that makes a wedding feel real. There’s an intimacy to his images that made the entire night look exactly how it felt: raw, luminous, and a little wild.

Photographer & Videographer: Weddings by Nato @weddingsbynato | Planning: Posh Peony Events

@posh.peonyevents | Flora: Empress Floral CO @empressfloral_co | Ceremony & Reception Location: The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco @fairmontsanfrancisco | Celebrant: Zipeng Zhu @zzdesign | HMUA: Leslie Castillo @lesliecastlemua | Cake: Inticing Creations @inticingcreations | Entertainment: Steve Sanchez @__sanlo| Dresses & Jewellery: Wiederhoeft @wiederhoeft | Suit & Shoes: Thom Browne | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Anna Sheffield @annasheffield | Shoes: Christian Louboutin @christianlouboutin | Purse: Rabanne @rabanne | Cufflinks: Cartier @cartier | Watch: (Vintage) Audemars Piguet @audemarspiguet | Sunglasses: Celine @celine