They met 14 years ago. 14 years ago in California, same-sex marriage was illegal – but a push had begun. A few years later, San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom, bypassed state law and began issuing marriage licenses. A few month later, the Supreme Court declared those marriages void. During this time, Sean worked at City Hall. Among all the buzz and excitement, Sean and Andrew knew that they too, would one day say, “I do,” at this monumental location.

Fast forward to 2014 and here we are. All dressed and dapper, Sean and Andrew arrived at City Hall. Unknowingly, they had secured the last time slot for the day – truly saving the best for last. Prior to the ceremony (as with every ceremony at city hall) they sat down with the woman who would be officiating the ceremony. Seeing her earlier that day with another same-sex couple, they were excited to work with her. She was simply joyous. She immediately delved into the story of her robes. Her robes were handed down to her from the first female chief justice, Rose Bird. The robes that were worn when she swore in Harvey Milk in 1978. With so much history and so much fight – there was not a dry eye in the room.

The ceremony took place in the Rotunda. It was beautiful. It was the last ceremony of the day and the most moving. Tears filled the eyes of Sean and Andrew – the joy and love that they feel for each other was palpable. Although the ceremony was short – those five minutes will never be forgotten. Everything simply fell in to place in those moments. In those moments, life was perfect.

The day following the ceremony, a reception was held at Servino’s in Tiburon. Sean took the lead on the reception planning – and completely transformed the upstairs room of the restaurant. Adjacent from the city, guests dined at the waterfront restaurant, looking at the San Francisco skyline. The nautical theme was perfect. With boats in the bay and the smell of the ocean, the blue , white and yellow color scheme worked perfectly. Guests were greeted at the sign-in table, each had a little compass for their table cards. Once at their table, each place setting had a little mini boutonniere wrapped in the same ribbon as the grooms. Blue and white curtains separated the dining area from the lounge area. Florals included garden roses, hydrangea and succulents. An open bar and great music wrapped up the beautiful evening.

During the speeches, the bestman, best woman and Sean’s brother all spoke about their love for the couple and how the two of them just, “clicked” from the moment they met. Other same-sex couples that were in attendance were beaming with love and support – many having just married recently themselves. The couple opted to not do a first dance, in honor of all of the other states in the Union that currently have a ban on same-sex marriages. Instead, they invited everyone to dance and share in their love.

As the sun set, the music played on and the sky lit up with hues of blue, orange and pink – the only way a California sunset can.
Their day and evening were perfect. Many, many wishes of love and laughter for Sean and Andrew!