“Jenny y Genaro Para Siempre”

With these words on the cake of her surprise engagement party, Jenny’s weekend and her whole future seemed sealed with magic.

The couple met through Craigslist (that’s right folks, Craigslist is not all evil!), when Genaro answered Jenny’s ad for a hiking buddy. She was a paralegal working in Downtown Oakland, and he was a transportation engineer who worked just a few blocks away from her. They decided to meet and go for a hike; so one sunny summer day, with his cool pearl blue Subaru WRX, Genaro picked up Jenny and whisked her off to Marin. While Jenny later admits that it may not be a cool idea to let a man you had just met drive you out in the woods, she certainly lucked out that day and found herself chatting non-stop with her new best friend. The next six years of their lives were filled with memorable times both spent together and apart due to schooling and work. However, despite their busy schedules and frequent long-distance status, Jenny and Genaro always found time to see each other and go on adventures together. When Jenny finished her law studies in LA, they took an amazing month-long journey to Asia that included destinations in China, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

Then, the most magical weekend happened.

When Jenny flew down from Oakland to LAX for a weekend of celebration for Genaro’s birthday, she was surprised see Genaro, wearing a suit, waiting in the arrival lobby with a bouquet of roses and a big smile on his face. Tears started streaming down her face, as Genaro got down on one knee and asked, “Will You Marry Me?” — and that’s just the start of an evening filled with surprises — as it turned out, there was a perfectly fitted black cocktail dress waiting for her in the car, and Genaro took her shoe shopping to complete the whole ensemble. While Jenny was still recovering from disbelief and rush of excitement, Genaro proceeded to tell her that they were going to dinner and will be staying at an ocean-side resort in Laguna Beach. That evening, they celebrated the engagement with a dinner of tapas and red wine, and went back to a candle-lit room full of sprinkled rose petals, chocolate-covered strawberries, and a bottle of chilled champagne. Now, while most women would feel like they died and went to heaven by this point, Jenny’s weekend got even more magical the next day. Genaro had secretly organized his birthday party at his parent’s backyard to be a surprise engagement party. He even coordinated with Kevin, Jenny’s sister, to make sure Jenny’s family in Oakland would be together that evening to use the web chat feature so that everyone could be part of the event. As the evening wound down and Genaro toasted the guests over his birthday cake, another two-tiered cake was brought out, which included a sign made of white chocolate that says “Jenny y Genaro Para Siempre” (Jenny and Genaro Forever).

Quite a magical love story, right? :)

So there you have it, after a little over six years of dating, this pair of love birds decided to make LA their home-base and got married in Capistrano Beach! And boy did this fun-loving couple know how to throw the party of a lifetime! They had a Mariachi band, a scavenger hunt for kids, dedicated orators at educational exhibits, and toward the end of reception everyone was treated with the coolest Chinese Lion Dance ever! What a fun celebration!

This is such a pretty necklace to go with her pretty gown!

The ceremony took place at San Felipe de Jesus Chapel, Capistrano Beach:

Love the way Genaro wraps his hands around hers:

and Jenny’s expression:

First Kiss:

Husband and Wife!

One of our favorites:

Parading down to the reception site with the Mariachi band:

Genaro couldn’t take his eyes off Jenny:

So full of love and happiness:

Genaro grew up right here on this beach, so this is an extra special place for him and his family:

Reception at the Ocean Institute:

Jenny’s brother delivered a powerful speech:

Guess who showed up for dinner?

This is the most amazing Lion Dance! So entertaining and impressive!

Jenny and Genaro forever!

And lastly… a special shout out to Photographer friends Nick and Gayla. Thank you guys for coming out to shoot with us!