Gigi + Jeff

How did you meet?

Jeff and I met on a sailing trip in the Caribbean (BVIs). I had met his friends when I was on vacation in Puerto Vallarta and we ended up really getting along so they invited me and the friend I was traveling with to go on this sailing trip they go on every year so I said yes. It was a little crazy saying yes to going on a 7-day sailing trip with people I didn’t really know but I decided why not, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity so I went. There were 2 couples (the one I met in Mexico and their other married friends) and Jeff and myself and the rest is history. That was in November of 2014.

When did you know they were the one?

Since Jeff lived in Denver and I lived in SF, our entire dating life/relationship was long-distance. He was 10 years older than me and I didn’t want a long distance so wasn’t really taking it seriously until we went to Hawaii 4 months after we met. The couple (the one I met in Mexico) invited us to go to Hawaii for a bday celebration and after a lot of convincing, I ended up going. I was actually going to break up with him after the trip since I was so against the long distance but while in Hawaii, we just had the best time. We were there for a week and our favorite day was when we had the day to ourselves BUT what made me know he was the one was one day I had been in the sun too long and didn’t have enough liquids so wasn’t feeling too well. We were sitting inside and I told him that when I was little and when I didn’t feel good my mom would tickle my back and it always made me feel better…so he tickled my back which seemed like forever until I felt better. 4 months into knowing me he did that and I thought, I love him and he gets it!

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

There are so many but I’ll try to narrow it down to 3:
1. Jeff is the kindest person you will ever meet. So thoughtful, he listens and makes anyone he’s around feel special.
2. Jeff always finds the good in everyone and in every situation out there, even when things can be really bad. He is so positive and will always calm me if I feel stressed or upset or stressed.
3. Jeff loves me unconditionally through all the bad times and good. He has never ever doubted that we’d be together cause of the love he has for me and because of that, even with the distance for all the years, I always trusted him with everything and esp my heart.

Who proposed and how?

Jeff proposed to me in Cinque Terre, Italy while we were hiking the 5 towns on July 1, 2021.
One of the things that has been on my bucket list has been to hike the 5 towns in Cinque Terre. So while on a trip to Italy for a friends 40th bday we went early so we could go spend some time by ourselves and of course Cinque Terre was where we went. We hiked the upper trail from towns 1 to 2 (Riomaggiore to Manarola) and 2 to 3 (Manarola to Corniglia:) because the lower trail was closed. From towns 2 to 3 on the upper trail there’s a small town (not part of Cinque Terre) called Volastra. We walked around there and from that town down to Corniglia is a beautiful trail with vineyards, olive trees and the ocean view. We stopped at this wine shack, in the middle of this trail that sold the local wine and decided to get a glass. We sat at one of the tables with the view of the ocean, drinking and laughing, being silly, started taking selfies when Jeff suggested to take a video. So he got it all set up, I was being silly in the video and then he looked at me, got down on one knee and proposed. He asked if I’d spend the rest of our lives together and of course after saying “what are you doing” as he was getting down on his knee I said YES! We had been together almost 7 years at that point

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

I fell in love with my dress when I was looking at dresses on line and found Made with Love. I liked a ton of the dresses but there was something about the Ryder that I just kept looking at and going back to so when it was time to look at dresses I made sure to go to a bridal place that had this brand and carried the Ryder. So, when I went to Lovely Bridal in San Francisco on Dec. 18, 2021 with my crew and tried on the Ryder I just LOVED IT. I think deep down I knew I wanted that dress but I had narrowed down all the dresses to 4 finals from 2 places and when I went for the follow up on Dec. 29th it was the last dress I tried on and started crying and I knew that the Ryder was my dress.

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

Our wedding was in Spain in July 2022. It was a crazy travel time and a lot to ask of everyone but my favorite moment at the wedding was looking around and seeing all our closest friends and family surrounding us with love. I couldn’t have imagined how that feeling was and whenever I looked at everyone, walking down the aisle, and the cocktail hour, dinner or dancing and seeing everyone with us, those were my favorite moments. We had about 100 people with us so it was pretty special.

What were your favorite details?

My wedding planner, Harel of Luxury Weddings Barcelona, made every detail of my wedding perfect. The venue was right by the beach and the Mediterranean which was really important for me and he found the perfect place. The flowers, the tables, everything was perfect. I honestly felt like every detail was EXACTLY what I had imagined it would be and it was perfect.

What advice would you tell other brides?

1. Get married in the place that you love and that will make you happy
2. Don’t listen to anyone else’s opinion about anything when it comes to your wedding (venue, location, wedding dress, bridesmaids/groomsmen outfits, decorations ,etc) It is your day and whatever you decide is perfect.
3. A time my hair stylist gave me when I met him for my hair trial is only have those you want in the room with you day of, no one else.
4. Delegate tasks as much as you want. Everyone wants to help and if they can, let them. That was a hard one for me but when I did it got rid of so much stress and it was amazing.
5. Something my now husband said to me, don’t let the small stuff upset you. Things are bound to go wrong or things might not turn out like you imagined but know that and go with the flow

Any stand-out vendors?

All my vendors were standout. I literally had the dream team!
My wedding planner Harel Shalev of Luxury Weddings Barcelona. He was the main standout since he is the one that planned and suggested all the vendors I used. He made my vision come to life.
Our caterers were out of this world: Sensacions
My hair stylist Jay Walker – incredible
Makeup Artist Laura Sanchez of Glow Makeup Studio was the best. I have never had someone actually put makeup on me the way I asked. I don’t wear makeup and wanted a natural look and she did that so impressively
Our photographer, Andrzej of Witek Photography with the help of Nikhil captured our wedding day so perfectly I couldn’t have asked for a better team.
And our videographer Alessio was the best!
Of course flowers as well so I guess all vendors were standout