We first met Jen and Jess through our friends Lou and Neil, whose San Francisco wedding at Delfina remains a favorite of ours. Any friends of theirs were bound to be equally wonderful people.
Jen and Jess’s wedding completely stole our hearts with the way they incorporated their children into the whole day, from getting ready to the ceremony to dancing (which the kids totally dominated). This family was clearly a strong unit long before they signed the dotted line.
“We couldn’t imagine doing our ceremony without our boys,” Jen said. “They are a huge part of our lives. While it was us getting married, it was about us all deepening our connection as a family. So we wanted our ceremony to really be about all of us.”
After getting ready at their apartment, Jen (who rocked rainbow-colored Chuck Taylors) and Jess (who was stunning in a blue gown and blue pedicure), married in the courtyard of Foreign Cinema then treated their guests to a fabulous dinner and party at one of San Francisco’s best restaurants.
“I’m struck by what a perfect backdrop Foreign Cinema was for our ceremony,” Jen said. “It has a great warmth and light to it that worked well throughout the night, as we transitioned from outdoor ceremony to reception to dinner to dancing. Each piece of the evening was so distinct and different, but Foreign Cinema really helped tie it all together.”
Before the ceremony, Jess and Jen and Ryan and Ben (I can’t resist a good rhyme) drove over to Dolores Park, which, on beautiful days, is covered in jubilant, lounging, wine-drinking, happy people soaking up the sun together. Jess and Jen posed for portraits at the top, and it remains Jess’s favorite memory from the day. “It wasn’t part of the plan,” she said. “We were supposed to go from our house directly to the ceremony. However, I’d always loved Dolores Park and the view from the top of the park out over the city. I wanted to take that in as part of our wedding experience. So as we got in the car, we made a quick game-time decision and stopped, and I’m so glad we did. It gave us a few minutes together to really connect and enjoy each other before the ceremony started. “And the view was amazing.”
Jen’s favorite memory from the day, and also one of my favorite photos from the day, is when Jen, Jess and their boys had a big group hug at the end of the ceremony. “It was a very emotional moment for me, for us all to be connected as a family,” Jen said. “Being married felt different, and being a family felt different as well – the connection felt deeper.”
Check out more of our LGBTQ wedding photography.