The Guild Wedding in San Diego

In November 2015, Amanda, pictured right, walked into the Station Tavern in San Diego, California, after having a hard day. “I called a friend to see if she could meet up so I could get out of my house and hopefully out of my head for a bit. She mentioned she already had plans to meet up with someone else, and I graciously invited myself to join them.” That someone else happened to be Jen, (and her dog, Swarley), and though they didn’t immediately hit it off, they spent the night cracking jokes and the the next few months as casual friends.

“I often joke that I fell in love with Jen because she came into my house and folded laundry and did the dishes,” laughs Amanda. But it was the routine of life—and the ease of it alongside her—that guided her towards the realization that Jen was her person. “She was able to do those things with me, and we genuinely enjoyed being together. If you can find someone with whom you enjoy washing dishes? That’s a catch” she says.

As with all relationships, there were joys and hardships, but they embraced both as a team. “I came out later than most, and Jen had to navigate that with me, as I figured out new family dynamics and friendships and my own personal identity,” she explains. “She also knew from the beginning that dating me meant parenting four kids with me, and she did that with such grace and acceptance. In the beginning, two of our kids had 24/7 in-home nursing care. Jen learned about trachs and ventilators and how to prime a feeding pump and how to live with a nurse around all the time.” And while it “wasn’t particularly easy for our family to form,” says Amanda, “Jen is truly their ‘Pops’ and watching those kids love her, and her love them? That just sealed the deal.”

After the pair became engaged—Jen proposed on Ocean Beach at sunset, surrounded by their children; Amanda proposed right back on the following Valentine’s Day while “covered in flour from making heart-shaped calzones”—they began planning their celebration, but were quickly met with a series of starts and stops. The biggest stop of all, however, was COVID-19. “Nothing really felt secure until we started working with Amorology,” says Amanda, noting that the pair had decided to start from scratch after the pandemic shuttered their original, large scale celebration “At that point, it all came together and was a dream. They answered every question with such detail and attention it felt like we were the only couple in the world, even though our wedding was incredibly small.”

A micro event, they say, was the only way to go, given their personal values and their children’s health conditions: So, they landed on an April 14, 2021, celebration for 14 guests, their kids included, and made full vaccination a must for the adults in attendance. Their celebration at the Guild in San Diego, which was designed around the game Yahtzee, was truly about togetherness, family, and community, they say. It’s likely why one of their biggest highlights is the ceremony: “It was the perfect length (no one wants to sit listening to vows forever), but long enough that we were able to feel settled and pay attention,” reflects Amanda. “I remember listening to Jen say her vows. and thinking, ‘Holy heck, I get to marry this person. Like right now.’ And then just looking out and seeing our kids, and their smiles—it was perfection.”

Amanda donned two wedding dresses—one for her first look with Jennifer, the other for the ceremony and reception. First up? Her &ForLove gown, complete with micro-sequins, puff sleeves, and an open back. “It was easily the most comfortable dress I put on,” she says, noting that it was also entirely unique. “I had purchased my ceremony gown prior to the pandemic, so it was fun to pick something out that said, ‘We’ve all changed a lot, even as we have remained the same.'”