It’s filled with natural light that illuminates the rich red and gold accents.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We’re Alyssa and Corbin! We currently live in San Francisco, CA, and have been together for 11 years. We both enjoy expressing ourselves creatively outside of our very technical jobs. I’m in inventory and merchandise planning & Corbin is a software engineer. I have been studying Sogetsu Ikebana for 5 years, and Corbin practices figure drawing at a studio every week. We share a deep love for good food, finds, and music. On the weekends, we enjoy bed-rotting, sharing a meal with our friends, getting dusty shopping for vintage tchotchkes and vinyls, and cozying up listening to our favourite records.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We both grew up in Sacramento, CA, but didn’t really know each other when we were younger. Corbin used to own a streetwear boutique that I would shop at, and he was always very nice to me. I always thought he had great taste and style, and I loved his sense of humour. We didn’t reconnect until years later, when he was living in Portland, OR, and I was finishing college in SF. We were both early Spotify users when it functioned as a social media platform, and you could add friends/DM people you were connected to. Corbin slid into my Spotify DMs (lol) and commented on a playlist I made. From then on, we talked non-stop and I was falling in love with my new best friend!!
What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).
Once we decided on getting married at the Marin County Civic Center, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, we didn’t have to do much heavy lifting for our other visual elements. The entire space is dreamy! It’s filled with natural light that illuminates the rich red and gold accents, and casts beautiful shadows on the endless curves and straight lines of the building. It has a ton of green space that transports you to somewhere tropical. It’s honestly hard to believe that this is a government building!
The space inspired the flowers I used to design my bouquet. I wanted my flowers to be bold and dynamic. Anthuriums and orchids are my favourite flowers, so those fit in perfectly with the different atriums located around the building.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
We honestly tried to avoid the planning process as much as possible! We knew we didn’t want to have a big wedding and that planning a party of that size would just be more stressful than fun for us. We opted to do a small, civil ceremony with just our immediate family. Our top tip would be to have a wedding that feels unique to you both. Prioritise what matters the most to you (venue, food, flowers, music, photos, etc.) and plan your wedding around that!
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
We absolutely loved working with our photographer, Kristin! We’re not used to being the subjects in front of a camera, but everything felt totally natural and not forced. She shot in film and digital and had a few different cameras slung around her neck the entire time! She had scouted the best locations to take our pictures ahead of our wedding. Her eye for composition is really incredible, and we’re so happy with how all of our photos turned out!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
I knew I didn’t want a traditional wedding dress and that I wanted to buy a fun, RTW designer dress! I always loved Cecilie Bahnsen’s use of texture and volume. Her designs are romantic and beautiful! We’d been engaged since March 2023, and I found my dress online a few months after we got engaged. I was looking for something that would be comfortable to move around in, and I didn’t want a long gown. Everything is practically floor-length when you’re 5’1”, but this dress fit me like a dream out of the box. Fun fact: I’m 12 weeks pregnant in these photos (almost through my first trimester) with our baby boy, Kenzo! The front of this dress was perfect for concealing my bump.
Corbin: I got everything for my outfit the week before our ceremony at Modern Appealing Clothing in SF. I was looking for something that looked like it could have fit in shortly after the building was first opened, but with contemporary details that reflect my current taste. The suit I ended up getting was from South2 West8. It’s a very light suit made of materials more often seen in athletic apparel. They have fly fishing-inspired details like knit mesh-lined pockets. My pants came with a drawstring along the waist and no belt loops, so I found a shirt I liked with fabric that has a paper-like quality to it, and the folks at MAC cropped it with a straight hem so that it wouldn’t need to be tucked in. I completed my look with more polished accessories, a patterned Dries silk necktie and some black Lemaire slippers. My mom gave me her grandfather’s watch to wear, which added a more personal and symbolic touch.
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
My engagement ring is from WWAKE, based in NY. Their jewellery is so unique and sculptural. I appreciate that they source vintage stones/antique diamonds and use recycled gold. My ring is an antique white diamond and the cut is an elongated cushion, bezelled in recycled 14K gold.
Our wedding bands are from Himie, based in Tokyo. We loved the idea of getting our bands from the same designer. The pieces we chose have such minute but beautiful details. Corbin’s ring is a half semi-matte and half shiny platinum exterior, with an 18K gold interior. I have an eternity diamond band set in 18K gold. The diamonds are framed in small, hand-carved details that make this look like a vintage ring.
What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).
We were happy to spend money on a great photographer to capture our special day and on our reception venue for dinner. We ate at The Bungalow Kitchen in Tiburon, CA, on a patio that overlooks the San Francisco Bay to downtown SF. The food was incredible, and it was the perfect way to end our intimate celebration with our family.
Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
After we said our vows and became husband and wife, our family blew bubbles all around us. We weren’t allowed to throw anything inside since this is a public space/government building, but bubbles were OK! I wasn’t expecting the bubbles to feel so joyous, but they definitely added to the overwhelming sense of love and happiness we felt that day. Watching our family have so much fun with the bubbles was sweet and made us feel very lucky to have such amazing people in our lives.
What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?
Being married is about being in a committed partnership with the person I love and respect the most. I don’t believe partnership in marriage needs to be 50/50, but it’s about supporting one another through every stage of life– the small and the big things. We don’t have any rituals, but we try to be considerate of one another every single day. We show our love in small, quiet moments when the other person isn’t always watching.
LOCATION Marin County Civic Center, San Rafael, CA, USA, @marincountygov BRIDE Alyssa, @biglyss GROOM Corbin, @corbintatsuo PHOTOGRAPHER Kristin Lin, @kristinlinphotography FLORIST By the bride – Alyssa, @biglyss CELEBRANT On-site from the County Clerk’s office BRIDE’S ENGAGEMENT RING WWAKE, @wwake WEDDING BANDS himie, @himie_jewelry BRIDE’S DRESS Cecilie Bahnsen, @ceciliebahnsen BRIDE’S SHOES MM6 Maison Margiela, @mm6maisonmargiela BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Jade heart necklace, single pearl pendant, & jade marquise bracelet – From the bride’s mom; Cluster freshwater pearl bracelet – From the mother-in-law; Tulle bridal bow – Ordered from DesignsRE on Etsy HAIR & MAKEUP By the bride BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Karst – Aesop, @aesop GROOM’S SUIT South2 West8, @south2_west8_official GROOM’S SHIRT Custom Cropped – Blue Blue Japan, @blue_blue_japan GROOM’S SHOES Lemaire, @lemaire GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Vintage Watch & Necklace; Tie – Dries Van Noten, @driesvannoten GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Wonderwood by COMME des GARÇONS Parfums, @commedesgarconsparfums
