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Rebecca & Bryan: Rock Opera Wedding

Backup Singers. Custom Leather Jackets. Confetti Canons. The tagline for Rebecca and Bryan's wedding was "We're doing it our way!"  - and they did just that: by writing a totally original, 8-song rock opera and performing it on stage in front of their friends and family.

Rebecca Bortman and Bryan Garza, who are the lead singers for the bands Happy Fangs and Scissors for Lefty, respectively, first met in 2012 at San Francisco's historic Bottom of the Hill, where Rebecca was doing a show. At the time, Rebecca and Bryan talked about collaborating on songs together, but as the couple admits, "We got distracted by falling in love." Today, the duo forms the rock band Love, Jerks and some of the songs they produced together for their wedding will become part of their upcoming album and live tour.

And producing a spectacular rock show in place of a typical ceremony was no small feat: In addition to all the normal wedding planning, they only had 10 months to write and compose the music, write the script, memorize and rehearse lines with their cast (aka the bridal party) while in different parts of the country, and at the end: put on a kick ass rock show. Every detail was carefully planned out. Instead of a church, they were married on stage. Instead of a wedding coordinator, they chose a stage manager. Rebecca even designed all-access passes for the wedding guests. What tied it all together was the venue: the whole event took place in a San Francisco concert venue aptly named The Chapel. There was nothing about this wedding that didn't rock.

Explicit Language: These two wanted to make sure everyone knew they really meant it when they said "I do!" We love their enthusiasm - just be aware when you hit play!

To say we had fun filming this jaw-dropping, spectacle of a wedding would be a severe understatement. Witnessing the pure and adoring love in the eyes of the bride and groom as they recite their vows to each other was the most beautiful moment of the ceremony. For them to then share their love and their story with us and all of their guests in fun, electric rock opera ballads and upbeat punk rock numbers was absolutely a fitting tribute to their love for each other and the passion they both have for music and performance.

Rebecca and Bryan's opening song contained the lyrics "We definitely don't do things the typical way" and we are so glad they didn't! The show, that is, the wedding, was a beautiful, rockin' celebration of love, music and fun. Thank you, Rebecca and Bryan, for giving us the honor of capturing it all on film. Please stay tuned later this year, as we will be unveiling the entire show from start to finish! We hope you love it as much as we loved creating it.


Original Music by Love, Jerks
Bands: Scissors for Lefty (Bryan's Band), Happy Fangs (Rebecca's Band)
Cinematography: The Adventures Of
Venue: The Chapel 
Wedding Photography: Matthew Leland
Concert Photography: Amber Gregory
Stage Manager: Sam Sharkey
Stage Visuals: All Of It Now
Dance DJ: Cosmic Amanda
Hair: Onika Simone
Makeup: Mystie Rodriguez
Wedding Dress: Emerald City Gowns
Bridesmaid Dresses: Rent the Runway

UPDATE: We are so excited that this story and trailer were featured on E! Online (Entertainment Tonight) and BRIDES.com 

Want more? Check out the photos featured on Offbeat Bride!

Kayln & Joy: San Francisco City Hall Elopement

One year ago today, we were in San Francisco for SF Pride and a very special elopement.

Kayln and Joy were in the midst of planning a big wedding in their hometown of Denver, Colorado, when they realized all of the little decisions just didn't seem as important as their commitment. Who cares what color the napkins are? We just want to get married! They were already planning on going to San Francisco to walk in the Pride Parade, so they decided to kick off the weekend with a wedding at City Hall! We had the honor of being witnesses to their vows, and joining them in exploring San Francisco.

A few months later, Kayln and Joy gathered their friends and family for an "Engagement Party," and played this video:

What a fantastic surprise! I really love elopements because the whole day is so private and so precious - and with a quality wedding film, you can still share your wedding with family and friends back home.

How incredible that exactly one year later, the Supreme Court has made a historic ruling for marriage equality across the United States! What a fantastic anniversary gift! My heart swells when I read the words that Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote to sum up this historic decision:

No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.  As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves.  Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions.  They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.

Celebrate love, today and every day!