This Couple Stopped at In-N-Out for a Burger During Their Sacramento, California, Elopement

Before the pandemic hit, Andrea and Aidalix planned to wed on the east coast, however, as COVID-19 progressed the couple was forced to re-evaluate their plans. “We weren’t planning on having the wedding until 2021 but with everything going on with the pandemic and also the political climate (Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had just died), we didn’t want things that were out of our control dictate when we were going to get married. That’s when we decided to elope,” explains Andrea. “We had to do a bit of research to see where in the Bay Area we could get a marriage license (the pandemic really limited our options). There just so happened to be some openings in the Sacramento County Clerk’s office, so we made an appointment for 2 weeks later. We still wanted to make the day as special as possible for us. We booked a nice suite in the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, which is close by to the clerk’s office.” Throughout the couple’s wedding-planning journey, it was important to them that they plan with purpose and use their nuptials to support under-represented communities. “Supporting LGBTQ+/female/BIPOC vendors had been important to us in the wedding planning process, so we wanted to uphold that in planning the elopement as much as we could. Andrea’s clothes are from the LGBTQ+ brands Kirrin Finch and Wildfang, and our photographer, Kate, is also part of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Since the couple hopes to have a sequel wedding on the east coast at some point in the future, Andrea and Aidalix wanted their elopement to be a celebration of California. “When we decided to elope here in California, we wanted to take photos around things that were California-centric to commemorate our west coast life and contrast the east coast wedding celebration we hope to have once the pandemic clears. Our photographer Kate, who is amazing, was on board with our vision, and lucky for us, she knew exactly where to go in Sacramento to capture the California vibes we wanted—the succulent garden at Capitol Park, In-N-Out, a graffiti wall of golden poppies, etc. We did quite a bit of traveling around that day, but the photos made it well worth it. We now have amazing photos of our special day (that could have easily just been a trip to the county clerk’s office) to share with our friends and family that couldn’t be there. It also didn’t hurt that as a queer couple, our photographer Kate made us 100% comfortable the entire time we were with her, and the day overall was very easy-going because we got along with her so well. Throughout the day we came across strangers that were so nice and gave their well-wishes, which was super uplifting especially since we didn't have our own friends and family with us. We ended our day with a delicious dinner at Kru and a chill night back at the hotel as wife and wife.”