1. Real Weddings

Tiffany & Marc: A Cultural Wedding in San Francisco, CA

In Germany, tradition calls for wedding rings to be worn on the right hand, but that's not the only reason Northern California-native Tiffany Holody w

In Germany, tradition calls for wedding rings to be worn on the right hand, but that's not the only reason Northern California-native Tiffany Holody wears a band on each hand. The Bride Tiffany Holody, 33, an ESL specialist The Groom Marc Fenner, 30, consultant The Date May 1 Her German-born husband, Marc Fenner, presented a simple silver ring when he proposed on the ski slopes in Austria -- he left the real one at home for fear of losing it on the mountain. Tiffany and Marc then set out to plan a formal wedding that, like Tiffany's rings, combined heritage and tradition, both old and new.

The plethora of single women on the guest list gave Tiffany an inventive idea for her bouquet. She conspired with her florist to create a special arrangement that looked like one but was actually seven smaller bouquets that broke off once she tossed it -- so several girls could get lucky. The bride's bouquet inspired the groom's boutonniere -- a single rose and sprig of berries. Bridesmaid bouquets and groomsman boutonnieres boasted the same roses and berries, as well as ranunculus.
Guests also loved the uniquely personal, homemade favors -- silver sachets filled with salt and a pretzel. The attached card read: In Germany, a year of good luck is ensured when the couple eats salt and bread. Salt provides the couple with a life of blessings and good luck. Printed on the reverse was a recipe for laugenbrezel -- Marc's favorite German pretzel.
Tiffany wore a silk duchesse satin A-line from Wearkstatt, a German designer. Not my intention...just a coincidence. Her veil was long, extending slightly past the extended train on her gown. I added buttons down the back of the dress.
But perhaps the most memorable moment came when Marc's dad asked the couple to perform a traditional German wedding ritual -- cutting a log in half together with a saw. Tiffany explains the reason: If we could do this, we could get through anything!
A mouthwatering white chocolate-wrapped cake with clusters of soft pink roses provided further sustenance for guests, who hit the dance floor in force. There were four tiers, each a different flavor. It was fairly simple.
In true San Francisco fashion, Tiffany and Marc booked a cable car for the day, and the entire wedding party kicked off the festivities by piling into it with the photographer. They toured the city, stopping for photo ops at Alamo Square and Crissy Field, the must-have Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
Roses made another appearance at the James Leary Flood Mansion, where high and low floral bursts in pink, green, and white served as centerpieces for the tables named after meaningful places the couple had traveled to together. Built in the 1900s, the mansion of marble with its floor-to-ceiling windows treated guests to a panoramic vista overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the San Francisco Bay, and the Marin County hills beyond. The windows were a magnet, Tiffany remembers. Everyone gathered in front of them to check out the impeccable view. We were so blessed with a gorgeous day.
The midafternoon ceremony allowed plenty of sunlight to stream though the stained-glass windows of St. Dominic's Church, adorned with two huge urns of pink, green, and white flowers. All 140 guests, including 30 from Germany, watched as Tiffany carried a bouquet of pink roses with berries down the aisle. The flower girl, dressed in a black-and-white dirndl, carried a tiny American flag, while her ring-bearing counterpart toted a German flag, representing two nationalities joining together.
The First Dance
The six maids strutted down the aisle in dropped-waist charcoal A-lines from Lazaro. Marc wore a four-button tux with an ivory wing-collar shirt, vest, and Euro tie. Groomsmen wore three-button tuxes with ivory shirts and black vests and ties.