Cathy and Joseph Get Married
Their romance started in New Orleans, but this couple was far from being tourists on Bourbon Street when they met. Instead, Cathy and Joseph first locked eyes during orientation week for their internal medicine residencies. For Joseph, the spark was immediate. He began courting her from the start, “As the true gentleman he is,” Cathy says. That included flowers at her doorstep, home-cooked meals, and even toys bought especially for her dog.
What girl could resist that?!?
The proposal was just as sweet. Cathy and Joseph were visiting his family in New Mexico for Christmas, her first time meeting many of his extended family members. Two days before the holiday, he took her on a tour of his old stomping grounds, stopping off at a central plaza surrounded by a church and several local shops. In the center of that space was a gazebo, all lit up for Christmas. Together they stood in the middle of it, marveling at the beauty around them.
It was then that Joseph dropped to one knee and asked Cathy to be his wife. She enthusiastically blurted out “yes” multiple times before he put the ring on her finger and the two were joined by passersby who wanted to congratulate them.
From there, they wandered around a bit, reveling in their newly engaged status before calling family friends.
They spent the first several months of their engagement simply enjoying being engaged. When they did start planning, they gave themselves 13 months to pull the whole thing together. Which turned out to be just the right amount of time to pull off some of the special details this couple had planned for their big day.
Most notably? Their second line parade. This New Orleans inspired tradition involves a procession from the wedding to the reception, and while it can be a great deal of fun, it was no easy feat to pull off through Balboa Park.
But Cathy credits Bonnie Foster Productions & Ashley at Bliss Events for making it happen. And the couple was ecstatic to surprise their guests with this event. As their photographer, I was also excited to be a part of it—to be there, capturing this moment that was fairly unique ( I had only shot one other prior) for a San Diego wedding.
When I asked about their most memorable moments of the day after the fact, both quickly cited that second line. But Cathy also mentioned a Facebook post Joseph had shared early on in the day. She was actually getting her hair done when a friend read the words to her, “In a few moments it starts. Today I marry the woman of my dreams. I want to thank everyone who has traveled near and far to be here and those whom have shared well wishes for Cathy and me. It’s gonna be a hell of a good time—not just tonight, but for the rest of our lives.” And with that, Cathy was a puddle of happy tears, which in turn incited the same from both their mothers and many of the bridesmaids in the room.
One of the other really neat things this couple did was to prioritized a Yichud. In the Jewish faith, this is a few minutes set aside after the ceremony for the pair to be completely alone and to allow their newly married status to sink in. It’s a moment of peace and togetherness before jumping into the party and socializing with all their guests.
There was a lot of love that filled that room as the night went on, so many people rejoicing over this couple who clearly love each other so much. And just two days after the ceremony, they jetted off to Fiji for 10 days of bliss in paradise.
Not a bad start to a long life together.
JENNIFER DERY PHOTOGRAPHY | BONNIE FOSTER PRODUCTIONS | HEAVENLY CUPCAKE | THE PRADO BALBOA PARK | THISTLE DEW FLORAL | BLISS EVENTS | BEAUTY BY STACY
