A beautifully simple wedding filled with live plants, a clean bright look and held in a venue with a slight industrial feel Paolo & Olivia’s Wedding day was both joyful and sentimental. They shared such touching words of how they navigated trying situations through their journey of wedding planning and how in the end it all came out to be more beautiful than they could have dreamed!
From the Bride: Paolo and I attended the same small high school for two years and, somehow, our paths never crossed. One evening while studying for college finals, I was on the phone with my best friend when suddenly her friend, Paolo, took her phone and started talking to me. We chatted for almost an hour, getting to know each other quite quickly through conversations about school, hobbies, and life. We met in person a few days later and spent almost every day of that summer together before we went back to respective colleges in the fall. After 5 months apart navigating a long distance “friendship”, we decided to make things official in November of 2016. We have been together ever since.
In celebration of our 3 year anniversary, Paolo and I planned a trip to Lands End in San Francisco. The weather was a beautiful 76 degrees and we began our hike bundled up, ready for a cool fall day, in our pea coats, sweaters and scarves. As we reached the final viewpoint overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, Paolo began reminiscing about how far we’ve come since we were last here 2 years ago. He admitted to the fact that he had been misleading me the past few months and had already discussed our next step together with our families. The only detail left was to know if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. As he got down on one knee, Paolo asked, “Olivia Grace Zamolo, will you marry me?” This was the easiest yes of my life.
Paolo and I decided to get married on our original date of July 18, 2020 even though many could not attend due to the pandemic and gathering restrictions. It was perhaps the best decision we ever made because we were able to celebrate it with Paolo’s beautiful mother, who passed away later that year.
After waiting over a year and a half since our engagement, we were finally able to celebrate with the rest of our beloved family and friends on our one year wedding anniversary. Creating a beautiful space for others to enjoy is always the heart behind every event I plan. On this day, we celebrated the love we committed to and remembered the lives of those who were not with us anymore, including Paolo’s mother. Laughter, tears, love, and joy were experienced by all, which I believe bonded us closer as a family after spending over a year apart because of the pandemic. Together truly is a beautiful place to be and our wedding celebration could not have been any more perfect because of those who attended.
My passion for events stems from creating beautiful spaces for others to enjoy. The overall vision for our wedding day emphasized a modern look, contrasting a light aesthetic with dark accents. Our industrial, open space, blank canvas style of venue provided the perfect base to begin building this vision around, adding details such as delicate greenery hanging from the white brick wall and stunning floral arrangements thoughtfully placed on acrylic stands to simply add to, not take away from, the space. White candles and neutral gauze runners with greenery made way for the matte black plates and flatware to have the moment it deserved. Each flower in every bouquet, boutonniere, corsage, and arrangement was sourced locally with careful attention to perfectly coordinate with the style and colors of our wedding day vision. Every bridesmaid and groomsmen wore all black dresses and suits, allowing the colorful florals and myself, Olivia, in an all white gown to bring the light and bright pop. All of our signage was designed by me and curated specifically for this celebration and this venue. But to commemorate our original wedding day, 7/18/2020, we included an engraved wine charm for our wine glass favors with this date on it for everyone to remember the real reason we were all celebrating together.
Tears flooded my eyes and joy overwhelmed my heart as I witnessed the details of our day come together better than I ever imagined. Our amazing vendor team went above and beyond to ensure this day, felt just as special as our wedding day last year. For that, we are forever grateful.
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? Paolo and I attended the same small high school for two years and, somehow, our paths never crossed. One evening while studying for college finals, I was on the phone with my best friend when suddenly her friend, Paolo, took her phone and started talking to me. We chatted for almost an hour, getting to know each other quite quickly through conversations about school, hobbies, and life. We met in person a few days later and spent almost every day of that summer together before we went back to respective colleges in the fall. After 5 months apart navigating a long distance “friendship”, we decided to make things official in November of 2016. We have been together ever since.
When I officially first met him, he was very kind and easy to be around. His personality was fun and outgoing, making me feel comfortable to be myself. I was so happy to have found another good guy friend, but never expected him to end up being the love of my life!
After meeting Olivia for the first time, she was very reserved and was definitely a ‘never done a bad thing in her life’ kinda girl. One thing that was easy to tell right away is that she had a kind soul and genuine love for everyone she met.
Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning. The greatest hurdle we had to overcome during wedding planning was navigating the ever changing rules and regulations of the pandemic. As a wedding planner by profession, Olivia had every vendor booked by the end of December 2019, one month after our engagement. Every detail was falling into place perfectly until March 2020 rolled around. From our original plan to when we celebrated on our one year anniversary, we had planned and re-planned our wedding four times. The decision to postpone our large celebration with friends and family was difficult to make because, at the time, no one knew much about the virus. But we felt at peace knowing our decision was the right one and now, looking back, we are forever grateful for the way every detail turned out. On our original wedding date, July 18, 2020, we celebrated our marriage alongside 18 of our closest family and friends. One year later on July 18, 2021, we celebrated our anniversary with the rest of our family and friends for a special vow renewal ceremony and fun-filled reception. There is nothing we would change about the journey leading to our wedding day and anniversary celebration! Everything truly has a purpose in life.
What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another? Throughout our entire relationship, we have always had very open communication with one another. But over the past two years, we have learned even more about how to communicate with one another, especially through the personal grief and the joys of life we have experienced in our marriage. Being able to confide in someone who truly loves you and process the emotional waves of life alongside is one of the greatest gifts in marriage.
If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? While the details of your day are a beautiful aspect, don’t lose sight of each other in the planning process. Your love is the center of this celebration – let it shine through every moment & detail before and during your wedding. Be sure to find ways to showcase your personality in creative ways that make you and your partner happy!
What is your favorite thing about each other? I admire Paolo’s innovative, creative spirit – he always finds a way to make everything work out. Paolo knows how to turn any situation into a memorable experience, regardless of where we are or what we are doing.
My favorite thing about Olivia is her vision and understanding how she sees the world, from the little things to the big things. I love her passion for helping others feel seen and known.
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding? From the first moments of wedding planning, our top priority was always about creating a space for everyone to enjoy. We loved seeing our treasured guests fill the space, enjoy every detail we poured ourselves into, and celebrate altogether!
Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship! About two months before our wedding, we decided to learn a choreographed dance for the grand entrance to our reception. We knew this would be a complete surprise for our guests because Olivia is not known for spontaneous dancing, especially in front of a large crowd. After practicing Bruno Mars’s 60th Grammy Live Finesse performance the entire month before our wedding, our excitement grew as we kept this secret element of our day from all of our friends and family. Our vendors were the only people we let in on the secret to ensure they captured every moment.
Our bridesmaids and groomsmen constantly asked us what we were doing for our grand entrance, but all we told them was that we had a song change. Little did they know what was to come! As we made our way around the room, we casually danced along to the song, saying hello to everyone and eventually making our way to the center of the dance floor. As the beat dropped, our dance began and the entire room erupted in boisterous excitement! Our friends and family were in awe of how perfectly we pulled off this dance. It truly set the tone for the rest of the evening – one of true joy and excitement that got the party started!
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? From the first moments of wedding planning, our top priority was always about creating a space for everyone to enjoy. We loved seeing our treasured guests fill the space, enjoy every detail we poured ourselves into, and celebrate altogether!
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? One Filipino wedding tradition we incorporated into our reception was the money dance. As an expected tradition at all Filipino weddings, guests will arrive with cash and pins ready to decorate the bride and groom with. We loved this idea of a special dance with individual guests as it gave us intentional time of conversing with almost everyone! Our amazing photographer captured each dance we shared with our guests, leaving us with the sweetest memories to last forever. 
What is the most honest thing you can say about love? Love is always changing and growing. Every day there is a new element of your partner to learn about and discover how to love them better. It is not always easy and requires daily sacrifice for your partner, but choosing to love them first is always worth it.
Photographer: Simple Joie Photography
Venue: BLOC Venue
Stylist / Planner / Designer: Olivia Grace Zamolo
Floral Designer: Blooms by Morgan
Dress Boutique: BHLDN
Dress Designer: Jenny Yoo
Cake Designer: Epicurean Delights
Hair & Makeup Artist: Daniele Niland
Men\’s Formalwear: Men’s Wearhouse
Rentals: Pleasanton Rentals
Accessories / Decor: Celebration Rentals
Music Ace Entertainment
Catering: Chef Juan Alvarez
Bride’s shoes: Badgley Mischka
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