How they met: The two met while working at the now-defunct Tunel 21 in Old Sacramento; it was years before they started dating.

How they got engaged: Loren proposed to Carla in front of her family. “He said, ‘I’m about to change the dynamic of our relationship,’” Carla recalls. 

Details, please: From letterpress invitations to couture linens, nothing was spared for this wedding. “I did try to make it picture perfect,” admits Carla. Highlights included the bride arriving at the ceremony via horse-drawn carriage; a Brazilian-themed cocktail hour and place cards on guest tables with names, pictures and facts about different cities in Brazil, all honoring Carla’s Brazilian heritage; a wedding cake that matched the bride’s gown; and the repetition of design elements such as rosettes appearing on stationery, chair covers, even Carla’s shoes.

Memorable moments: “Definitely the speeches,” says Carla. “My husband gave the most beautiful, heartfelt speech ever. Even when we were doing our vows, my husband just had some beautiful words. Our first dance was so special. Loren and I started singing [the song] to one another, and it brought tears to my eyes.” Carla also enjoyed seeing her 73-year-old grandfather dressed in a tuxedo for the first time.

Change of a dress: Carla wore three dresses: a traditional wedding gown, a strapless party dress and a dress handed down from her Filipino grandmother. “She wore it only one time, for New Year’s in Japan in the ’60s,” Carla says.