Kirsten and Ian Barlow’s big day capped a year of highs and lows: a wedding proposal surrounded by friends and family, the couple’s move back to Ian’s beloved hometown to begin his law career, the cross-country relocation of Kirsten’s dad so they could nurse him through his final months.

So when Ian’s younger brother, Henry, broke into a trumpet solo inside the Sacramento Grand Ballroom, the bride’s composure cracked. “I was calm and
collected the whole day. As soon as I heard the trumpet, I cried all the way down [the aisle],” says Kirsten, 31.

Kirsten and Ian, 32, moved their wedding from May to March in the hopes that her father—diagnosed with lung cancer in the fall of 2006—would be alive. He passed away in February. His photo was in the pocket of Kirsten’s brother-in-law as he walked her down the aisle.

After they were pronounced husband and wife, the party began. Music was the over-riding theme. Ian was reared on jazz, plays both the upright and electronic bass and was in a band. The groom, his father, brother and a former band mate took to the stage to perform halfway through the reception. Then, guests repaired to Cabana Night Club on K Street until 2 a.m.

The wedding also had a Filipino flavor, in keeping with Ian’s heritage.