September | 2026 | Wedding Woof

Bride Mina is a woman of many talents. A singer-songwriter turned animal activist, a children’s book author and allround creative – and a social media influencer. How that came to pass? Mina had adopted an adorable piglet, named him Merlin and raised him in her house as her pet. And then – she created social media accounts for him, just to share HOW adorable he was… and his fame grew from there. Merlin, now fully grown at 180 lbs, has millions of social media followers, and Mina with him.

And why that matters? Because one of their followers was Alex. He fell in love with Mina ONLINE, proposed… and here they are getting married! But wait… they actually got married before that – in all secrecy. Not even their parents knew – although their secret was hidden in plain view in one of Mina’s songs, “All Set.” No matter; nobody found out until – last Saturday! But we are getting ahead of ourselves…

For their wedding planning and design, Mina and Alex had turned to my company, A Day Like No Other, nine months before their wedding date, and we had a lot of work to do in that time! Including, of course, ordering a tux for Merlin who was promoted to ring bearer. And we got everything done JUST in time!

Quick detour – Mina, Alex and I worked intensely on creating invitations and wedding day stationery befitting their love for their (many) rescue animals; and in collaboration with minted.com we came up with a design as unique as these two are:

Unsurprisingly, these two did not ask for any wedding gifts for themselves, but for contributions toward their newly founded nonprofit organization to build an animal shelter!

On the big day, Mina’s schedule started with hairstyling (Beauty by Thao) and makeup services (Looks by Hannah) together with her Maid of Honor and mothers. Then – get into her wedding dress, a study in understated elegance with a luxurious veil, supported by her bridal party….

Receive her bridal bouquet by Blackistone Florist (who provided all floral decor) and have many photos taken – by photographer Beth Jeffrey, soon joined by the video team of Filmore Productions, event creator (The Essence Weddings) and livestreaming services by West Films.

for now: just the bride in all her finery!

Groom Alex was ready and dressed up, too …

… and off they went to their First Look…

… at their elegant wedding venue, the historic Kohl Mansion in Burlingame – a Tudor-style mansion surrounded by formal gardens in full bloom.

Behind the scenes, the Kohl Mansion house manager team had set up all the furniture and prepared the venue for the big event.

The ceremony, with music by Bay Fine Strings, took place in the protected Courtyard, officiated by Alex’ father. There is no better proof of the support of both families for this union – and as you can see, ring bearer Merlin performed his duties with verve and grace. Truth be told, he was the true star of the whole affair!

Just married!!

Now: photo time with Merlin ….

… and also… without Merlin who had to go home before dinner was served.

All the while, guests were treated to cocktails (by Mexcalito Bar Services) and coffee by Revival Espresso, with Mina’s and Alex’s menagerie presenting the bar menu!

Of course, there were also small bites (by Espostos Catering), and the guests were still serenaded by the string trio; while Espostos catering set our dining tables with beautiful rental items (by YPR and Hensley Event Resources) – with stunning floral centerpieces as the focal point.

After their Grand Entrance…

… and once guests were well into the (vegetarian!) dinner for this animal-loving wedding party, it was time for Mina’s and Alex’ big reveal: they showed a video about their REAL wedding!

What came next? Their First Dance as “official” newlyweds!

… AND cut her (vegan) cake!

So… would you agree that this was a totally, absolutely one-of-a- kind wedding?! Mina and Alex are happy!

We wish you that your happiness will only grow over time, surrounded by all the animals you are going to rescue!

An elegant Nestldown summer wedding

As you can tell, “K” and “E” are VERY private people. They chose a gorgeous venue in the Redwoods – Nestldown Estate – not only for its natural beauty, but also for its absolute privacy. They wish to be referred to only by their first initials. They don’t want to be shown “front and center” – but they have graciously shared a lot of images from their Big Day. Get inspired!

A romantic pond with a fountain… Nestldown is really a totally secluded fairytale setting.

While bride and bridesmaids were receiving beauty services by Tiffany of Design Her Image…

… and the groom and his groomsmen were dressing up …

… photographer Karly captured every precious moment AND every pretty detail!

All vendor teams were already busy to get ready for the big celebration: the Nestldown team set everything up for ceremony, cocktails, dinner and dancing; florist Marie of Laurel & Vine brought in and installed the most beautiful floral arrangements and a circular gilded arch; the Continental Caterer team took over the kitchen and cooked up a storm; DJ Paul of Big Fun Disc Jockeys got the sound systems for all event spaces going; our cake baker Christian of Krumbs Cakes was ready to deliver his confection, and officiant Minister Maggie got situated as well. All the while, my A Day Like No Other production team, Lisa and Narod, orchestrated and organized it all from “behind the scenes.”

The pastel flowers on the arch looked like right out of a painting – nearly unreal!

Once bride and groom had arrived at Nestldown, it was time for their First Look, followed my many couple’s portraits.

Time was literally flying, and guests were arriving for the wedding ceremony in the Redwood “Chapel.” The bride entered on the longest aisle EVER, coming down the hill, accompanied by both her parents.