Brooklyn and Andrea, who share a home in South Redondo with two cats, two dogs and four desert tortoises, met fittingly while working at animal hospital ACCESS South Bay.
“Andrea had been working there as a veterinary assistant for a few years, and I had just started as an intern, working toward becoming a registered veterinary nurse,” Brooklyn says. “We met for the first time working in the ER. We like to joke that it was love at first sight, but it really was an instant connection. Our first date was a Pennywise concert in San Pedro.”
On Christmas Day 2021, just after Andrea ended a shift at her new job with the fire department, the couple settled in for a rainy morning to open presents together. The last one, a little black box from Andrea, made Brooklyn’s heart skip a beat.
“There was a beautiful pair of diamond earrings inside, which of course I was thrilled about, but it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, if you know what I mean!” she remembers. Then their dog Lily came and sat next to them. Andrea pulled another small box out of Lily’s sweater.
“I opened it up, and there was a stunning, princess cut diamond ring,” she says. “It was a complete surprise because we had talked about marriage … just a little later down the line.”
But then Brooklyn pulled a small box out from behind the Christmas tree, also holding an engagement ring. “Despite our conversations about pushing marriage back to focus on our careers, we both had secretly decided that we couldn’t wait,” Brooklyn shares, “and accidentally proposed to each other on Christmas Day.”
Not wanting a “cookie-cutter” or traditional wedding, Brooklyn and Andrea chose Friday the 13th for their nuptials. “We knew we wanted our ceremony on the beach, barefoot in the sand,” Brooklyn shares. “We knew there had to be barbecue, our favorite great drinks, and most importantly, Tomorrows Bad Seeds had to be the band. Oh, and they had to be wearing Vans for the reception. ALL of our guests came through and showed up in Vans for the party!”
As they hoped, the ceremony—held on the shore off Avenue I in Redondo—was sweet, simple and 100% authentically “them.” After the “first look” at the top of the Esplanade, the couple walked each other down the aisle to meet their closest friends and family, also all barefoot, waiting for them. Lily acted as ring bearer, and their good friend Brenda took the role of officiant.
“Brenda had a preplanned trip to hike the Alps in Switzerland that she cut short to ensure she made our wedding,” says Brooklyn. “She literally got off a plane that morning and came straight to the ceremony.”
Though the two brides decided not to have a wedding party, they asked Andrea’s two nieces to be their flower girls and throw seashells instead. “Our bouquets were made entirely of LEGO flowers,” says Brooklyn. “Andrea and I love LEGOs and wanted something that could be preserved forever. I also handmade the jewelry that Andrea and I wore for the ceremony out of sunrise shells from Hawaii.”
Guests then departed the beach for the reception at WWOO Concrete Outdoor Kitchen in El Segundo. “We were drawn to it because we dreamed of having a beautiful outdoor, backyard-style wedding, and their showroom checked all of those boxes,” explains Brooklyn. “It had a perfect combination of indoor and outdoor areas to meet everyone’s needs.”
The pair was also able to choose their own vendors. “Karly, the venue coordinator, was a dream to work with and went far above and beyond to make sure that everything went perfectly,” Brooklyn adds. “It was even dog friendly!”
Guests were greeted by the delicious aroma of Santa Maria barbecue being grilled at the venue. While waiting for the brides to arrive, they snacked from a large charcuterie table.
Brooklyn and Andrea made their grand entrance to “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin, then Tomorrows Bad Seeds followed with a smashup of “Something” by The Beatles and “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton.
“After that, we ate, drank and danced with the best people we know for hours,” says Brooklyn. “It is really hard to settle on just one memorable moment, because the whole night was just so special. It was overwhelming in the best way possible to be surrounded by so much love and support for our relationship.”
