Young Newlyweds Carly and Erik Gutierrez Get the Party Started with a Little Help from Family and Friends
Dance the night away.
- CategoryWeddings
- Written byDarren Elms
- Photographed byEve DuCharme
Both South Bay natives, Carly Potter and Erik Gutierrez met through mutual friends while in high school. “My best friend dated Carly’s best friend, so we were always hanging out as a group,” remembers Erik, who has a special connection to Southbay magazine as the son of director of brand partnerships Marcie Gutierrez.
In the summer of 2024, Erik staged what appeared to be a routine photo shoot on the Palos Verdes coast with a clothing company and asked Carly to model.
“She showed up all dressed up to take photos, and I was waiting for her with a heart-shaped balloon arch and her engagement ring,” he shares. “She was completely surprised.”
Carly had always dreamed of a wedding that their families would still be reminiscing about decades later. The couple genuinely enjoyed the planning process: touring venues, sharing bottles of wine late into the night while working out details, rehearsing their first dance and debating walkout songs.
“Laughing helped lighten the burden of the big decisions we had to make,” says the bride.
Carly and Erik describe their pastor, David Turner, as “a super genuine but funny character” who struck the perfect balance—bringing depth to the meaningful moments of the ceremony while cracking jokes to keep nerves at ease.
“Our favorite part was taking communion together for the first time,” recalls Erik. “Carly decided we should write our own vows. We both cried reading them. It created such a special moment.”
The reception at Old Ranch Country Club treated guests to a photo booth, incredible food and drinks, and a DJ, who kept the couple’s favorite songs playing well into the night. “I don’t think we left the dance floor,” Erik says.
Before the dancing began, guests enjoyed heartfelt speeches from the best man, maid of honor and Carly’s dad.
“They completely shocked us with how sentimental and hilarious they were,” he adds. “Carly and her mom also surprised me with breakout choreography to ‘September’ by Earth, Wind & Fire. It went viral with over 2 million views online.”
Carly and Erik are quick to praise their content creator, Julian Dean, whom they call a key player in the entire production.
“She captured every moment we shared that day,” says the groom. “We barely noticed she was there, but whenever we needed something, she was the first line of defense—a helping hand to fix my bow tie or make sure Carly didn’t have food in her teeth. She was our MVP.”
