On March 9, 2019 I married my best friend, Rosie.
By now I've had some time to reflect on the day, the experience, and the myriad bursts of joy that seemed to pop around me like fireworks throughout the evening. However, compressing those feelings into a few short paragraphs has proven more challenging than I thought - so bear with me.
Despite that, my wedding day, and the weekend spent with family, friends, and my new wife, somehow lived up to the unfathomable expectation set by society: it was the best day of my life.
Rosie and I were married at a little hotel called Korakia Pensione over in Palm Springs, CA. It has this dreamy, oasis-like energy that sweeps you up into it upon entrance; the perfect template for a magical experience. From the bright bougainvilleas strung over white walls, to the warm Mediterranean architecture, to the little details that seemed to both hide and wave to you at the same time, it was hard to imagine a better setting to declare our eternal love for one another.
Sound dramatic? Maybe a little, but it really is a wonderful pace. It also was clear within seconds that wearing a tuxedo would best complement a venue like this, and more importantly, her.
Over the next few months we (and when I say we, I overwhelmingly mean Rosie) plowed through what felt like a never-ending list of tasks - some fun, plenty stressful. She’s really good at that kind of stuff. And although the weight of wedding planning was isolating at times, as we entered the final weeks of our engagement we could feel the love of those around us starting to build.
One of those moments came from Hope and Justin, our company founders, who gifted me with Wolf & Shepherd’s first ever Knight Patent Slipper for my wedding day. The shoe perfectly suited the occasion, and added a charming bit of elegance that had me standing a bit taller and feeling a bit sharper. An important detail, as some may say.
Our wedding was perfect, and I was so proud to see our vision (again, Rosie deserves so much credit here for such stellar taste and planning) come to life for ourselves and the people we love. Rosie was beautiful, composed and strikingly present from the first moment I saw her walking down the aisle, tears streaming down her glowing cheeks. Little did she know she’d be tearing it up on the dance floor a couple hours later.
Although cliche, sometimes the whole of something really is greater than the sum of its parts, and I could feel it with my shoes that day. I’m around Wolf & Shepherd products on a daily basis, and the comfort and quality I’ve come to know so intimately did not let me down. I felt exactly how one would want on their wedding day, and I’m proud I’ll be able to look back on my photos and see them accompanying me.
They’re a little part of my personal history - our personal history I suppose - which I think is pretty special.
To Hope & Justin - Thank you.
To Rosie - I love you.
To everyone else - If you want to make a black tie evening a little more special, make sure you have a pair of these.
Thanks for reading!
-Joe
*Special thanks to Cheers Babe Photography for such amazing photos of us! More photos of our wedding and her work can be found here.