Lawyers Alicia Jovais and Andrew Muir’s meet-cute sounds like it could be straight out of a sexy legal drama like Suits. Back when they were both working as case assistants at the same law firm in San Francisco, Alicia shared an office with a friend of Andrew’s. One day, he stopped by to visit and asked Alicia to lunch as soon as he got back to his desk. After several lunch dates—in typical attorney fashion, the number is a point of contention: “a few” according to him, “more than five,” according to her—Andrew finally asked Alicia to dinner, and that’s when things got serious.
Falling in love in San Francisco was only the beginning of their story though. Their long (and long distance) relationship took them all over the country due to law school and post-grad jobs. Thankfully, after stints on the East Coast and in Arizona, the two finally were able to settle down for good back in San Francisco in 2014. Then, during one Christmas break in Maine with Andrew’s family, Alicia spotted a gorgeous ring at an antique store. “The salesman enthusiastically pitched the ring (and marriage, in general),” she says. A few weeks later, Andrew bought the ring, and in March, he proposed during a hike on Mount Tamalpais and stayed in Cavallo Point in Sausalito for a celebratory weekend.
Alicia, who is originally from Marin County, California and has always loved wine country, knew that she wanted to get married in the Napa/Sonoma area. “We’ve been to quite a few weddings in the area, so we wanted our venue to be unique,” she explains. Instead of settling on a hotel, the couple found a private property for their event; a beautiful organic farm in Healdsburg, situated along the Russian River. “It’s in a beautiful valley, and from the main lawn you can see the mountains, corn fields, and tons of flowers,” she adds. “Andrew loved that we could get married along the river; he grew up spending summers on the water in Maine.” Together with Ashley Mauritson of Ashley Mauritson Events, the couple incorporated flowers and vegetables grown on the property as decor, and featured wood furniture that blended in with the scenery.
When it came time to look for a dress, Alicia knew she wanted something form-fitting paired with a traditional veil. After trying on more than a few options and falling in love with none of them, she finally found what she was looking for at Jin Wang in San Francisco. “The stylist brought in a lace and silk crepe Reem Acra gown that didn’t look like much on the hanger, but as soon as I put it on and walked out of the dressing room, my sisters and I knew it was the one!” Alicia says. She accessorized the dress with white block heels from J. Crew, her mother’s pearl bracelet, and a pair of pearl earrings from Lagos that Andrew gave her as a wedding gift.
Meanwhile, the groom had his own statement accessory. Alicia gifted him a Shinola watch with their wedding date engraved on the leather band. He wore it along with a blue J.Crew suit, white Thomas Pink shirt, and a neutral linen tie. And then, Alicia’s bridesmaids were in a combination of Jenny Yoo and Amsale dresses in pale blue and peach hues.
On August 19th, 2017, Alicia and Andrew were married by Alicia’s mentor and friend, the Honorable Mary M. Schroeder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. “When we were thinking about who we wanted to marry us, the conversation pretty much started and ended with her,” she says. The judge gave heartfelt opening remarks that were followed by two couples who shared their advice on marriage. “We thought the perspective of a couple who has been married for more than 40 years and a couple that is just embarking on marriage would be a great combination,” she says. They later exchanged vows and were declared husband and wife. “We remember feeling the significance of the commitment we were making, although we had been together for nine years by the time we got married,” Alicia shares.
After the ceremony ended, guests enjoyed Aperol spritzes by the river as they made their way back to the main lawn. There, the bride and groom’s favorite cocktails were served, a Greyhound and a Dark and Stormy, along with wine from their favorite wineries and appetizers. Dinner was family style, with a menu that included locally grown items from the surrounding farm. When it was time for toasts—Alicia’s favorite part of the reception—her father started by welcoming everyone and was followed by speeches from her two sisters and Andrew’s brother. Instead of cake, the couple opted for pies and ice cream from Noble Folk bakery in Healdsburg—“one of our must stop shops every time we are in the area,” Alicia adds.
The couple kicked off the dancing with George Strait’s “It Just Comes Natural.” “Andrew is a huge country music fan and introduced me to this song years ago,” the bride explains. After many hours of dancing, guests were treated to late night bites including sliders, fries, and grilled cheese, and later boarded a “very raucous” bus ride back to downtown Healdsburg. “A handful of people ended up at a local dive bar, but most of us were spent,” Alicia admits. Thankfully, the couple saved their energy for their honeymoon in Italy, where they first enjoyed some R&R in Lake Como and then jetted off to the Dolomites where Alicia says they did “some of the best hiking we’ve ever done.”
