Cybill Esguerra and Jonathan Gonzalez-Smith met at a wedding. She was the maid of honor, and he was, naturally, the best man. “It was a 200-guest, black-tie event and we were both super anxious to give our speeches,” says Cybill. After their obligations were over, they were finally able to relax and enjoy themselves. They danced so hard that night that Cybill ripped the sleeve off her dress.
Four years later, their own proposal was supposed to happen on vacation in Baja but was canceled at the last minute because Jonathan, a health policy researcher, hurt his back trying to corral the neighbor’s cat, Fluffy, out of a tree. Instead of going to the airport, they spent the morning in Fells Point, where Cybill politely asked if she could start wearing the engagement ring they had picked out together a few months earlier.
They agreed early on that they wanted an immediate-family-only courthouse wedding in the fall. Then, the following spring they were going to host a reception in Oaxaca—a place they had explored together and loved—for family and friends. But when they visited Mexico with both sets of parents, they experienced a series of mishaps (food poisoning, a theft) that prompted them to reconsider.
What they ultimately planned was kind of elopement adjacent. They picked all the best parts of a traditional wedding and elopement and squished it into one weekend, all planned in under 60 days. “It definitely felt like we were flying by the seat of our pants at times,” says Cybill, an OB-GYN. “But ultimately, because it was important to us to include our friends and family, it didn’t feel like an elopement.”
They also wanted the wedding to be wrapped up in the ultimate Baltimore weekend. They made a list of all their favorite places and started emailing to check their availability. In the end, 70 guests came in for the celebration. “I was impressed by how supportive and generally amenable our families and friends were,” says Jonathan.
On a Friday morning, Jonathan and Cybill, wearing a little white dress and holding a bouquet, arrived at the Mitchell Courthouse via trolley with 12 witnesses. The ceremony was less than 20 minutes and they shared a kiss before strolling the long hallway back onto North Calvert Street.
Then the trolley holding the rest of their guests picked them up for a festive lunch at Allora. After a short rest, the group reconvened for wine and cocktails at Fadensonnen and Chachi’s rotisserie chicken. The night ended at Ottobar. “We wanted our guests to dance and have fun,” says Cybill. “Some magic can’t be planned and our party blended in with the regular crew at the bar, which ended in a packed dance floor.” Cybill, still in her wedding dress, slipped on a pair of white Tevas, hand-bejeweled by her sister Jody. The better to dance in.
Saturday was the reception, with all their guests descending on Corradetti Glassblowing Studio for a dinner catered by Woodberry Kitchen and lots of toasts. “My mom referenced ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ from Fiddler on the Roof and shared some pearls she has learned in her 35 years of marriage,” says Cybill. “Like ‘I’m sorry is more powerful than I love you.’”
BEAUTY Drybar (hair) CATERER Woodberry Kitchen (Saturday) FLORAL DESIGN Pomona Floral (Friday and Saturday) LOCATIONS Mitchell Courthouse, Allora, Fadensonnen, and Ottobar (Friday); Corradetti Glassblowing Studio & Gallery and Waverly Brewing Co. (Saturday) Photographer Outtakes Studio TRANSPORTATION American Limousines trolley WEDDING DRESSES Amsale (Friday) and Galvan London (Saturday)
Things to Consider
1/ Choose your courthouse location. Maryland marriage licenses are given by the city or county clerk’s office. License fees are $85 for a marriage application in the city and $35 in Baltimore County. (It’s an additional $25 if you want to have the marriage ceremony at the courthouse.) There is a 48-hour waiting period before the license is valid and it expires after six months.
2/ Make sure you have at least one witness, age 18 or over. Check with your courthouse how many total guests you can have in attendance.
3/ Add personal touches—like a bouquet, a bottle of Champagne for after, and a professional photographer to capture the event.
4/ Dress up for the occasion. It doesn’t have to be a tuxedo or gown, but wear something to make it feel special.
5/ Throw a fun-filled after-party or plan a post-ceremony activity, like a night in a fancy hotel.