Why Bride and Groom Wanted 'Magical' Total Solar Eclipse Wedding: 'Couldn't Wait to Nerd Out Together' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Total solar eclipse wedding.Photo:Davila Photography

Davila Photography

For one bride and groom, April’s total solar eclipse was the perfect time to tie the knot.

Alyssaand Jonathan Calvillo got married earlier this year during the total solar eclipse on April 8 atThe Videre Estatein Wimberley, Texas — something they had dreamed of doing for eight years.

“It had been Alyssa’s plan to get married during the solar eclipse when we first heard it was coming to Texas back in 2016. She was just waiting to get engaged and start planning,” says Jonathan, who proposed on Christmas Day in 2023 even though that meant they would have just a few months to plan the wedding.

Alyssa and Jonathan Calvillo’s wedding guests looking up at the eclipse.Davila Photography

The eclipse was scheduled to begin at 11:35 a.m., so the bride, 31, and groom, 39, told their 100 guests to arrive at their wedding as early as possible in anticipation of heavy traffic and cars that may pull over on the sides of the country roads for the eclipse.

Because specialized eye protection is needed for safe solar viewing, Alyssa turned eclipse glasses into name cards for her guests. The glasses were labeled with each person’s table location, and were displayed on a mirror inside the welcome foyer.

Specialized glasses for solar viewing.Davila Photography

The couple timed their wedding with the eclipse, with the ceremony starting promptly at 1:05 p.m. This was in expectation for the eclipse entering into “totality” at approximately 1:34 p.m., according to theirwedding website. Eclipse totality is the phase in which the moon completely covers the sun, which causes the sky to darken.

“The timeline for the entire ceremony was based on the trajectory of the moon passing in front of the sun,” Alyssa tells PEOPLE. “According to NASA, totality was only going to last four minutes, and it was our goal to be saying our ‘I dos’ during that time. I mean, I timed my aisle song and walk with my coordinator andDJand violinist at every 10 second mark to know exactly where I was supposed to be.”

Jonathan and Alyssa Calvillo.Jonathan and Alyssa Calvillo.Jonathan and Alyssa Calvillo.PHOTO:Davila PhotographyJonathan and Alyssa Calvillo.PHOTO:Davila Photography

Jonathan and Alyssa Calvillo.Jonathan and Alyssa Calvillo.

Jonathan and Alyssa Calvillo.

Jonathan and Alyssa Calvillo.PHOTO:Davila PhotographyJonathan and Alyssa Calvillo.PHOTO:Davila Photography

“It was absolutely magical!” Alyssa says of her wedding ceremony. “Being arm in arm with both my parents, standing in a gown I never thought I’d wear, at the top of a ceremony deck in this breathtaking venue, hearing my aunt playing the violin to my favorite song that I knew my (future) husband would get as soon as he heard the intro, and finally seeing my fruition come to life as light fades into darkness.”

She adds: “My husband and I had been together for nine years, and I was just waiting for this moment that seemed like it would never come.”

Telescope.Night sky.Telescope.PHOTO:Davila PhotographyNight sky.PHOTO:Davila Photography

Telescope.Night sky.

Telescope.

Night sky.

Telescope.PHOTO:Davila PhotographyNight sky.PHOTO:Davila Photography

The guests matched the dark sky, with everyone having been encouraged to wear their favorite black formal attire.

The ceremony — which juxtaposed the dark sky with sparklers,white florals,light-up marquee lettersand a candlelit aisle — ultimately ran about five minutes early, which allowed for the newlyweds to join their guests in looking up through the clouds together. Two telescopes were provided for eclipse viewing.

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“I am so lucky to have found the love of my life, my best friend, and most caring, patient and supportive person in my life,” Alyssa gushes of her husband. “I couldn’t wait to marry him and nerd out together over space s—.”

Alyssa and Jonathan Calvillo.Davila Photography

She continues: “He still loved me even after wedding planning became my personality. Thank goodness for being in the events industry, and knowing who all my vendors were going to be. Sometimes people asked us, ‘Why? Why this date and why this big detail-oriented wedding?’ And just likeKim Konce said, we also respond, ‘Because it’s iconic, and I like to do iconic s—.'”

The newlyweds honeymooned in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.

source: people.com