NEED TO KNOW
- Actress Cierra Ramirez married musician OTHRSYDE (Jonathan Zallez) on Sept. 13 in California
- Among the 160 guests were the bride’s former Fosters costars Sherri Saum, Teri Polo and Maia Mitchell
- The wedding featured a tribute band to The Smiths and Morrissey, a string quartet, and two DJs
Cierra Ramirez and OTHRSYDE have tied the knot!
The star of The Fosters and its spinoff series Good Trouble married the musician, whose real name is Jonathan Zallez, at The Lafayette Hotel & Club in San Diego, California, on Saturday, Sept. 13. Among the 160 guests were Ramirez’s “Fosters mamas” Sherri Saum and Teri Polo, and her onscreen sister, Maia Mitchell.
“One piece of advice I received early on when I got engaged was ‘don’t blink!’ because of how fast your wedding day really does fly by,” says Ramirez, who got engaged in her hometown of Houston on Sept. 9, 2024. “It was important that I did everything I could to soak it all up, so a weekend-long festivity to commemorate our love with all of our favorite people in the world was definitely that to me!”
An immediate family and wedding party-only rehearsal dinner at Italian restaurant Seneca Trattoria, which overlooks the breathtaking North San Diego Bay, kicked off the festivities on Thursday, Sept. 11. The next night, Friday, Sept. 12, guests enjoyed welcome drinks at Lafayette’s lobby bar.
Everything built up to the wedding day, which Ramirez, 30, describes as “truly a dream come true.”
“My 10-year-old Pinterest board would be so proud,” the actress shares.
A ‘retro’ venue
Ramirez and Zallez — who met through mutual friends at Hyde Sunset in Los Angeles in 2018 — were especially drawn to their “magical” Colonial-style venue for its “retro, eclectic feel.” They “fell in love” with the property around the same time they were designing their home, taking “inspiration” from the historic hotel.
To “make the space even more special than it already is” and to allow the couple’s “personalities and love story shine through,” the florist, Lovestruck Blooms, filled the venue with beautiful floral arrangements and tapered candles.
Because Ramirez has a type B personality, being at the forefront of decision making while wedding planning was out of her “comfort zone.” Luckily, Zallez is the opposite as a “very type A” person, so he alongside their “genius” wedding planner, Julian Ford, made the experience “stress-free” and “fun.”
Honoring loved ones
The Secret Life of an American Teenager alum admits that while planning she “absolutely felt the weight” of not having her late father Sonny there. His death in April 2021 from COVID-19 was “one of the hardest things [she] ever had to go through in life,” and she “really dreaded” the idea of him not walking her down the aisle like she had always pictured.
Ramirez honored Sonny during the ceremony, which was officiated by Pastor Chad Narayan from Zoe Church LA. Her uncle Rudy stepped in to walk her into her next chapter as a string quartet, Caprice Strings, played her favorite worship song, “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake. Zallez also made his way down the aisle to his favorite song, “Like a Stone” by Audioslave.
“Getting glammed” with her mother, Cris, and sister, Savannah, “while also crying off said glam when [she] realized it’s the last day [she] shares a last name with them,” was something Ramirez was most looking forward to. Her hair and makeup was done by Sylvia Heranchian and Lina Raja Mourey, respectively.
Two wedding dresses
For her big day, Ramirez wore two dresses, both of which she found at Jaxon James in Los Angeles.
“My wedding dress is Nicole + Felicia, and I originally came in for another one of their dresses. I tried it on, along with a bunch of others that were beautiful, but not very ‘me,’ ” Ramirez remembers. “Of course, mom always knows best! My mom requested I try one on and when I put it on…I just knew! It’s such a timeless dress and I feel like a princess in it!”
After Ramirez and Zallez exchanged handwritten vows and 4Hisglory rings, the actress changed into a Kim Kassas Couture gown. Ramirez has had the designer on her “radar” since getting engaged.
“Her designs are unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” the bride gushes. “The intricate details and lacing…ugh, I could go on for days! The second look I have is truly our venue, The Lafayette, if it were a dress. The bolero, the glitter! I worked with a seamstress, Natalya Valentine, who helped me make the train detachable — easy for dancing and even added some hidden pockets in my ceremony dress!”
All night entertainment
Having great music was obviously important to Zallez. In addition to a string quartet that played modern songs Bridgerton-style, “The Train” singer hired The Smiths tribute band Nowhere Fast because he and Ramirez both “love” Morrissey.
“That was probably the first thing we booked wedding-wise!” Ramirez says.
DJ Elekt kept “the vibes going and the seats empty,” and started by playing “The Promise” by When In Rome for the couple’s first dance.
“Our biggest fear was getting on stage and freezing like deer in the headlights,” Ramirez says. “Thankfully, our friend, Chris Downey, who is an amazing choreographer helped us come up with something to make us look amazing and like we really knew what we were doing!”
Ramirez also surprised her mother with a special mother-daughter dance to “The Best Day” by Taylor Swift. “That song has meant so much to us since I was a teen and she deserves so much praise for shaping who I am,” she shares, having predicted before the wedding that neither one of them would have a dry eye.
When the clock stroke midnight, the reception turned into “a boiler room” with DJ King Julian, a “brilliant idea” of the groom’s.
“He brings out a really fun side of me and also the best,” Ramirez says of her now-husband. “He inspires me to become a better version of myself every day. I admire his drive, his integrity, his ability to always make light of any situation and how he’ll always let me have the aux cord on a road trip no matter how much I know he doesn’t want me to.”
An ‘eclectic’ menu
Late-night bites included sliders, grilled cheese sandwiches and French fries from Lafayette’s 24-hour Beginner’s Diner, along with ice cream sundaes and chocolate chip cookies. Earlier in the evening at cocktail hour inside the hotel’s retro-inspired bowling alley, The Gutter, guests dined on passed appetizers of crab cake donuts, ceviche, squash blossoms and chips and guacamole from the venue’s in-house Oaxacan restaurant.
Because Lafayette has many restaurants on site, the wedding dinner was “very eclectic.” On the menu was a classic Caesar salad, truffle chicken roulade, koji cured Santa Maria steak and eggplant lasagna.
Slices of the two-tiered Lambeth wedding cake baked by Treats by Karen was served for dessert. It was decorated with a vintage cake topper that Ramirez glued a mini French bulldog to. “We had to include our fur baby Lennon!” she says.
Other details from the reception include an espresso martini luge from The Art of Carving Ice and a photo booth from Roma Photo Booth. Rentals were from Bright Event Rentals and lighting by DJ Sepi.
To wrap up the “beautiful weekend of love,” a pool party was held on Sunday, Sept. 14, before the couple headed to their mini honeymoon in Laguna Beach.
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Future hopes
For Ramirez and Zallez, marriage is “the ultimate commitment” and “solidifies a partner for life” who will “root you on in every stage or phase that comes your way,” including seeing you “at your worst, your best and loves you through it all.”
Ramirez isn’t positive what their next chapter looks like, but hopes to travel more before they “settle down and have a family,” the latter of which Zallez is “most excited” for.
“I can’t wait to see Cierra as a mommy cause I know she’s gonna be the best one ever,” he tells PEOPLE. “Building a beautiful family is always the end goal in life so I’m excited to see how that comes to fruition.”
Although the music artist thinks that he and Ramirez will “evolve as parents,” he doesn’t believe that marriage will change their relationship dynamic.
“As much as people think things are going to change when you get married I kind of disagree,” Zallez says. “I think we’re gonna move exactly the same way — young and in love. I wanna have the title of marriage but the spirit of ‘boyfriend and girlfriend,’ and just continue to explore life and the world together.”
Ramirez adds, “I’m so excited for this new chapter together. Jonathan is truly my best friend, he makes me laugh like no one else so I’m excited for all the laughter that’s coming my way. God willing, we have some mini me’s in the future! I really hope they have Jonathan’s dimples.”
Additional Credits:
Video: Oscar Roman, Roy Castro
Photo/Creative Direction: Joe Silva
Photo: Elizabeth Solano
Spray Tans: Marisol, Dolce Glow
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