“A Love Letter to Los Angeles”: Inside Sam and Chuck’s Cinematic Silver Lake Wedding
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Life for Sam Sausedo and Chuck Sterling has played out in a timeline of cuts, transitions and high-pressure deadlines. These two film editors have been inseparable for a decade, from the classrooms at Arizona State University to the intensity at Beyonce’s production company, where their dedication for their craft brought them closer together. They are experts in shaping narratives. So when it came down to their wedding, they knew that they wanted their story to steer away from glitz and glamor and make it a more intimate celebration.
“We’ve shot huge weddings before. We know how stressful they are,” Sam says. “We wanted something small. We wanted it to feel like us.”
On Nov. 1, 2025, exactly ten years to the day they became official in college, the couple turned their special day into a “love letter to Los Angeles.” For Sam and Chuck, L.A was not just a location but a shared ambition. Leaving their home state to build their future together was a turning point in both of their careers.
“We feel more at home here than we did back in Phoenix,” Sam explains. “That’s why we decided to have the wedding here. It feels more like us.”
The Prequel: A Slow Burn
Their story began in 2014 in the ASU film program. Although they shared the same major and friend group, the romance was a “slow burn” that was ignited by banter in English class that eventually turned into more.
“We match each other’s frequency,” Sterling says of their connection.
The turning point in their story came the summer after their freshman year. Sterling had gone away for a few days to shoot an indie feature without telling anyone.
“I remember Sam saying, ‘I really miss you, and I was kind of worried about you’ after I’d been off-grid for a shoot,” Sterling recalls.“As a young guy, that was the first time I was like, ‘Oh wow, this person really cares about me.’”
They made it official a year after they met, at a party on Nov. 1, 2015.
The couple survived the transition from college to the “real world,” starting off working jobs together at various Phoenix movie theaters before facing their greatest test: The Move. In 2021, Sausedo landed a job opportunity in L.A., and Sterling didn’t hesitate to go with her.
They drove a 16-foot Penske truck for eight hours at a crawl, towing their electric Nissan Leaf on a dolly, hunting for charging stations, and arriving just before the holidays only to spend Christmas isolated with COVID. That trial cemented their bond as a couple, setting the foundation for the life they were creating and the ‘little family’ of friends they would soon build.
The Picnic Proposal
After wrapping one of their most extensive projects, which they unintentionally worked on together in late 2023, Sterling decided that it was time.
He purchased the ring in August and stashed it in a closet, waiting until the day that the workload was lifted off their shoulders and they became stress-free.
Sterling planned a picnic at the Getty Center, a spot that holds sentimental value for their first months in the city.
The morning was chaotic. “We were running around Saturday morning getting everything ready,” Sterling says. Which is also why Sausedo did not suspect the big moment and wasn’t exactly dressed for a photoshoot.
“I felt very chopped that day,” Sausedo laughs. “I just threw on whatever.”
But as the sun began to dip over the city, he pulled out the ring, his voice shaking slightly with nerves. In true fashion of Hollywood serendipity, a stranger nearby, an aspiring photographer, captured the exact moment Sam said “yes” and approached them afterward to airdrop the photos.
Pre-Production: A “City Tour” of Vendors
Determined to pay for the wedding themselves, the couple treated vendor selection like a love letter to their neighborhood.
“It almost felt like taking a little tour through the city meeting up with all of them,” Sausedo says.
The “production” team was strictly local. It started with securing Riley Ann Films, whose specific 8mm film style was a must-have for the couple. From there, they built a dream team across the city: finding their florist, Buds Budding, in Culver City; commissioning a sculptural cake from local baker Mitra Kim; and bringing in Kendal Lopez for the morning-of makeup.
They spent an afternoon with Sam Sachs at Dada Market in Echo Park to curate a natural wine list. They selected “Where’s Linus,” a skin-contact orange wine from a Black-owned California vineyard, a detail Sterling noted felt “representative of who we are.”
The couple worked with Little Smoke Humito to design custom incense favors with an engraved box designed by Sausedo featuring tiny bows to match the cake. They booked Mariachi Corazon Latino to honor Sam’s heritage, and Kogi BBQ for the catering. With the venue set at Cafe Nido inside Tenants of the Trees, and their best friend Q Schager agreeing to officiate, the roster was complete.
Sterling also took personal charge of the atmosphere. “I was very serious about the playlist situation,” he says. “I was bumping them tunes.”
Costume Design: A Sentimental “Sacrilege”
On the morning of the wedding, there was no separation of the bride and groom. They got ready together, grabbed breakfast and loaded signage into their car. “We weren’t concerned about not looking at the bride,”Sterling says.
Sausedo’s look, however, featured a last minute secret touch. Her mother passed away when she was three, leaving behind a puffy, 80s-style wedding dress. She knew she wouldn’t wear the vintage gown as is–it didn’t fit the vibe of a Silver Lake patio party–so she chose to repurpose it.
“I know it’s sacrilege, but I did cut it,” Sausedo admits. The week of the wedding, after getting the blessing from her dad and aunts, she used the silk fabric from her mother’s dress to sew a custom, floor-length hair bow that acted as her veil. “I didn’t have a veil, so I made a really long, silk scarf,” she says. It was a tactile way to have her mother present without compromising her own style.w
Ever the editor, Sausedo also made sure to capture her own perspective. “My dress had pockets!” she cheers, revealing she kept a film camera on her person all night to shoot her own “Bridal Cam” POV.
Action!: A “Record Time” Ceremony
Their choice of officiant was a particularly special aspect of the wedding for the couple. They chose their mutual best friend, Quinlan, who they have known since before meeting each other. The ceremony itself was intentionally brief. “We kept joking we wanted a record time ceremony,” Sterling says. “In and out. Three minutes.”
Despite the brevity, the entrance was a tear-jerker. Sausedo walked down the aisle to a live Mariachi band, a homage to her heritage. Sterling, who did not think he would get emotional, was overcome.
“As soon as she walked through the door with the Mariachi playing, the tears started rolling.” said Sterling
Immediately following the vows, the couple retreated to a small back room with just their younger siblings as witnesses to sign the marriage license. “That felt almost equally as weighty as the ceremony itself,” Sterling recalls of the private moment away from the crowd.
The Hollywood Ending
When the reception wound down around 8 p.m., the couple moved the celebration to a nearby bar with some friends. It was the night of the World Series final and the city was buzzing with energy.
“Our favorite thing to do in L.A is go to Dodgers games,” Sterling says.
As the couple huddled around a TV in their wedding attire, the Dodgers clinched the title.
“The Dodgers won on the night of our wedding,” Sausedo says. Amidst fireworks exploding over the city and cheering fans in the streets, the two editors closed out their decade-long journey to the altar with the perfect finale.
“It was a really nice touch,” Sterling says.
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