A Southern California couple, Kenny Rotter, 41, and Morgan Soloway, 39, chose a unique venue for their wedding: the charred lot where their Altadena home once stood. The couple exchanged vows on July 5, at the location where their new home is currently being rebuilt after it was destroyed in the January Eaton Fire.
The ceremony took place where the couple's future kitchen will be located, with the new wooden frame of their house rising behind them as they celebrated with approximately 130 guests. The idea to marry on the property came to the couple while they were staying with friends who had taken them in following the fire.
"I was like, what is the best way to create something positive from this moment," Rotter told The California Post. "I have told people that this has been the best and worst time of my life. The worst because, obvious reasons. And the best because the outpouring of love and support from all directions has been so meaningful."
Rotter found comfort in knowing that Soloway and their dogs had survived the blaze. The Eaton Fire tore through Altadena and Pasadena in January, destroying 9,418 structures and damaging another 1,073. More than 6,000 homes were lost, and 19 people died in the fires.
Planning the ceremony with only eight weeks' notice was stressful, Soloway said, but celebrating on the property "feels right." The wedding plans were integrated into the rebuilding process, with their contractor including the event in the construction agreement. Instead of a traditional guest book, friends and family signed the home's wooden frame.
Rotter and Soloway met in December 2017 via the dating app Bumble. They became engaged in January 2024, shortly before purchasing their first home in Altadena in March 2024. Their wedding plans were put on hold as they settled into their new house. The rebuilding effort has been progressing since the fire, with groundbreaking in April and framing underway.
"Our home burning down was devastating and extremely disorienting," the couple said. Although they had family to stay with after evacuating, they lost everything they had worked for. A GoFundMe campaign launched by friends raised about $50,000 to help cover expenses not covered by disaster relief as the couple sought temporary housing and began rebuilding.