On the afternoon of March 14, 2026, North Beach transformed into a surreal wedding procession during the beloved Brides of March. Among the many stops along the route, The Golden Sardine hosted a particularly poetic celebration.

For a brief, magical window between 4:00 and 5:30 PM, the bar became a chapel of verse. Guests arrived dressed in bridal whites and playful wedding attire-lace veils, thrifted gowns, satin gloves, bouquets tucked under arms, tiaras slightly askew. Some wore vintage wedding dresses, others layered veils over everyday clothes, all joining the whimsical tradition of becoming brides for the day.

The reading gathered a radiant lineup of poets-each a “Bride of Poetry.” Voices rose one by one from the bridal party: Betsy Alma Ramazzini, Connie Lin, Elena Pinnen, Eyra Dordi, Katherine Okpara, Liz Cahill, Rhea Joseph, and Spinelli-each offering poems that moved between humor, tenderness, longing, and celebration.

The ceremony of words was accompanied by the “Bride of Song,” Anne‑Marie Russo, whose voice filled the room with music that wove gently between the readings, turning the gathering into something between a performance and a communal toast.

For that hour and a half, the Golden Sardine held a joyful congregation of poets, singers, and wandering brides from the streets of North Beach. Strangers became witnesses, laughter mingled with lyric lines, and the room glowed with the playful spirit of a wedding where everyone-performer or passerby-was welcome to join the bridal party.


The Brides of March 

Brides of Poetry gathered at The Golden Sardine during North Beach’s Brides of March-veiled poets and song filled the room.

Katherine Okpara

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