It was a freezing Wednesday night in January when Tenney Hearst Espy first spotted Joseph Siringo Jr. across a friend’s birthday party. “I walked in, saw him, and thought, 'Who is that?’” she recalls. She went right up to him, and the two were inseparable from that moment on.
After a year-and-a-half together, Joey proposed in Tenney’s favorite place near McCloud, California—the fountain where he’d first told her he loved her. “It was a total surprise,” she remembers. “The ring was loose in his swim trunks, and I was in my bathing suit and cover-up—it couldn’t have been more spontaneous or more us.”
For Tenney, a creative director for Spirited Hive and Strive, as well as the head of the Northeast for the Waverly Girl Foundation, the wedding venue was never in question. “It has been my dream to get married at Hearst Castle since I was young,” she says. As the great-great-granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst—American publisher behind the Hearst media empire—Tenney wanted to pay tribute to her family legacy with a celebration that felt cinematic and personal. “I felt his presence throughout the whole weekend."
With planner Gregory Blake Sams at the helm, the couple embraced an Old Hollywood vision that balanced grandeur and intimacy. “Blake did such an incredible job paying homage to the castle,” Tenney says. To capture every moment, Over The Moon The List Photographer Jose Villa and Over The Moon The List Videographer Storybox Cinema lensed the weekend.
The festivities began with a Western-themed welcome party at the dairy barn. Tenney wore a cerulean blue Oscar de la Renta dress embroidered with crystals paired with her favorite Lucchese cowboy boots, while the California Cowboys played alongside her brother, Henry Hagerman.
The following evening, the rehearsal dinner took place in Julia Morgan’s stucco warehouse—Morgan being the architect behind Hearst Castle itself. Celestial-themed and timed perfectly with a super moon, the evening shimmered with silver accents. Tenney wore a custom silver dress by The Danes NYC with silver Manolo Blahniks and diamond and aquamarine chandelier earrings.
On October 19, 2024, family and friends gathered on the grounds of Hearst Castle overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Tenney descended a long staircase, meeting her father and stepfather, who both walked her down the aisle. Her brother, Jack Espy, officiated the ceremony, while gospel singers performed midway through. “Family is so important to me,” she reflects. “It was surreal to be surrounded by everyone I love in such a beautiful place.”
For the ceremony, Tenney wore a lace Elie Saab dress from Mark Ingram Atelier. “I knew exactly what I wanted, and when I saw the dress, I knew it was perfect,” she says. She paired the gown with classic Manolo Blahnik pumps and Verdura pearls her grandfather had gifted her mother, along with matching pearl-and-diamond earrings. TEAM Beauty completed the timeless looks.
After the ceremony, guests were welcomed to cocktail hour beside the Neptune Pool, where synchronized swimmers performed as everyone sipped Aperol Spritzes and watched the sunset over the coast. Dinner was served in an Old Hollywood–inspired tent designed by Sams and adorned with lush florals by Kathleen Deery Design. “It truly felt like you were transported back to the 1920s,” Tenney recalls. The couple served Hearst Beef Filet with potatoes, catered by Paula LeDuc.
For the reception, the bride changed into a strapless Rami Al Ali look from Bergdorf Goodman, hemmed to show her ankles, and Gianvito Rossi heels. Music from Elan Artists set the tone for the evening, evoking a bygone era of glamour. Toasts were given by Tenney’s mother and stepfather, followed by words from the newlyweds themselves. For their first dance, Tenney and Joey chose “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure—a nod to their playful, romantic energy. “My favorite part of the reception was being surrounded by the people I love in such an incredibly beautiful place."
Later, Tenney slipped into a short, feathered Oscar de la Renta dress, also from Bergdorf’s, for dancing. As the night went on, guests danced under the stars in front of the castle to a live band and later a DJ set. “I imagined this is how William Randolph Hearst would have partied when he lived there,” Tenney laughs.
In a scene that felt almost scripted, a SpaceX rocket illuminated the sky near the night’s close—an unplanned finale that made the evening feel truly otherworldly.
