VIGNETTE > Rock Wedding

Pete Sears and Jeanette Dilger at their Three Groves wedding in June 1975

In 1975, two couples rented the house at Three Groves in Homestead Valley. The husbands  were sound engineers for Hot Tuna, an outgrowth of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. In June 1975, they arranged a wedding ceremony at Three Groves. The groom was Pete Sears, British-born pianist and bassist of Jefferson Starship.  The bride was Jeanette Dilger of Mill Valley.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day.  Guests arrived by Rolls Royce from the Tam High parking lot. Some wore formal attire complete with top hat.  Rock stars were well represented including Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, John Barbata, Marty Balin and David Freiberg. The San Francisco Chronicle reported: “Rock Stars Unplugged. The biggest rock wedding in ages—the biggest ever within the ensemble of Jefferson Starship, née Airplane—sounded through the Mill Valley wildwood yesterday.  And what sound did it sound?  Man, would you believe Haydn’s Lark Quartet, and Mozart’s Hunt Quartet and his Dissonant Quartet.  With the non-electric Homestead Valley Quartet on catguts?  Meantime, through the neighboring redwood grove [Stolte Grove] came the faint sing-song of rondelets from a competing party thrown by the Homestead Valley PTA.” [Amplified sound is prohibited in both Three Groves and Stolte Grove.]