I am sure many of you know that I am a HUGE fan of Viola, over at chewing the cud. She is an amazingly talented designer who never fails to completely inspire me with her brilliantly unique perspective. Needless to say, the pictures from her recent wedding were enough to send me over the edge. The wedding is actually being published in Brides of Northern California (hitting newsstands today!) so you absolutely have to check it out if get a chance!

Here is Viola to share a few beautiful details from her wedding…

We are Viola and Phillip. Viola loves books. Phillip loves movies. Our favourite story of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird, which became the inspiration for our wedding at the Carneros Inn on Oct 27, 2007. What we love most about the story is how it was told through the voice of Scout, the 8-year-old heroine and how she was discovering the world around her. We distilled what we loved best about the story into key words: discovery. simplicity. childhood memories.

Our save-the-date cards were bookmarks, a nod to the novel. The invitations included an ex-libris card invitation card, a meal ticket for the day-after brunch and a tongue-in-cheek book club poster, complete with “discussion questions” like “who’s the spa junkie, Phillip or Viola?” followed by information on nearby spas.

Following Chinese tradition, we held a private tea ceremony in the bridal suite. My mom had my gown custom-designed in Indonesia. It was a modern take on the traditional Chinese gown, infused with Indonesian beading. At the tea ceremony, we serve tea to our parents and relatives as a sign of respect and thanks. In turn the tea recipients present gifts to us, usually in the form of red packets or jewelry, along with their well wishes. My pin was designed by my dear friend, Kelly of k.autumn.

My maid-of-honor, Aya, is a book designer. My bridesmaid Kumi is a book collector and I am a book maker! I thought it perfectly fitting that they carried books I had made to walk down the aisle. I made a book sling for my nephew Matthew, while Nadia (my best friend’s daughter) carried an over-sized nest almost as big as her. Jennifer, her mom, told me she had been practiced scattering balled-up magazine pages for months now in preparation for this day!

So much more to come, so stay tuned!!