These two love birds had quite the first meeting at a New Year’s Eve party and quickly realized that they couldn’t live without one another. Fast forward a few years and they were planning the wedding of their dreams complete with DIY yay flags, happy tears hankies and a beef jerky bar. I’ll let you guess which project was the groom’s! But really, we are loving all the gorgeous touches and the setting is out of this world fantastic. Jessica Burke captured all the pretty and trust us, you don’t wanna miss a thing. Click here for more.
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From the Bride… My mom always told me that I would find true love the second I stopped looking for it, and of course, she was right. Kyle and I met New Year’s Eve of 2008, a night that I was determined to be “boy-free,” just a fun time with my girlfriends. It was getting closer to midnight when I first spoke with Kyle. The tall, handsome boy, who I somehow couldn’t stop glancing at across the room, walked straight up to me and did the impossible … he kneed me in the leg. After a few moments of shock I finally looked up to him and asked why he would ever do that. With a completely serious face, he looked directly in my eyes and said “Because I “kneed” you!” How could a girl say no to that? We ended up dancing the night away and, while he might have needed me that first night, he quickly showed me through his love and generosity that I need him for the rest of my life.
Having lost my mom a few years ago, getting engaged was a bit bittersweet. While I couldn’t wait to spend forever with the kindest person I have ever met, beginning the planning process without her seemed downright terrifying. Luckily, Kyle is the best fiancé a girl could ask for, and with his love and support we started to plan. We knew from the beginning that it was most important to us to have fun and celebrate with our favorite people in the world — not just that one night but throughout our entire planning process. We fell in love with the Legion of Honor, a beautiful museum at the top of San Francisco, the moment we saw it. The grandeur of the space can be a bit intimidating, which made it only more important for Kyle and me to each include intimate details making it more us. To play up on the San Francisco location, we made a seating chart and table numbers from vintage maps I found at a bookstore. Kyle’s favorite personal touch? A jerky bar that he had fresh-made jerky flown in from all over the US for! The debate of the best jerky turned out to be an awesome conversation starter for guests and was a great way for Kyle to have a hand in the details. My favorite aspect was feeling surrounded by happy memories of my mom. The night before the wedding, my sister gave me two precious photos of Mom, which were placed at the end of our aisle and with me at dinner. Our florist included gardenias in my bouquet, my dad’s boutonniere and throughout the cocktail hour, knowing that the smell reminds me of my mom. Kyle (have I mentioned how sweet he is?!) worked with our amazingly talented jeweler, Masami Kelly Lam, to make a beautiful diamond pendant necklace from my mom’s engagement ring so that she was close to my heart on the big day. I still haven’t taken it off!
The two pieces of advice I have for any bride-to-be is to, first, choose an amazing photographer! Jessica did such a wonderful job capturing every detail, and because the day went by so quickly, it is incredibly precious to have these photos to remember it by. But even more importantly, have fun with the process! If I ever got stressed, or overwhelmed or anxious, Kyle quickly reminded me that everything would come together as it was meant to be, just like we had. I am so grateful to Kyle for encouraging and helping me make our day feel so much like us. I will always cherish the sweet memories I have of choosing my wedding dress with his mom and my sister, making “Yay” flags and “Happy Tears” hankies with Kyle over a bottle of wine on a Friday night, scouring dozens of stores for the perfect apothecary jars with my best friends, and spending all night packing out of town baskets with my sister in tears of joy because we couldn’t stop telling fun stories of Mom.
Wedding Photography: Jessica Burke / Wedding Venue: Legion of Honor in San Francisco, California / Event Planning + Catering: Jane Hammond Events / Floral Design: Chestnut & Vine Floral Design / DJ: Love in the Mix / Lighting: Got Light? / Getting Ready Location: Intercontinental Mark Hopkins / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Hair: Inna Irkhin of de’Arti Salon / Makeup: Jessica Carlisle Lee / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew / Bride’s + Bridesmaids’ Necklaces: Masami Kelly