This, my friends, is a photo of one very happy couple. Amid all the hustle and bustle of their wedding day, their joy and love for one another is far from lost and this is exactly why I’ll never grow sick of looking through wedding photos on a daily basis. Onelove Photography and Motionscope captured that excitement and thanks to them, I’m catching some of those much needed good vibes on this dreary day.
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From The Bride… Our vision for the big day was for it to be fun, heartfelt, whimsy and most importantly for all of our guests to be relaxed and enjoy themselves thoroughly! Wente Vineyards provided the perfect wedding backdrop due to its lush, beautiful yet intimate grounds and of course, the award winning wines and food. It was perfect for vinos and foodies like us! Khoa and I love to travel and explore destinations together, it was always a priority for us as we were a long distance couple for the first several years of dating and the only time we were able to reconnect and spend quality couple time was our trips. We decided to go with vintage travel themed elements for the day in my favorite colors, mint blue, gold and blush. All the planning and late night DIY sessions really paid off during the big day. My crafty dad handmade the marquee J&K sign that was the primary focal point for our sweetheart table. My army of bridesmaids, powered by pizza and wine mostly, helped me snip, cut and trim the travel tag escort cards and hand-letter all the chalkboard signage for the ceremony. I picked up calligraphy and hand wrote the table names which were named after our favorite locations we visited together (all aside from Endor, which is a fictional planet from Star Wars – Khoa’s a bit of a fanboy). We also decided to DIY the floral table centerpieces and diligently scoured the SF Flower Mart days before the wedding for stock up on roses, hydrangeas and greens, which ended up saving us a good chunk of money (much appreciated for a bride on a budget).
It was very important for my family to have a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony on our wedding day. Traditionally, the groom and bride kneel before their elders and pour tea as an offering as a sign of respect, in turn the elders exchange red envelopes called “hung bao” with money or jade jewelry for the Bride stuffed inside. I was hesitant at first to do the ceremony due to limited time constraints but it turned out to be one of the most sentimental parts of the day. I actually cried the most during this time and was so afraid to ruin the painstaking efforts of my MUA before the western ceremony! My mother bought me a beautiful, custom fitted silk “qi pao” in a traditional, auspicious red color to wear. My parents, grandparents and my ancestors before them have all taken part in the tea ceremony on their wedding days and it felt so good and humbling to honor them and keep the tradition alive.
Our first dance was to “Lucky” by Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat, which had a lot of meaning for us since our first concert together was to see Jason Mraz perform! We had his groomsman play guitar while my bridesmaid sang. It was an amazing moment swaying together and surrounded by our biggest supporters! We both love music and we are big Beatles fans, so it was a no brainer that our string quartet play music from the Beatles (I walked down the aisle with my dad to “Here Comes the Sun”, the bridal processional was to “All You Need is Love”) and our cake topper followed suite with that theme. Khoa even surprised me with a slow and heartfelt performance of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” by Frankie Valli, complete with his groomsmen dancing and crooning back up! I was in tears and laughing at the same time! It’s really true what other brides say, the day zooms by so fast before even having time to enjoy your dinner, drinks and guests. By the end of it, our hearts were brimming with so much love, laughter and felt the fullest we’ve ever had. It was truly the best day of our lives and an unforgettable kick-off soiree to the spending the rest of our lives together as husband and wife!
Photography: onelove photography | Videographer: Motionscope | Wedding Coordinator: Georgie Saucedo | Floral Design: The Flower House | Wedding Dress: The White Dress | Cake: Wente Vineyards | Invitations: Minted | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids' Dresses: J.Crew | Catering: Wente Vineyards | DJ: Elite Entertainment | Groom's Attire: Tiglio | Groomsmen's Attire: Macy's | Beauty: Kat Tinney | Bridal Comb: Best Day Bridal | Bride's Earrings: Nadri | Bridesmaid Robes: Just Cottons | Cake Topper: Better Off Wed | Linens: Napa Valley Linens | Photobooth: Magnolia Photo Booth Co. | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals | Vintage Rental: Milk Glass Vintage Rentals | Winery: Wente Vineyards