Our Wedding
As I mentioned last week, my husband and I got married… again! For those of you who are confused, my husband, Brian, and I originally got engaged in December of 2019… and then the pandemic happened, ruining our plans for a wedding celebrating with all of our friends and family. We ended up getting married in a small “marriage ceremony” in the garden of the Supreme Court (be sure to read about it, it was a lovely time!).
Now that restrictions have eased up, my husband and I planned our official wedding! Even though we’ve been married for a year and a half, this was a chance to celebrate with all of our loved ones who couldn’t come to our original ceremony and party! Today, I’d love to share that day with you all!
Location
We got married in Gilroy, California at my husband’s aunt’s home. To be honest, we say it’s a house but it kind of looks like a castle - the place is enormous! They have the most beautiful backyard, complete with a bocci ball court, redwood garden, pool, and a fountain. Brian’s brother also got married there years ago and it almost feels like a family tradition at this point. Planning a wedding from the other side of the country was difficult but luckily we had a lot of family members who stepped up to help (and they are wonderful!)
The Theme
We went for a vintage travel theme! We didn’t go overboard with it but we did do a few things for it. For example, we purchased a bunch of vintage postcards from our local antique store and wrote guest names and table numbers on them. We also put out an old atlas in the entryway of the wedding that served as a guest book. We even put out a Fujifilm Instax Polaroid camera there as well to serve as both a photo booth and a thing to stick into the guest book. Finally, my mother-in-law and I painted a bunch of tin lunch boxes to look a bit like suitcases (we also stuck travel stickers on them) and we put our centerpieces in them. They were propped open by travel guide books.
Speaking of centerpieces…
Florals
Brian’s cousin created all the centerpieces for us! We wanted a succulent theme and she grew all the succulents herself and planted them in the tin boxes for the day of. They turned out absolutely LOVELY! Every centerpiece was different and unique and I loved the mismatchedness of it. It was even more special that they were grown and raised with care by a family member (this cousin is a champ!) I sent a few people home with some of them to be replanted. We stan sustainable decor!
For bouquets, we contacted a local florist in Gilroy I asked for a mix of succulents and big flowers and they did an amazing job! My bridesmaids even took theirs home and replanted the succulents to extend their life. Here’s something that surprised people though: We got fake succulent boutonnieres for the men! I don’t think anyone noticed unless they examined them very closely. I think they all turned out beautiful!
Decor and Lighting
Another one of Brian’s cousins works in A/V so he hooked us up with some beautiful lighting! A lot of vintage Edison bulb-like string lights and even a fun custom decorative light that guests could see on their way out. He was a true miracle-worker!
We decided not to do party favors and instead donate to two organizations that are important to us: City Dogs Rescue and Youth Activism Project. We put out a sign at the entrance where we made the announcement and included a QR code so that guests could choose to donate to these organizations as well.
Hair
My mother-in-law contacted a hairstylist that did a lot of events for their family! I asked for a simple, but elegant updo because my dress was very elaborate. For the bridesmaids, we went with half updos and neat curls. I don’t even think I need to say much about them because the photos speak for themselves. Everyone looked beautiful!!
Dress
I got my dress from BHLDN. When I saw it on the website, I didn’t think much of it but when I tried it on at the store, I fell in LOVE! I love the delicate beading, the voluminous tulle, the gorgeous slit, and the backless wow factor! I got so many compliments on it, and I was glad I kept everything (including makeup and hair) more simple and minimal so that it wouldn’t compete with the dress.
For the bridesmaids, I gave everyone a lot of room for creativity. I knew I wanted a mauve color scheme so I gave them all the shade and asked that they get a dress in as close to the color as they can with the only caveat being that the dresses be maxi-length and not a silky/shiny material. The three of them, in about an hour, picked their dresses from Birdy Grey. They confirmed the color with me and picked three different dresses they liked. I still can’t believe how quickly and efficiently that dress meeting took! They all looked lovely!
Shoes
I wanted nude shoes with a block heel as I would be walking on grassy and rocky paths. It was also important to me that they be comfortable because I knew I’d be on my feet all day. I have a pair of Steve Madden sandals with a block heel but I wanted something similar but a higher heel - my husband is 6’3” while I’m only 5’3” so heels were kind of a must for me. I ended up with these Sam Edelman sandals and they were SUPER comfy, and best of all, I can keep wearing them for other situations outside of this wedding!
The Men
My husband wanted navy suits and, like me, he wasn’t picky about the particular shade of navy either. He got his suit at Charles Tyrwhitt and he got a matching vest. We did, however, get the groomsman all matching ties with a color that matched the bridesmaids’ dresses. They clean up good!
First Look
We did the first look right before the ceremony. I’m not going to say much about this moment because I think the picture speak for themselves. ❤️
The Ceremony
The ceremony was incredibly beautiful! We asked the same pastor who married us originally to perform this ceremony again and she did a fantastic job! She suggested we do something called “the warming of the rings,” where we passed around our wedding rings (in a box, of course) for everyone in the audience to bless. And before you ask, no we weren’t worried about theft - we trusted everyone there wouldn’t steal the rings in front of everyone else!
I also wanted to highlight a particular reading that we asked another one of Brian’s cousins to do. It’s not biblical, but a section from the Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia that gave interracial couples the right to marry without legal interference. Ours being an interracial marriage, it’s not lost on me that a little over 50 years ago, my marriage would have been illegal. It’s also a nod to our original marriage ceremony as we got married at the Supreme Court! Julia delivered the reading beautifully and I saw many teary eyes.
For the ceremony music, Brian and our wedding party walked to an instrumental version of “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles. Brian thought I should get my own music when I walk in and I picked an instrumental version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley. Finally, once we were “still married,” we all walked out to the Peanuts theme song. That got a few chuckles!
Cocktail Hour
For cocktail hour, we had his/hers cocktails. His, being a classic manhattan, and hers being a peach soju-tini. Soju, for those who are unfamiliar, is a Korean distilled rice spirit. It’s similar to vodka, though not as strong, and doesn’t burn going down. For snacks, my mother-in-law hired a local culinary school that trains at-risk youth in the culinary arts.
The Food
While the guest list was about 80% his family, we still wanted to incorporate a few Korean things, and that included Korean food! We had kimchi and bulgogi, of course, but also things like japchae, squid kimchi, and kimbap! It was a good mix of spicy and non-spicy food and we got a LOT of compliments on the choice of food! I think it’s different from the usual steak, fish, and chicken dinners usually served at weddings. This was a relief to my mom who was worried the Korean food would be a turn-off to all the non-Koreans but I think our risk really paid off!
Additionally, while we didn’t do cake-cutting, we did serve cake on individual plates. I’m not normally a big fan of cakes in general but my one exception is cheesecake! One of Brian’s aunts offered to bake the cake for us! She is a gem and her cheesecake was literally the best I’ve ever had! Just the sheer amount of work she put into feeding all 95 guests plus us was awe-inspiring and we are so thankful
Beyond!
We hired a DJ who did an awesome job! He set up the sound systems for both the ceremony and dancing. For our first dance, however, Brian’s cake-making aunt offered to sing our song for us! She practiced for it and her singing voice is so lovely, I was happy to take her up on her offer! She even hired her own pianist for the occasion! We danced to “Moon River” by Andy Williams (made famous, of course, by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s). For the father-daughter dance, we danced to “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John, and Brian and his mom danced to “Neon Moon” by Brooks and Dunn. Then we all just had a blast dancing the rest of the night away!
Thank you for reading!
Photography: Charles Le
Dress: BHLDN
Shoes: Sam Edelman
Suit: Charles Tyrwhitt
Ties: Tie Bar
Bouquets: Rosies and Posies
Hair: Shauna from Naturals Boutique Spa & Salon
Music: