How did you meet?
We met in 2015 and have dated for 5 years.
What is your proposal story?
We flew out to San Diego for my birthday. Early one morning, we decided to see the sunrise and walk on the beach. He knelt down and pretended to look for seashells. All of a sudden, he said, “come see what I found!” He kneeled down on one knee and opened the ring box with the biggest smile. A few moments passed by and he kept smiling with the open ring box. I asked if him he could ask me the question. I guess he was so excited, he forgot to pop the question!
Tell us about your wedding vision.
We wanted to choose a venue that had garden views. The scenery is very romantic with beautiful flowers everywhere. The charming mansion was built in the 1930’s. The venue included a wedding coordinator that helped with every small detail. They had everything included, such as decor, linens, lighting and a sound system. It was the perfect setting for our wedding.
Tell us about your attire choices.
Our son and the groom had matching outfits, from the suits to the shoes. They wore fun socks. Our son wore Zelda socks and the groom had barbell socks.
I wanted to find an illusion style dress with a train. The train had a gorgeous lace detail. For my bridal hair and makeup, I wanted a classic, timeless look with a little bit of Hollywood glamour
What was most important to you two? Was there anything you chose to splurge on or skip?
It was most important to choose vendors who are BIPOC, LGBT, or small businesses as much as we could. We wanted to support our local community. The owner of Black Star Grill is a friend of ours and they are a black-owned family business.
We had a limited number of guests to invite, but we also invited many people around the world to watch our wedding online. We had people from Japan, Saipan, and around the U.S. We also sent out the music playlist so they could enjoy our reception music from home. Even though we couldn’t invite everyone, we wanted our loved ones to be included and to enjoy our day also.
What were your favorite parts of the day?
My favorite part of the day was having my son walk me down the aisle to hand me off to his new Stepfather.
In addition, my uncle became ordained for our wedding. It meant the world having such an important person in our lives marry us.
Tell us about your wedding flowers.
My favorite flowers are dahlias. My florist constructed a big beautiful bouquet of flowers in shades of white and blush pink with eucalyptus and greenery.
Tell us about your wedding cake.
We chose an Asian French bakery as our cake vendor. After tasting all the cakes, we selected the “cloud cake.” The cloud cake is a fresh whipped cream cake with white castella sponge and fresh strawberries. We topped off our cake with a weightlifter groom and bride topper!
What did you do for favors?
We had personal scented sanitizers at each setting and heart-shaped fans.
Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.
My son and I had our hair styled by the same hair stylist. He got his curls styled and I had gorgeous waves set in my hair. I loved how we could both get ready together on the wedding day.
Did you include any family heirlooms or special traditions?
The Japanese pearl necklace was passed on from my grandmother to my mother. My mother passed on the necklace to me for my wedding day. I promised my mother, that this heirloom will be passed on to the next generation as well.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
It’s possible to plan a romantic happy wedding during the pandemic. Having a wedding during these times, makes it even more special and intimate. Every detail came out perfectly because we were surrounded by talented kind vendors. We feel so thankful and appreciate every vendor that helped us on our special day.
