Number one on our list of loves at SMP HQ is weddings. That’s probably a given. And coming in at a close second? Why the resident Zebra at Saddlerock Ranch, of course. That fuzzy little black and white creature is close to our hearts and whenever we see a gorgeous wedding with this extra special guest, we instantly add it to our favorites. Caroline Tran is the talent behind the camera on this newest affair and it definitely didn’t disappoint the wedding / zebra enthusiasts in us. See all the beauty right here in the full gallery.
From the bride…In terms of inspiration- we didn’t really have a clear picture to start. I’m not one of those brides that had imagined my wedding since I was a kid or anything. Ultimately, what Casey and I wanted was to make sure every moment of the ceremony and reception was personally meaningful to us and to keep our guest list short and small to only include our families and close friends- and for our guests to just have a really good time celebrating with us.I guess you could say that it was more guest-focused (yes, I realize that sounds really Asian, lol!).
We knew we wanted to get married in LA (because that’s where my family is, and Casey’s family is everywhere, so they had to travel anyway). Once we saw the venue, we knew it was the place. In terms of design, I just wanted to incorporate my favorite color- burnt orange- into everything. I chose yellow and persimmon as accent colors and I think everything just popped in the gorgeous backdrop of the vineyards and the mountains (OK, I realize I may be biased here, hehe). I definitely wanted to have some components that were hand-made by me. I really didn’t have the patience to fold 1000 paper cranes, but I found a clever way to incorporate them by making them as part of the escort cards. Having worked in the food and beverage industry, one of my pet peeves is when servers ask guests what they ordered or start auctioning off food. I had this idea that I’d stamp everyone’s food selection on their escort card so the servers would know, but I actually don’t know if that worked out as planned (did it??). Lastly, I had the idea of making seasoned salts for favors because I liked the idea of giving each guest something from my kitchen.
One of our favorite moments was the ceremony itself- those words Clark wrote for us were really amazing and special. For those few moments, it really felt like it was just the two of us up there, sharing a really private and beautiful moment. I loved the cocktail hour when my friend, Andrea, started singing with the guitarist and the bassist. You see, we all went to USC school of music together way back when, and that cocktail jam out session was something that happened just organically. The flower girls were all Casey’s nieces, and they were just precious! Another unforgettable moment was father/daughter dance. My dad is a very typical Korean man, and I’ve never seen him be emotionally expressive. That was just a special moment for me- even though I completely lost it! And we both agree that my sister’s (MOH) speech was just awesome! Oh, and I think you may have left by this time, but we had some Karaoke going late night, and Casey sang Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” which was everyone’s favorite!
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Photographer: Caroline Tran | Caterer: Contemporary Catering | Rentals: Town and Country | Florist: Unique Floral Designs | Hair and makeup: Chiali Meng | Dress: Vera Wang | Coordinator: Kim Paolone | Officiant: Clark Jackowe (a close friend of ours) | Ceremony musicians: Tim Kobza and Steve Pandis (also close friends of ours) | MC/DJ: Shine Entertainment | Venue: Saddlerock Ranch