Romantic Ombre Backyard Wedding
As beautiful as it is heartwarming, this backyard fete blends cultural touches and family tradition. Filled with Ixora Floral Studio ombre blooms, one sweet pug, and an invitation suite crafted by the Bride herself - every detail is meaningful. From the Chinese tea ceremony to the sweet pink hues, every image captured by Christine Choi proves that no matter where life brings you, home is where the heart is!
From the beautiful Bride... Our wedding was filled to the brim with family traditions. Janak placed a family heirloom necklace around my neck during the wedding ceremony, an act that represents marriage in his Sri Lankan Buddhist culture. This particular necklace has been in his family for four generations, and, years ago, the necklace was divided into three separate chains, each chain earmarked for one of the three brothers to give to his future bride. My parents presented us with traditional jewelry during the Chinese tea ceremony. Our wedding cake, hand-made by my mother-in-law, featured the same wedding topper that was used in Janak’s parents’ own wedding decades ago. Janak wore the same tie his father wore to his own engagement many years ago.
I have absolutely no background in design, so I freely admit that my decision to design, letterpress, write calligraphy for, and watercolor my own invitations makes me certifiably insane. The process took me months, and even down to the final hour I was watercoloring tiny hearts on the letterpressed wedding maps. I scoured Google Image and vector websites to design the perfect wedding logo—my priority was to incorporate Chinese as well as Sri Lankan Buddhist elements (the character for “double happiness” and the lotus, respectively). After I finished my design in Adobe Illustrator, I ordered the plates from Boxcar Press. After a crash-course in letterpress, which included mixing thick rubber letterpress inks (my garage is still covered in ink splatters), I then printed two hundred-plus invitations using a cranky antique Kelsey cast-iron letterpress as well the much-easier, yet eminently less charming, modern L Letterpress. Finally, using Photoshop, I cut out a silhouette of my dog from an old photo and used the file to print out a tiny stamp at my local rubber stamp store. I used the silhouette and stamp of my beloved pug to add a whimsical unifying element to all of the wedding paper goods, from the save-the-dates, to the invitations, to the programs and menus.
From Christine Choi Photography... It has become a tradition for the groom's family to have all their family weddings in his parents' home. The Sunny and the Janak got ready in separate rooms in this gorgeous Pasadena home that resembled an art museum full of warmth and comfort. The ceremony took place in the front lawn under a huge overarching oak tree. The ethereal bride walked down an aisle strewn with hundreds of rose petals - pink, white, and red. After the ceremony, guests gathered in the side lawn to munch on mouth watering hors d'oeuvres. Everything was prepared on site with a full kitchen set up in the drive way. Then the guests were led to a beautifully decorated reception site with candle lit tables under a canopy of hundreds of pink and white paper lanterns. After a five-course meal, live music and a dance floor set up over the swimming pool enticed the guests to dance the night away with the happy couple.
I have absolutely no background in design, so I freely admit that my decision to design, letterpress, write calligraphy for, and watercolor my own invitations makes me certifiably insane. The process took me months, and even down to the final hour I was watercoloring tiny hearts on the letterpressed wedding maps. I scoured Google Image and vector websites to design the perfect wedding logo—my priority was to incorporate Chinese as well as Sri Lankan Buddhist elements (the character for “double happiness” and the lotus, respectively). After I finished my design in Adobe Illustrator, I ordered the plates from Boxcar Press. After a crash-course in letterpress, which included mixing thick rubber letterpress inks (my garage is still covered in ink splatters), I then printed two hundred-plus invitations using a cranky antique Kelsey cast-iron letterpress as well the much-easier, yet eminently less charming, modern L Letterpress. Finally, using Photoshop, I cut out a silhouette of my dog from an old photo and used the file to print out a tiny stamp at my local rubber stamp store. I used the silhouette and stamp of my beloved pug to add a whimsical unifying element to all of the wedding paper goods, from the save-the-dates, to the invitations, to the programs and menus.
From Christine Choi Photography... It has become a tradition for the groom's family to have all their family weddings in his parents' home. The Sunny and the Janak got ready in separate rooms in this gorgeous Pasadena home that resembled an art museum full of warmth and comfort. The ceremony took place in the front lawn under a huge overarching oak tree. The ethereal bride walked down an aisle strewn with hundreds of rose petals - pink, white, and red. After the ceremony, guests gathered in the side lawn to munch on mouth watering hors d'oeuvres. Everything was prepared on site with a full kitchen set up in the drive way. Then the guests were led to a beautifully decorated reception site with candle lit tables under a canopy of hundreds of pink and white paper lanterns. After a five-course meal, live music and a dance floor set up over the swimming pool enticed the guests to dance the night away with the happy couple.