Dream of a Romantic Wedding in Sonoma? Look No Further.
Have you seen our archive of Sonoma weddings? It's a glowing, sun-filled collection that's sure to satisfy your vineyard-loving ways. It sure does hit the spot for me. And today, we're adding yet another beauty from Evonne & Darren Photography. With rentals from Bright Event Rentals and 'maids decked out in Jenny Yoo, every detail in The Vault is pure romance.
From the Bride... We actually lived around the corner from one another growing up and went to the same middle school but never met. It wasn't until two moves and many years later that we met at a Model United Nations event at a local high school. We started dating in 2001 and were together for 13 years when Albert proposed in Thailand.
In May 2015, we went on a SE Asia trip with some of our best friends, Jessie and Chris. We went island hopping, to Koh Phi Phi to visit Maya Beach. With only a few hours to spare before catching the ferry back to Krabi, we dipped in the ocean and took countless photos of the picturesque limestone cliffs and teal ocean water. Though I found the ring the day prior, I had forgotten about it while experiencing the beauty of this beach. So I did not find it odd when Albert wanted to take scenic photos together, with our backs facing the camera manned by Jessie. Albert secretly extended his hand behind my back, signaling Chris to place the ring box in his palm. When I pulled away after the photos were taken, Albert grabbed me, showed me the ring box, and went down on one knee. Upon opening the ring box, he said, "uhh I don't have a speech so I'm just going to ask. Will you marry me?"
We knew we wanted a wine country wedding but we wanted a location that wasn't just a winery; we wanted something more unique, whimsical, and allowed hard alcohol. We did not have a theme or color scheme; instead we wanted soft muted tones everywhere with a lot of florals and greenery. We were lucky with Cornerstone Sonoma in the sense that the venue didn't require much in terms of decor, it is already beautiful on its own. Ashley Brand of LVL was our wedding planner. We had a video call with her and enjoyed chatting with her and virtually meeting her dog, a yorkie and maltese mix, and knew she would be wonderful as our day-of coordinator. Working in the Silicon Valley and wanting to be environmentally responsible, we opted to use electronic invitations. We choose a white and gold foil design and really enjoyed the quick turnaround of RSVPs due to the electronic delivery method!
I wore an ivory Vera Wang trumpet gown made from silk, tulle, and various types of lace. Every girl should try on dresses at Vera Wang or something comparable. The experience and dress quality is astounding! I knew it was the dress as soon as I felt it against my skin and walked around, especially based on the delicate dress details and the way it moved. I actually became too overwhelmed in options while ring shopping and gave up on picking an engagement ring. Albert completely customized a ring based on the first ring that intrigued me; a round brilliant with a delicate cushion halo set in platinum and with a very thin diamond band. My wedding ring matches the setting, but in rose gold. Something about different metals is very appealing to me. Albert is highly allergic to most metals so he choose a titanium band.
I wore a hair pin that was gifted to me from my family as well as a waltz length veil. I purchased the veil from Etsy and have passed it along to a friend for her something borrowed for her wedding and will pass it down to my sister afterwards. I also wore a bracelet passed down from Albert's aunt and earrings I purchased from Saks. For shoes, I choose nude Christian Louboutin Simple 100 pumps. I wore these nearly all day and night, changing into cream colored Attilio Giusti Leombruni ballet flats for our first dance routine. Ann Li of By Liann and her crew of two did the hair and makeup for my bridesmaids and I. Albert loves it when my hair is down and since it was a hot day, I choose to do a side swept look with loose curls. My makeup was natural and dewy, with a neutral lip. Albert wore a dark grey Ted Baker suit with brown Too Boot NY shoes. He doesn't typically wear jewelry because he's allergic, but he wore a bowtie from The Tie Bar. He just had a haircut recently; he was so well groomed and handsome! I couldn't wait to tap him on the shoulder during our first look. The bridesmaid dresses were made by Jenny Yoo, the Scarlett dress. It's a long flowy champagne colored dress with a somewhat metallic lace strapless top. The girls looked beautiful and ethereal, perfect for the romantic look I was going for.
My best male friend from high school was our officiant which was something I wanted since I was a teenager! My cousin's company did our florals and our arbor was absolutely stunning as a backdrop. For our pre-ceremony songs, we choose Train - Marry Me, Jason Mraz - Love Someone, Marie Hines - Endless, Sara Bareilles - I Choose You, and the acoustic version of Sam Smith - Latch. We walked down the aisle to River Flows in You by Yiruma (cello/piano orchestral version by David Solis). Our first dance song was to Ed Sheeran - Tenerife Sea.
My cousins's company, HFT International, sourced my florals from all over the U.S. and world. My main requests were astilbes, baby's breath, and peonies, which was incorporated in with things like ferns, silver brunia, and herbs like rosemary. The florals were beautiful, especially the arbor! Evonne and Darren Wong of Evonne & Darren Photography photographed our wedding. We love their aesthetic and style and how they captured the wedding day, and we also had a video call with them and found them to be passionate, well organized, and very thoughtful in their craft. Coming from a Chinese family who appreciated lighter desserts that weren't overly sweet, we decided to order a cake we designed from an Oakland Chinese bakery, Delicieuse Princesse Bakery. It was an ivory three tier sponge cake in a swirl design, with fresh strawberry, mango, and chocolate. The frosting was a light whipped cream.
Our friends love a great time, with music and dancing. Of course we had to have a DJ! DJ Julian Pierce provided music and entertainment for the day. Albert and I didn't do traditional wedding favors as it's difficult to give a gift that appeals to everyone, is practical, and easy to travel with. Instead, we booked Top Dog hot dog to serve a late-night snack. Food is the center of our universe so it was only fitting that we choose food.
Wedding planning wasn't really stressful because I made it my mission to make everything as efficient, simple, and practical as possible. Everyone always says that wedding planning is tough and a lot of work, but they never mention just how much work has to be done post-wedding too. I knew I would be exhausted afterwards so I tried to make this as minimal as possible by thinking about the cleanup, the leftover supplies, and alcohol during the planning process. I also recommend sourcing decor and crafts from friends and family if possible. It gives everything a bit more meaning, especially to decorate your home with later. I also believe that minimizing the amount of crafting will save you a lot of time and effort. I ended up purchasing a lot from Etsy and don't regret it one bit.
In May 2015, we went on a SE Asia trip with some of our best friends, Jessie and Chris. We went island hopping, to Koh Phi Phi to visit Maya Beach. With only a few hours to spare before catching the ferry back to Krabi, we dipped in the ocean and took countless photos of the picturesque limestone cliffs and teal ocean water. Though I found the ring the day prior, I had forgotten about it while experiencing the beauty of this beach. So I did not find it odd when Albert wanted to take scenic photos together, with our backs facing the camera manned by Jessie. Albert secretly extended his hand behind my back, signaling Chris to place the ring box in his palm. When I pulled away after the photos were taken, Albert grabbed me, showed me the ring box, and went down on one knee. Upon opening the ring box, he said, "uhh I don't have a speech so I'm just going to ask. Will you marry me?"
We knew we wanted a wine country wedding but we wanted a location that wasn't just a winery; we wanted something more unique, whimsical, and allowed hard alcohol. We did not have a theme or color scheme; instead we wanted soft muted tones everywhere with a lot of florals and greenery. We were lucky with Cornerstone Sonoma in the sense that the venue didn't require much in terms of decor, it is already beautiful on its own. Ashley Brand of LVL was our wedding planner. We had a video call with her and enjoyed chatting with her and virtually meeting her dog, a yorkie and maltese mix, and knew she would be wonderful as our day-of coordinator. Working in the Silicon Valley and wanting to be environmentally responsible, we opted to use electronic invitations. We choose a white and gold foil design and really enjoyed the quick turnaround of RSVPs due to the electronic delivery method!
I wore an ivory Vera Wang trumpet gown made from silk, tulle, and various types of lace. Every girl should try on dresses at Vera Wang or something comparable. The experience and dress quality is astounding! I knew it was the dress as soon as I felt it against my skin and walked around, especially based on the delicate dress details and the way it moved. I actually became too overwhelmed in options while ring shopping and gave up on picking an engagement ring. Albert completely customized a ring based on the first ring that intrigued me; a round brilliant with a delicate cushion halo set in platinum and with a very thin diamond band. My wedding ring matches the setting, but in rose gold. Something about different metals is very appealing to me. Albert is highly allergic to most metals so he choose a titanium band.
I wore a hair pin that was gifted to me from my family as well as a waltz length veil. I purchased the veil from Etsy and have passed it along to a friend for her something borrowed for her wedding and will pass it down to my sister afterwards. I also wore a bracelet passed down from Albert's aunt and earrings I purchased from Saks. For shoes, I choose nude Christian Louboutin Simple 100 pumps. I wore these nearly all day and night, changing into cream colored Attilio Giusti Leombruni ballet flats for our first dance routine. Ann Li of By Liann and her crew of two did the hair and makeup for my bridesmaids and I. Albert loves it when my hair is down and since it was a hot day, I choose to do a side swept look with loose curls. My makeup was natural and dewy, with a neutral lip. Albert wore a dark grey Ted Baker suit with brown Too Boot NY shoes. He doesn't typically wear jewelry because he's allergic, but he wore a bowtie from The Tie Bar. He just had a haircut recently; he was so well groomed and handsome! I couldn't wait to tap him on the shoulder during our first look. The bridesmaid dresses were made by Jenny Yoo, the Scarlett dress. It's a long flowy champagne colored dress with a somewhat metallic lace strapless top. The girls looked beautiful and ethereal, perfect for the romantic look I was going for.
My best male friend from high school was our officiant which was something I wanted since I was a teenager! My cousin's company did our florals and our arbor was absolutely stunning as a backdrop. For our pre-ceremony songs, we choose Train - Marry Me, Jason Mraz - Love Someone, Marie Hines - Endless, Sara Bareilles - I Choose You, and the acoustic version of Sam Smith - Latch. We walked down the aisle to River Flows in You by Yiruma (cello/piano orchestral version by David Solis). Our first dance song was to Ed Sheeran - Tenerife Sea.
My cousins's company, HFT International, sourced my florals from all over the U.S. and world. My main requests were astilbes, baby's breath, and peonies, which was incorporated in with things like ferns, silver brunia, and herbs like rosemary. The florals were beautiful, especially the arbor! Evonne and Darren Wong of Evonne & Darren Photography photographed our wedding. We love their aesthetic and style and how they captured the wedding day, and we also had a video call with them and found them to be passionate, well organized, and very thoughtful in their craft. Coming from a Chinese family who appreciated lighter desserts that weren't overly sweet, we decided to order a cake we designed from an Oakland Chinese bakery, Delicieuse Princesse Bakery. It was an ivory three tier sponge cake in a swirl design, with fresh strawberry, mango, and chocolate. The frosting was a light whipped cream.
Our friends love a great time, with music and dancing. Of course we had to have a DJ! DJ Julian Pierce provided music and entertainment for the day. Albert and I didn't do traditional wedding favors as it's difficult to give a gift that appeals to everyone, is practical, and easy to travel with. Instead, we booked Top Dog hot dog to serve a late-night snack. Food is the center of our universe so it was only fitting that we choose food.
Wedding planning wasn't really stressful because I made it my mission to make everything as efficient, simple, and practical as possible. Everyone always says that wedding planning is tough and a lot of work, but they never mention just how much work has to be done post-wedding too. I knew I would be exhausted afterwards so I tried to make this as minimal as possible by thinking about the cleanup, the leftover supplies, and alcohol during the planning process. I also recommend sourcing decor and crafts from friends and family if possible. It gives everything a bit more meaning, especially to decorate your home with later. I also believe that minimizing the amount of crafting will save you a lot of time and effort. I ended up purchasing a lot from Etsy and don't regret it one bit.