A Purple Love Affair in Malibu at Stone Mountain Estates

(From the bride) After a decision was made on the wedding color/theme, the rest parts became a bit easier. We both agreed to go with a simple and modern design as the venue itself is beautiful enough and does not need excessive decoration.

(From the bride) Not counting the robe I wore during the make-up, I had three looks for the wedding. During the tea ceremony (a cultural tradition in China when people get married), my mothers and I were all wearing the ‘qipao’, which is a type of mandarin gown, and I purposely picked the one in purple color to match my wedding theme. My favorite part about this look is the real flowers used as hair accessories, paired with pearl earrings. My main gown for the wedding ceremony was from Amsale. It is embroidered with cherry blossom patterns and comes with a matching long veil. I had my hair down (again with real flowers as hair accessories) for a more feminine and romantic look before the ceremony, and then changed to the updo hairstyle for a more formal and elegant look during the ceremony. My last look worn during the reception and first dance was a tie-strap gown in light ivory, with beaded butterflies and flowers around the chest area. I wanted a dress that I would feel comfortable to wear to dance, and it did its job perfectly

The couple shared with the guests their love of California cuisine for its fresh and sustainable ingredients and diverse menu. To pair with the food and the celebrating vibe, white sparkling wines were poured.

(From the bride) To add some modern elements, we also used mirrors for the table numbers, seating charts, welcome signs, etc. The ceremony area is my favorite part of the design – the light-weighted white paper décor created a flowy and romantic feeling to the background, and the relatively low stand avoided blocking the beautiful mountain view.

Instead of traditional round wedding cakes, the couple chose a tiered square cake for its modern look. In the environment constructed with many 90 degree angles such as the pool where the cake was displayed, the cake blended in the scene perfectly. For the color, purple is a no brainer!

(From the bride) For me, it was the process of picking the wedding songs that I enjoyed the most during the wedding planning. Not just the bride/groom ceremony entrance songs, but also the songs to play during pre-ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, dancing, etc. I think music is a very direct way of creating the type of ambience we want for the wedding.

(From the bride) Los Angeles is always on the top of my wedding venue list. I spent my adolescence in LA before moved away for colleague, and I’ve always had special feelings about this place because it shaped who I am today. When considering the type of venue, my husband and I were very keen on having an outdoor wedding. We love spending time in nature and would like to share that love and pass it on to the important people in our life. We also wanted to have the wedding in an exotic setting but knew traveling abroad could be difficult for our guests during COVID. So, when my wedding planner showed me Instagram pictures of Stone Mountain Estate, it immediately won my heart: the earth-tone architectural design well blended with the beautiful natural setting, the stunning view of the Santa Monica mountains, the marble pool surrounded by curly-shaped plants, etc. I could really imagine myself getting married in this place.

(From the bride) Learning the first dance was definitely the most personal experience for both of us from the planning process. We were very against the idea of doing a first dance at the beginning because we are both too shy to perform in front of that many people. But after attending a few of friends’ weddings, we were very touched by the love and unity between the newly wed couples from the dance and decided to give it a try. Turned out that we both quite enjoyed learning the first dance, and it was a unique and memorable experience for us.