[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”]The ceremony was all white and green, very classic and quintessentially “wedding”, and then the wedding reception colors were shades of neutrals including cream, taupe, champagne, and beige, with pops of blush, peach, and gold. This allowed a different feeling and experience for guests going from ceremony to dinner, two distinctly different spaces.
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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]
The vision for the wedding was an outdoor celebration in a garden setting that captures the spirit of the Pacific Northwest. We wanted a wedding that represented our shared values and interests including inclusivity, hospitality, good food, and a beautiful ambiance filled with flowers. Twin Willow Gardens was a venue that provided a quintessential Pacific Northwest experience with its lush, forested ceremony site and expansively beautiful gardens. Bao-Tram & Tuan wanted to meld that coveted Pacific Northwest feel with a fine-art, elegant wedding style. With the help of Events by Genevieve and by bringing their own floral ingenuity to the table, they successfully added a romantic, fine-art flair to this already beautiful garden venue all while creating an unforgettable experience for their guests.
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[field title=”Proposal Story”]After living together for two years in Baltimore, MD while BT was finishing up graduate school at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Tuan and BT moved to Seattle, WA in January 2019, got a puppy, and began to settle down.
Tuan proposed to BT on the morning of September 14, 2019 at Seward Park in South Seattle with just the two of them. It was a moment that was months in the making. He went as far as pretending to take an interest in photography just to pick up a nice camera to record the proposal.
The day before the proposal, Tuan convinced BT to join him for a short walk and photo session at Seward Park, but little did BT know that it was a photo session for their engagement. As the two walked the path of the park they frequented throughout their relationship, Tuan briefly disappeared from BT’s sights. She eventually found him in an opening in the woods right off of the usual path. A camera was set up in the distance and the two stood together for a picture. It was there that Tuan told Bao-Tram the camera was actually recording a video. Trembling, he glared at her eyes, stuttered his feelings with a face full of tears, and got down on one knee to ask her to marry him. She said “yes!”
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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]
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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]
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[board_carousel title=”First Look”]
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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]
The bride dawned three different looks on the wedding day. She wore a fitted backless, mermaid Berta dress that had delicate hand sewn beads, beaded straps, slightly sheer skirt with a long train and the iconic Berta bow. She loved the form-fitting silhouette and the intricate details, and the playful velvet bow on the waist was a favorite small but important detail! During the reception, she changed into her Vietnamese ao dai from Thai Nguyen Atelier, otherwise known as the fairy gown mother from Netflix’s Say I Do. For the very last portion of the evening, the bride changes into a fun and flirty dress from BCBG Max Azria for the first dance and getaway. It had fun tulle pieces and layers which twirled magically during dancing and was the perfect lightweight but elegant piece for running down a row of sparklers and hopping into the getaway car!
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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]
The bridal party wore champagne and oyster dresses from BHLDN. The two colors were similar, neutral tones that complemented each other well but still provided a bit of variety.
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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”][/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]
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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]
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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]
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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]
BT & Tuan regularly refer to themselves as “foodies”. They travel to eat, they cook for their friends and family, and experiencing food with their community brings them great joy. They wanted to treat their guests to a unique culinary experience. Instead of having one catering company oversee all the food, the couple recruited their favorite chefs and caterers to make a custom menu that kept guests satisfied all night long. As guests departed the whimsical ceremony nestled in the woods, they were greeted with an array of appetizers that were truly unique. Bao-Tram & Tuan had the pleasure of working with Chef Roman Allen and Chef Young Cho to curate their passed appetizers. Chef Roman Allen is the Executive Chef of the Pepper Club Las Vegas while Chef Young is the Executive Chef of Sugo Seattle. The passed appetizers consisted of: Yellowtail Buds w/ Strawberry Yuzu Sauce Kobe Beef Teriyaki Tacos w/ Jalapeno & Sriracha garnish Shrimp Ceviche Bluefin Poke Tacos Caprese served w/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil The cocktail hour featured a lavish charcuterie table from Graze Together, another Vietnamese-owned vendor. The couple wanted to incorporate tropical Asian fruits (dragon fruit, longan, rambutan, etc.) for a unique touch and to delight the Vietnamese aunties in attendance. The main entrée was Spanish seafood and meat paella from Paella House that was cooked in large pans in front of the wedding guests. The couple was inspired to serve paella at their wedding after taking a paella cooking class in Barcelona, Spain. They loved the theatrical and communal aspect of it. BT & Tuan knew the added element of live cooking during our cocktail hour would be a treat for their guests as the aromas of paella diffused through the wedding venue right before the reception dinner. For a late night snack, they served Molly Moon’s Ice Cream via Aha Party Co. ice cream cart and Mr. Green Bubble Boba with Traditional Milk Tea w/ Tapioca Jelly, Fruit Tea with Lychee Jelly and Fruit Bits, and Vietnamese Popcorn Chicken and garlic fries. Lastly, an end of the night dessert table featured a finale of Macadon Macarons, Mango Pannacotta, Matcha Tiramisu, and Custard Fruit Bites from Nicole Sammie. There were two full bars during the festivities, one at either end of the venue to keep guests mingling all night long. Featured were the couple’s signature drinks: Hers- Spicy Mango Margarita His- Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade
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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]
The floral design for this wedding day is part of what made it so unique! Not simply because of the floral creations themselves, but because the couple (affectionately known as a #coupleofflowers) happens to also be award-winning wedding floral designers! They knew it would be impossible to execute such a grand floral vision on their own wedding day, after all, they were getting married! They designed and planned the floral arrangements for their day and then recruited the help of their friends to pull it all together. The bouquet: “My florist friend, the Traveling Stem, created my bridal bouquet and bridesmaid bouquets. Flowers in the wedding bouquets were mostly floral with minimal greenery including: honey dijon roses, quicksand roses, peonies, David Austin white garden roses, Cafe Latte roses, cappuccino roses, white stock, and ranunculus.” (from the Bride) Boutonniere: “The groom created his own boutonniere with Sahara spray roses, hellebore, white lisianthus, and olive trig. Tuan helped make boutonnieres for his eight groomsmen.” Located in the woods of Twin Willow Gardens, you felt encompassed by the lush forestry of the ceremony. The bride and groom wanted to complement that feeling so they decided to do all white flowers, a large aisle runner, and keep the more dramatic pieces to the back of the aisle, to not take away from the forestry feeling up front. They kept the arch simple and decorated it with three lanterns. The all-white ceremony florals was a “David Austin wedding” with 500 fluffy white and cream colored garden roses. All in all, there were over 3000 roses used throughout the wedding design. They wanted to create a floral and decor story that pulled guests in and kept them interested. The reception featured several different high and low elements between centerpieces, hanging installations, and ground pieces to bring guests’ eyes to different areas as they entered the tent. Elevated centerpieces on gold Harlow stands and lush floral runners for two long tables were filled with seasonal and local floral products, perfect for a garden wedding including peonies, roses, raspberry branches, blueberry branches, mint leaves. A mix of round and rectangular seating was utilized to keep the floor plan interesting and provide dimension. While the florals were a statement piece in the ceremony and reception, that floral story continued throughout the entire event. From the bar top, the receiving line backdrop, to the Vintage Porsche getaway car, lush, garden-inspired floral arrangements kept the design cohesive and inspired guests at every turn.
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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]
The cake from Honey Crumb Cakes had a matte beige fondant exterior with torn edges cuffs that matched the color and texture of the hand-made paper in the wedding invitations. It was decorated with hand-painted details and all life-like sugar flowers featuring white garden roses inspired by David Austin, ranunculus, spray roses, hydrangea buds, and blush peony – perfect for a florist couple. Inside was a decadent lemon cake with blackberry; and while it was almost too beautiful to eat, they didn’t let that stop them from enjoying this delicious piece of art!
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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]The groom and his parents walked down the aisle to Ryuichi Sakamoto – Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. The wedding party entrance song was Can’t Help Falling In Love by Kina Grannis and the bride made her debut to River Flows In You, by Yiruma.
During the reception, the couple shared their first dance to At My WOrst by Pink Sweat$ ft. Kehlani, the father daughter dance was to Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion, and the mother son dance was to God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You by NSYNC.
Chris Anderson played live jazz music during cocktail hour and it was a dream come true for Tuan & BT to have him there. [/field]
[field title=”Special Detail #1″]
The Escort Display was a stunning statement piece that brought function and sentiment together. With the phrase “Bloom where you’re planted” across the top (a nod to the couple’s floral-focused lifestyle) and their custom crest in the center, the escort display continued the floral-centered aesthetic present throughout the rest of the wedding day design. It featured 22 glass cloches, each containing unique floral arrangements and featuring the names of their wedding guests with their designated table number. Guests were mesmerized by the grandness of the escort display and loved admiring the floral arrangements featured within the glass cloches.
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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]
The Bride wore a custom ao dai created by Netflix’s Thai Nguyen. From the bride, “There’s nothing more surreal than meeting someone you’ve watched on TV face to face! Walking into the boutique of a celebrity designer like Thai Nguyen and knowing I was going to have the opportunity to work one-on-one with him to create an element that held so much cultural importance for my wedding day was certainly a highlight of the wedding planning experience.” The ao dai was ivory in color with floral headed lace, silk pants, soft pleated tulle ruffle sleeves and a traditional Vietnamese headpiece.
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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]Who doesn’t dream of making a glamorous getaway on their wedding day? Bao-Tram & Tuan chose a vintage Porsche for this special moment, but wanted to add their own flair to tie even the getaway car into the wedding day design. That’s why they prioritized a striking floral installation on the back of the car. Not only did it make for the most romantic getaway moment; it provided the perfect photo opportunity for an epic photo op! [/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]
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Photography: Janet Lin Photography | Videographer: A Play of Light | Event Planning: Events by Geneieve | Floral Design: Emerald City Flowers | Wedding Dress: Berta | Cake: Honey Crumb Cake Studio | Invitations: Creative by Sofiya | Wedding Bands: Valerie Madison Jewelry | Bridesmaids' Dresses: BHLDN | Catering: Paella House | Hair: Ashley Renee Kirby | Favors: Frans Chocolates | Groom's Attire: Suitsupply | Groomsmen's Attire: Generation Tux | Transportation: British Motor Coach | Wedding Venue: Twin Willow Gardens | Beauty: DeLeana Guerrero | Beauty: Magdalena Ayon | Boba Tea: Green Bubble Cafe | Bridesmaids' Robes: Robed With Love | Desserts: Nicole Sammie | Desserts: Macadons | Ice Cream: Mollie Moon Ice Cream | Ice Cream Cart + Photo Booth: Aha Party Co. | Jazz Vocalist: Chris Anderson | Photography - Assistance: Katy Hulten | Rentals: Hosted Modern | Rentals: Vintage Ambiance | Rentals: CORT Party Rentals | Seating Chart: On the Wall Design Studio | Staffing: Diamond Clean Seattle | Vietnamese ao dai: Thai Nguyen Collection | Wedding Dress Boutique: Idina Bride | Wedding Rings: James Allen