Ken and I met online, while we were both studying for our Master's degrees.  He was living in Boston and I was in Shanghai, China.  We both had a lot in common--we grew up in Los Angeles and lived only 35 miles apart from each other, but our paths never crossed until we were on opposite sides of the world.  We fell in love before we even met each other in person and he told me that his goal was to marry me.  Our first meeting was in China, 3 months after we met online and on my birthday.  We have been inseparable ever since. 

Planning was no easy feat for us because Ken and I both live and work in Beijing, China.  We chose to have our wedding in Los Angeles because we both grew up there and most of our family and friends there.   We had our wedding on June 6, 2009 at the Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, California with 220 guests. 

We originally put a deposit down for another location because I wanted a venue by the water, but six months into the planning we were both feeling more and more ambivalent about our choice of location.  It was Ken who persuaded me to find another venue.  We wanted someplace beautiful, intimate, and special—we wanted our guests to feel like they stepped into a fairy tale.  Saddlerock Ranch was the first place I visited and we immediately knew it was the one!  The location is so picturesque and provided the natural beauty of the Santa Monica mountains, lush green lawns, and animals grazing in the background.

Saddlerock Ranch

I was also very lucky because Ken was actively involved with me in some of the projects.  I’m a girly-girl and had to choose pink and chocolate brown as our colors. The cherry blossom design was our theme throughout the wedding—from our invitations to our wedding cake and cupcakes.  I was going for a romantic and rustic feel and tried to incorporate as many personal touches and details as we could. Our invitations, programs, and menus were custom designed.  My friend, Enni, is a graphic designer and she and I collaborated on the cherry blossom design.  Our invitation set is letterpressed and done by Mercurio Brothers in Oakland, CA.  They are reasonably priced and the letterpress is definitely worth the extra bucks. The wedding programs also doubled as placecards. 

Carmela Mazzarulli did the beautiful lettering on the programs and placecards.  I highly recommend using her services because she's VERY affordable and experienced.  She's based in New Jersey, but she'll get everything done on time and will ship them to you. 

Vanilla Bakeshop did a terrific job with our cake and it was delicious too!  We chose their fluer del sel chocolate cake, which has thin layers of dark chocolate, creamy caramel ganache with a dash of imported French sea salt. We displayed my grandparent's wedding picture on the cake table (the pink frame is my grandma's!) Our caterer, The Kitchen, made the red velvet cupcakes.

I brought 60 pashminas back from China in an assortment of colors for our guests to keep warm in.  I went to a fabric market in Beijing and picked out the linen and had it made into dinner napkins all for $90!  We had pictures of our childhood, family, and friends clipped around two tree trunks.  Karen set up a self-portrait station during cocktail hour for our guests.  I got funny glasses and chalkboards with colored chalks for them to have fun with. I made the wooden sign displayed at the portrait station. 

The cakestand we used and the leather trunk we put the pashminas in belonged to my late uncle and it added a special touch to our day.  I also brought back from China velvet ribbons in pink and brown and tied them around the dinner napkins to compliment the calligraphed table place cards.  We served 2 signature cocktails (raspberry mint mojito and elderflower champagne), iced tea and lemonades.  The table numbers were a last-minute DIY idea from Paper Source.  I got parasols in pink, white, and brown for our guests to use.

Instead of giving away traditional favors, we decided to make a charitable donation to the Children of Rural of China Foundation Ken founded back at Harvard business school.  The charity supports and helps over 500 children a year in Xinjiang, China and puts them through school.  I am very proud of Ken for all his kind effort he put into the charity. 

We had the honor to have a good friend officiate for us. He was someone we respected and looked up to as a husband, father, and friend.  The flower girls are my twin nieces and the ring bearer is my lovable little Frenchie, Badger. 

We were very fortunate to have wonderful and supportive friends and family helping us along the way.  All the flower arrangements and centerpieces were created by the talented David Hahn of Willem-Aidan in San Diego.  Ken and David are close friends and business partners.  Ken invested in Willem-Aidan 6 years ago and we always knew that David would be our only choice.  He was so dedicated to our wedding that he pulled his two boys out of school for an entire week and set up shop in Ken's parent's garage.  As a wedding gift to us, he gave us the price of the flowers at cost and no fees for labor.  We had over 70 table arrangements alone, 1 peony bouquet, 4 bouquets for bridesmaids, 12 boutonnieres, 2 nosegays for our moms, the decorated arch for our ceremony, along with a few extra centerpieces for the sign-in table, etc.  We spent a total of $3k on everything, not bad eh? 

We had 23 long tables and each had one large centerpiece and two smaller ones on each end.  The centerpieces were filled mainly with garden roses in a variety of colors and hydrangeas.  I love, love, love peonies and Dave chose light pink ones for my bouquet.  It was just perfect! The bridesmaids' bouquets were very simple composed of garden roses. 

Photos by Karen Wise Photography www.karenwise.com

Signature Cocktails

           Raspberry Mint Mojito

Elderflower Champagne with Gold Sprinkles

Refreshment Bar

Lavender Hibiscus Lemonade

  Traditional Lemonade

Iced Tea with Wagon Wheels

         Hors d' oeuvres

Zucchini Wrapped Big Shrimp with Roasted Tomato Aioli

Ahi Tuna Tartare on a Wonton Crisp with Wasabi Sauce

Braised Short Ribs on a Crostini and Horseradish Sauce

Miniature Grilled Gruyere Cheese Sandwiches Pear-Fig Compote

Warm Brie in a Crispy Cup White Truffle Honey and Sliced Almonds

Salad

Mixed Garden Greens in a Radicchio Cup

Fallen Chevre Souffle, Candied Pecans, Edible Flowers

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Entree

Filet Mignon Tournedo with Brown and Horseradish Sauce

Yukon Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Onions, Haricot Vert with Roma Tomatoes

OR

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Hot & Sour Mango Relish and Fresh Limes

Served on a Bed of Forbidden Black Rice, Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas and Radishes

Dessert

Creme Brule, Fresh Raspberries & Mint Sprig

Wedding Cupcake

Coffee and Tea

We are both lovers of jazz and found an awesome 5-piece band that played classic jazz hits during the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception.  I walked down the aisle to Miles Davis’ “It Never Entered My Mind.”  We couldn’t decide on a song for the first dance for the longest time and Ken insisted that he pick it.  I was very hesitant at first, but I decided to trust him because the wedding was only 2 days away.  After our welcome speech to our guests, he had three young guests join us on the dance floor and read to everyone his version of our fairy tale.  Our first dance was “Someday My Prince Will Come” and also by Miles Davis.  He really took me by surprise and I couldn’t stop crying (some of our guests too).  So it really did feel like a fairy tale…

In order for us to kiss, the guests had to find creative ways to use the word "love".  Two girls played a round of tennis and used "love" many times.  Another young guest sang the Beatle's song "All You Need Is Love". We really wanted to celebrate love and marriage and invited all the married couples to the dance floor.  Everyone danced to "The Way You Look Tonight", played by our band.  The emcee then started to eliminate couples based on the number of years they were married, until the longest married couple was left standing.  The couple that won were married for 52 years!  This was a total hit with our guests.

Ken’s groomsman, Brad, was also our awesome emcee, lighting technician, and DJ! Brad did all the other lighting for the reception (except for the chandeliers and twinkle lights).  I’ve always wanted chandeliers hanging from the tree branches…it adds such a romantic and elegant touch!  And the lighting effect it provided during the reception was absolutely amazing!  

I am a bonafide fashionista at heart! My brother is a buyer at Dior and got me the stunning cocktail dress from the 2009 cruise collection that I wore during the reception.   I first saw the dress on the Americana Manhasset catalogue and fell in love with it.  I called my brother immediately and he worked his magic =)  The fit is amazing...it has a full skirt so when you're walking it looks like it's floating.  I received so many compliments on it!  I was lucky enough to find the Rene's in my size on sale at 60% off.  I didn't even think twice about it.  The earrings and Louboutins were a last minute purchase a few weeks before the wedding.  The sparkling detail on the shoe is unbelievable.

Since it was an early evening outdoor wedding, I preferred to look more natural.  I went through a bad trial where they put on too much makeup and I looked scary and also aged 5 years!  The makeup artist used air-brush on me instead of regular foundation.  I really liked the finish and it kept my makeup looking fresh all night.  She used different shades of browns and lilacs on my eyes.  I wore my hair in a loose half-up style for the ceremony because I had to wear a long veil.  During the reception, I pinned a few orchids to my hair to cover the bobby pins (see first dance pic).  After changing into my cocktail dress, I wore my hair in a loose side ponytail and secured it with two fresh orchids.  That completed my look for the night. 

Dress by Lazaro and Christian Dior

Shoes by Rene Caovilla and Christian Louboutin 

Earrings by Adriana Orsini, sold exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Makeup and Hair by Joyce Luck Style

Groom's Suit by Ermenegildo Zegna                                                                 

Bridesmaids dresses by J.Crew

Flower Girl dresses by J.Crew

Groomsmen wore their own black suits

MOB dress by Lanvin

*****************************************************************************

I'm selling my Lazaro gown.  My wedding was recently featured on Style Me Pretty and I received so many compliments on the dress! 

Size 4, but will fit a street size 0 or 2 bride. Sweetheart neckline, low back, gorgeous rhinestone sash that ties behind, mermaid silhouette, covered buttons going down the entire dress in the back, bustled, built in cups for support.

I am 5'4" (163cm) and wore 4 inch heels with it.  Measurements are bust 33/34, waist 25, hips 36.  Can be easily altered to fit someone more petite.  Dry cleaned and boxed and will ship anywhere in the U.S. 

I paid over $3400 retail from a bridal salon in Orange County.  I am passing the savings to another bride for $1700.  Please email me at: catherinec58@gmail.com if you have any questions.  Thanks and good luck!

Each and every one of them were amazing!

Florist: David Hahn of Willem-Aidan    http://www.willem-aidan.com/

Event coordinator: Linda Chow of Lavish Celebrations

Photography: Karen Wise  www.karenwise.com

Videography: Blue Sky Videos

Catering: The Kitchen for Exploring Foods

Cake: Vanilla Bakeshop 

Party Rentals: Classic Party Rentals, Chiavari Chairs 4 Rent

Jazz Band: Evan Stone Productions

Hair and Makeup: Joyce Luck Style

Calligrapher: Carmela Mazzarulli

Letterpress Printers: Mercurio Brothers

1) I bleached my teeth 2 months before and it made a huge difference in photos. My dentist gave me a professional kit to use at home, once everyday for 15 minutes for 2 weeks.  Very easy and effective, highly recommend it! 

2) I shouldn't of done it against better judgement, but I had air brushing done 5 days before the wedding.  I had an uneven tan--my left arm was tanner than my right because of driving and my legs were pale.  I've never tried air brush before and didn't have enough time to do regular tanning.  The salon used the lightest shade they had and I looked really tanned.  I wasn't suppose to shower that night, but did anyway because the tan was dark and I wanted it to fade off a few shades.  On the wedding day, the tan was perfect and faded into a nice color.  I was very lucky...

3) I colored my hair 2 weeks before.  This way my roots wouldn't show and if something went wrong I would have time to fix it.  My colorist was out of town and had written down the color that I wanted.  I don't know what happened, but the color turned out to be a really light blondish brown and I wanted a rich medium chocolate brown.  I had to reschedule with the colorist to achieve the color I wanted.  I waited another week to give my hair a break.  A week before the big day, I went in for a re-color and it was successful.  It was the perfect shade I was hoping for.  I also cut my hair six months before and let it grow long.  I don't recommend experimenting with your haircut a few months before because you don't have time to grow it back.

4) I got my manicure and pedicure the day before and on the day of the rehearsal.  I have nice nails already and wanted a natural look.  I used a sheer pink shade (often used for French manicures) alone for my nails and a pink/fuschia shade for my toes. 

5) I got false eyelashes a few days before the wedding. I liked the natural looking ones my makeup artist used on me for the trial, but I wanted something a tad bit more dramatic. I purchased these by Shu Uemura.  Not only does it look natural, it gives your eyes a nice flutter. Worth every penny. $20 from Nordstroms.

6) Every one of my friends who has gotten married told me not to worry about not being able to fit into the dress.  They told me that they lost the extra weight due to stress.  Some lost so much weight that their seamstress had to take the dress in days before the wedding.  But I was eating so much that at one point had trouble zipping up my dress!  I continued to have a great appetite until a few days before the wedding.  I was so stressed and ran around so much that I lost a few pounds without dieting.  It's important that you don't starve yourself.  You will shed the extra pounds naturally! 

7) Plan your makeup and hair trials early!  After a referral by a friend, I booked a trial with that person (I'm leaving their name anonymous because my friend is in the same makeup team).  It was disaster.  Even though I brought in tons of pictures and made it clear to her that I wanted a natural look, she managed to get it all wrong. I had on so much makeup and looked so scary that my mom walked out of the room.  So bad that I had to go home and wash it all off and wouldn't want to be seen in public looking like that. I had no glow on my face (dark and dull), the eyes were too dramatic (looks fine in photos, but scary in person), and I looked like a different person altogether. 

Then, I spent so much time researching the right person to do the job that so many of them were already booked by then.  I am very particular about makeup and the products they used.  Not that there's anything wrong with MAC, but I preferred that they used other quality brands (Stila, Laura Mercier, NARS, Bobbi Brown, etc). I was frantically searching for good makeup artist and I was lucky enough to book Peilin of Joyce Luck Style 2 months before the wedding.  I had a awesome trial with her and she knew exactly what I wanted.  She used air brush on my face and I loved it! 

Yes it's expensive for the trials and there's no guarantees, but there are only a number of great artists available. Bring in lots of pictures for them and schedule the trial on the morning of your engagement or boudoir shoot, a party or event, or your dress fitting.