deeinthenola's biography
We live in New Orleans and planned our wedding from afar.
Sam and I met in Saint Louis where he attended Wash U Law and I was at Saint Louis University Med. Sam is a JAG in the USMC and I am a Urology Resident. And fortunately, we were able to make it happen where he is stationed here and I matched here for residency. What a relief!
We look forward to spending the next three years here in New Orleans and then moving back to San Francisco. ;)
THE PROPOSAL
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon as Sam and I were walking in downtown Clayton (an area in St. Louis) to meet some friends for lunch. As we were walking, he was reflecting on the movie that they had watched the night before (The Notebook - a romantic love story).
As we turned a street corner, Sam said that he wanted to take care of me until we were old (like the husband in the movie). He got down on one knee, pulled out a box from his pocket, and asked me to be his wife. I was speechless. I was so surprised because he had been telling her that he was still saving up for a ring. In reality, he had flown to California a few weeks prior to get my parents' blessing, and naturally, he purchased the ring the day after they gave him the thumbs up. And yes, I did say "yes" even before I opened up the box and saw it.
People passing by congratulated us, and then we went to meet our friends for lunch and to share the great news!
The Look: Contemporary and Elegant
The Feel: Romantic with Asian elements
The Colors: Varying shades of pinks, ivory/champagne.
Sculpted objects that describe things of significance in our lives! What you see is completely edible. The ducks, Tiffany box, and butterflies are all made of sugar. We opted for two flavors, the Toasted Almond and Caramel Swirl flavors which were so.......good. YUM!!
The Base: Designer suitcase with a luggage tag that read "Denise and Sam". The second tier: Two text books, one that is med and the other law. The bindings read "Chow's Anatomy" and "Mule's Law Dictionary". Mule is my nickname for him. This symbolizes our love for learning and our respective professions.
The third tier: A gym bag with a Marine Corps emblem. This symbolizes our love for health and loyalty to the USMC.
The fourth tier: A chinese takeout box with our double happiness logo and chopsticks sticking up from the top. Real cymbidium orchids were placed at the top of the take out box. (Final photos to follow)
The Accessories: Two wedding ducks that symbolize fidelity and a happy marriage in Korean culture. I love butterflies and love jewelry. ;)
I love my Vera dress. It is a modified mermaid style with a chapel length train.
Our wedding day was truly one of the happiest days of my life. On the day of, it is not a matter of the details that you have been stressing about over many months such as chargers and chivari chairs (Thanks to the many brides who gave me their advice about these issues!!) ;) , but it becomes a warm celebration with your family and friends who are there to witness your marriage union. It is not until I was walking down the aisle, looking at all the smiling faces back at me, that I realized the wedding is not about all the little details that you have been stressing over. I was just so happy and honored that so many friends and family came out to have a great time and celebrate.
However, I am very glad that I made all the detailed decisions and that I did and decided to go for what I loved cause it's one day, one time in your life, and there is no going back to "I wish I did that or that." I LOVED wedding planning...so many ideas and directions that you can choose to go with. ;)
On the actual day, I had full confidence in my vendors, relaxed and had a good time entertaining all of our guests.
I didn’t grow up dreaming of my wedding day and my wedding dress, but Sam and our parents truly gave me a “dream wedding” that I will truly cherish forever.
Vendor Reviews in progress--
Ceremony Location - Treasure Island Chapel
Reception Location - Casa de la Vista
Caterers - Melons Catering
Cake Creator - I Dream of Cake
Florist - Passiflora
Lighting- Elle Lighting
Photographer - Todd Rafalovich
Videographer - Thomas Hughes Videography
Disc Jockey - Spintronix
Musicians - An Elegant Touch of Strings
Invitations - Mercurio Brothers
Wedding Programs- Larry Newman Printing
Makeup Artist - Nam Vo
Eyebrow Shaping- Blink SF
Wedding Coordinator - Michelle Thornton
Honeymoon Destination - One and Only Palmilla, Mexico
Wedding Map - Distinctive Directions
Wedding Favors- Fancy Fortune Cookies, Efavormart, Michaels
Wedding Jewelry- Louis Vuitton
Bridal Party Gifts- Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co.
Paper Goods- Paper Source
Rehearsal Dinner Location- Ohgane Restaurant, Oakland
Out of Town Guest Party Location- Kirin Restaurant, Berkeley
Honeymoon Photographer- Bradley Fraser
