i am from indonesia, he is from austria. we met at a university in philadelphia (where we both work). our connection was definitely not an instant. it took us more than a year until our first date. it started when we took a dance class together (he was my dance partner). we've been together ever since.

also check my blog: redwhitebride

pics by aleks rachael photography

::the morning::

i went to bed around 4am (not wedding stress, i had to hand in grades that day; the final exam was only three days before, i had two classes with 40 students each), but we managed to wake up at 8am. we exchanged gifts while we're still in bed. we had agreed not to give each other wedding gifts, so i really did not expect to get anything from him. i gave him a tie clip from florence (italy), the name resembles his. he gave me a surprise wedding band (we bought one but he decided to design a new one from an austrian jeweler). we agreed that he would wear the tie clip that day and, of course, i would wear the wedding band after the ceremony. but he forgot the clip on the bed...

my friends had planned to pick up flowers from our place at 10am, go to the venue and return to our place for lunch and get ready. he wanted to rehearse our first dance before anyone came. i turned on the music and went to him. instead of getting into a dance position, he held me in his arms and started sobbing. he said he was sooo happy the day has finally came and we would share our lives forever. it was a very special moment for me.

the weather was perfect. warm with clear blue sky. i went to do a mani/pedi and he went to see his hairdresser. at the salon i took my e-ring off and put it inside my wristlet. well, i forgot to put it back in... :( i did not wear my engagement ring to my wedding!!!

i returned from the salon at noon and had lunch with my BMs. they started getting ready afterwards. my MUA came and worked her magic on me and our photogs came in the meantime. surprisingly, i was calm the entire time.

{i was getting ready with my girls}

{he was getting ready with his parents and friends}

{our bridal party - ready to rock}

we did our first look and portraits in front of a historic building nearby (i was nervous and i could see that he was nervous too, but it went well) and then we called our GMs and BMs to join us. the place where we shot pictures was literally a block away from where my BMs were getting ready, we assumed they would just walk like i did (less than 3 mins), but they decided to drive and ended up somewhere far from where we were!!! so they were late and we just did a couple of shots with them as we had to rush to the venue. 

{first look & formal}

::the evening::

we arrived at the venue. most guests have arrived and greeted us (i was not so good with hiding!), the officiant was ready, and the musicians were playing. perfect, i thought... but we soon realized that the dj was not there! he's not supposed to cover the ceremony, but should start right after that. flo was furious. the one thing that bothered flo the most was that nobody told him/us or called the dj (i found out later that my DOC was late because she helped my BMs to get ready and she needed to get ready herself at my place after that). flo immediately called the dj (who apparently had thought the whole thing would start at 7pm instead of 5pm). i tried my best to keep him calm.

we got ready for the ceremony. i was very calm until i had to walk down the aisle. i tried to smile and looked at flo, but flo was crying so i started to cry too and couldn't stop. the petals on the floor were slippery :) and i had to walk alone toward flo. i stumbled on my dress when we climbed up the stairs to the stage.  

{processional}

oh... flo was a very handsome groom! i am very lucky to marry him :D

the ceremony was smooth (thanks to my dear DOC), except for this huge mishap: the officiant's cellphone went off right in the middle of flo's vow! picture this: it was all quiet, i was listening to flo in tears... and suddenly a loud ringtone went off. the officiant didn't stop or pause the vow. instead, he just pick the phone, turned it off, and continued reading. at that moment i was so overwhelmed with emotion it actually felt like a part of the ceremony (i don't know how to explain this), but when we look at our video now, we realize that little incident did ruin the "feel" of our ceremony.  tip: ask everybody to turn off their cellphones before the ceremony!

{ceremony}

after the recessional, we did not do a formal receiving line. we mingle with the guests immediately (cocktail hour). even though there was no music, i don't think the guests noticed anything. we went outside for more photos. the dj arrived in the meantime, our GMs helped him with his equipment. when we returned for a rice tower cutting ceremony, the sound system was just ready (my DOC had to try a few times until the mic was on). 

{rice cutting ceremony; with all guests}

right after the rice cutting, somebody stepped on my dress and killed 3 points of the bustle. i had no time to fix this before our entrance and first dance (i danced with a little bit of a train... a little challenging). 

{first dance}

my MOH/BF couldn't make it to our wedding (she lives in Japan), but flo contacted her secretly to record her speech for me. it was a nice surprise and i couldn't stop crying when the video played (i got myself a very nice husband hehe). on the other hand, flo apparently forgot to tell his best man to give a toast until they got ready. so the best man was so stressed out he had to steal some time before the ceremony to outline his speech (not being a native english speaker didn't help him either). but his speech was so sweet and everybody liked it.

{best man's toast}

the rest of the evening was fun, fun, and fun. i ate a little, drank a little, but danced a lot. i didn't even need to go to the loo (can you believe that?!?). it was so hot dancing with my dress and the bustle was totally ruined. my BMs tried to pin them up but i was not patient enough. i changed into a lighter dress sooner than planned. 

i did not do any makeup retouch or hair adjustment. i think i should have done those. i was super sweaty (was uncomfortable when guests wanted to hug goodbye) and my hair was getting loose. at the end some of them decided to fall. i didn't care at the time, but it's sort of sad to see it on pics haha... 

{dance}

we wanted to do a photobooth during reception. we DIY'd the backdrop (with ppc pipes and fabric and everything), we bought the fun prop, masks, glasses, hats, you name it... but we forgot about it until our photogs already left (better coordination with DOC should have helped).  

{tabletop & favors}

in summary, it was a day full of happiness and joy and excitement and everything else; a heightened moment of happiness that went by so quickly. i am very happy that the joyful planning process has resulted in a joyful event. and now our real journey has begun... 

-- pics by aleks rachael photography --

we received our videos in the mail right after we returned from our honeymoon (our videographer told us it was ready 2 weeks after our wedding, but we're holding our mails). the videos are lengthy so i took some parts and post them on vimeo to share with our family & friends. here are the short videos:

• our ceremony. i cut pieces from the video and stitch them together so the sound is totally messed up hence the music cover up. 
• interlude from the ceremony. the only part that was smooth enough to be presented as is :)
• our grand entrance. 
• bouquet toss, garter removal and garter toss
• our guests

{the rice cutting ceremony}

an indonesian tradition. the rice symbolizes a mountain; cutting it on the top together symbolizes our hard work to overcome all obstacles and reach our goals. this ceremony is common to start a celebration.

::entrance, first dance, toast::

::dinner & guestbook signing::

::dance::

::cake cutting::

::father-in-law speech::

::surprise dance with my BMs::

::karaoke::

::our happy guests::

{part 1}

we went to indonesia and singapore from May 22 to June 14, 2010. we visited jakarta, bogor, bandung, and yogyakarta (all in java island) and then flew to bali and singapore. 

• on our flight from frankfurt to singapore, the crew from singapore airlines surprised us with a honeymoon cake and champagne. it was so nice of them. 

• may 24-28: we visited the miniature park of indonesia in jakarta, great botanical garden in bogor, tea plantation in puncak highland, and safari park.

• may 28-june 4: we continued driving to bandung (west java) and stopped by the village where my parents have their retreat house and continued to yogyakarta. we visited the borobudur temple, sultan palace, prambanan temple and enjoyed the ramayana ballet.

• june 4-8: we flew to bali. we stayed at kamandalu resort & spa in ubud, bali.

• we did a ATV tour, visited temples, and watched amazing dance performances. 

{tanah lot temple; a temple in ubud}

{atv tour}

{ubud palace; our offering} 

{kecak dance at uluwatu temple}

{mother temple, besakih; monkey forest, ubud; pura taman ayun, mengwi}

{part 2}

we traveled to europe for many events, my DH's niece's baptism, my MIL's big 60th birthday party, our wedding reception, etc. 

sachertorte at sacher hotel - vienna, austria

a sausagefest celebrating our wedding at the butcher shop floor of DH's family hotel - innsbruck, austria

baptism - telfts, austria

lisbon, portugal

our venue was the auditorium of the german society of PA. we had the ceremony and reception all together at one place. the auditorium has a stage. the ceremony was held on the stage, we put two pedestal tables for our altar. guests sat at their tables. after the ceremony, we went to the bar/food area for cocktails. the stage and area down the stage then were transformed into dance floor. the altar will be our backdrop for photobooth (we forgot to set it up). guests were free to mingle, chat, dance, sit, and do whatever they like during reception.  

our wedding:

our color palette consists of fuchsia and silver. this board was what i envisioned the perfect palette for our wedding, minus the fuchsia dress for me (i really wanted a fuchsia dress, but could not resist a white dress either!).

each of my friends-of-honor wore a silver lace dress from BCBG, a pair of RSVP Britney shoes in fuchsia, and the jewelry custom made by an etsy seller, sarah koski of roundabout.

on our way to a dance lesson, my friend took me to a store where she bought her dress a few years ago. the store looks crappy, i didn't expect to find anything there. but i was wrong, i ordered my dress from the store. then i went back home at the end of the day just to find bad reviews about them. the average rating is 1.2 out of 5! several brides even went to court with them! so, i was very nervous. anyway, the store hid the label of the dress, but i found out later on the net it's allure 8683.

update:

i had my first fitting on 02/13. the dress needs to be hemmed about an inch, and taken in on the side and the bust. i will have the english bustle using the roses on my train. my friends took these pics from the fitting, but mostly from the back :) next and last fitting will be on 05/08, a week before the big day~ 

on the wedding day, my bustle didn't stand long enough and it was super hot so i changed earlier than i planned:

i fell in love instantly with these kanata heels in magenta from betsey johnson. they were among the first items i bought for the wedding, even before the dress. i call them my disco shoes! :)

then when i searched for possible attire for our e-session, i found the second pair (they are Bloom pumps from ZiGi NY). the blooms have a perfect heel height (me likey!), but they are not as comfy as the disco shoes.

UPDATE! 01/30/10: i just bought the third pair and they are wedges!!! ("florence" in silver from betsey johnson). our venue prohibits naked stilettos (i bought heel stoppers for my two stilettos), so in case the heel stoppers don't do their job, i have a plan b. 

UPDATE: i changed to flip flops as soon as i hit the dance floor. the third shoes were left unworn.

{hair}

i wanted something practical like a flower or a birdcage veil, but my fi told me he wants to lift my veil to kiss me at the ceremony. i got a mantilla veil with a blusher (drop veil) from weddingveil.com. i added swarovski crystals (ss20) on the lace just to get a little sparkle. i will wear the veil only during the ceremony. then wear this hair flower from brendasbridalveils. hairpiece in action:

{jewelry & garters}

necklace & earrings from haute bride (N996 and EC408) and bracelet from BridalBling on etsy; heirloom beaded lace from garterlady.

::DIY project::

• 1 bridal bouquet, 1 toss bouquet, 7 bm bouquets, 8 bouts, 2 altar arrangements, 2 stage arrangements, 1 guest book arrangement, 1 welcome table arrangement, 10 tall centerpieces, 20 low centerpieces, 1 cake topper and aisle petals

::flower orders::

• 288 stems of peony rose yves piaget ($519.98) from fiftyflowers.com
  
• 70 stems of stock ($129.99) from fiftyflowers.com 
• 80 stems of spray roses ($109.99) from fiftyflowers.com 
• 500 stems of 50cm hot pink roses ($429.67 - incl. tax) from samsclub

additionally, i purchased 15 stems of white peonies for my bouquet, 8 stems of small peonies for bouts, and greens. the total cost was $1279.60, not including vases and floral foam.

::recap::

inspiration (starg8zer's cake) and our cake (it was strawberry shortcake):

i also ordered a groom's cake from desserts by dana. because fi is such "a huge fan" of david hasselhoff (apparently he was sooo popular in europe), the groom's cake was the KITT car from the knight rider (all chocolate).

our cake server from things remembered and the matching flutes (park avenue collection):

:: our DIY invitation ::

i bought the heart image from dreamstime (worths 8 credits = about $8) and designed the whole suite using powerpoint (yes, it's easier~). i used HP color laser printer (home printer) at work on pre-cut metallic card stock in silver color.

::welcome poster/guest book alternative::

instead of writing a guest book, we asked our guests to leave their thumbprints and sign their names to fill up a "heart" as a pledge for our love:

these are our OOT bags, bathroom box, favors, seating chart, card box, napkins, signs, flip flops & uplights (par38 cans with dark pink gels):

we sent an invitation to president barack obama and first lady michelle obama to come to our wedding :) two weeks later we received their greeting card!! we're so excited we decided to display the card at our guest book table during reception.

we plan an informal, fun, cocktail-style reception. our guests will have their own seats, but the menu is designed so that they can eat without having to sit down all the time and they are encouraged to mingle and chat during the reception. here is our menu:

{stationary appetizers}

french cheese tray, pate tray, antipasto tray, Italian grilled vegetable antipasto tray, mini fruits and yogurt kebobs

{hot butlered hors d'oeuvres}

grilled beef roll with scallions, spanakopita, baby rib lamb chop, profiteroles with goat cheese, sun-dried tomato & basil, Indonesian chicken satay brochette, mini salmon corn cake, beggar purse, mini egg roll 

{Stations}

roast tenderloin of beef (served with creamy horseradish, bearnaise, green beans with garlic & lemon, and rolls)

mashed potato bar (served with assortments of hot and cold toppings: grilled sliced chicken breast with sun-dried tomato, asparagus with button mushrooms in balsamic vinegar reduction, sauteed onions & bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, blanched broccoli florets, and sour cream)

Indonesian yellow rice tower (served with fragrant fried chicken, caramelized tempeh, shredded omelets, spicy grated coconut, and potato patties)

{dessert}

wedding cake (choice of strawberry shortcake and chocolate)

{beverage}

bellview winery angelo's red table wine (new jersey), dama del rovere montebasalto (italy), bellview winery black currant wine (new jersey), soft drink bar, coffee & tea station

:: ceremony :: (with violin, piano, cello)

• prelude - assortment of classical music (band's choice)
• groom & parents entrance - "now and forever" by richard marx (video) <== cheesy, i know...
• bridal party processional - "the chapel of love" by dixie cups (video)
• bride processional - "here comes the sun" by the beatles (video) <== fi's choice
• interlude - "if" by bread (video) <== poem reading by bridal party
• recessional - "ring of fire" by johnny cash (video)
• guest recess - "from this moment on" by shania twain (video)

:: reception :: (dj)

• entrance - "i gotta feeling" by black eyed peas (video)
• first dance - "lucky" by jason mraz (video) <== we're doing the super simple nightclub two step
• surprise dance with my bms - "my humps" by black eyed peas (video)
• cake cutting - "sugar sugar" by the archies (video)
• bouquet toss - "single ladies" by beyonce (video)
• garter removal - "hot in here" by nelly (video)
• garter toss - "bad boys" by inner circle (video)

1. venue: the german society of pennsylvania (website)
2. catering & coordination: chef's table (website)
3. day of coordinator:sinta hite
4. photographer: aleks rachael photograpy (website)
5. videographer: big day video productions (website)
6. ceremony musicians: cara mia wedding & event music (website)
7. dj: all around sound entertainment (website)
8. make up artist & hair stylist for the bride: genevieve forsyth (website)
   
9. make up artist & hair stylist for bms: liana zillweger
10. stationery:
    
    • cardstock, paper & envelope: lcipaper
    • personalized postage stamp: zazzle
    • velvet & silk ribbon: mj trim
11. attire:
    
    • {bride}
      • wedding gown: allure bridals
      • reception dress: bcbg maxazria
      • shoes: betsey johnson
      • veil: wedding veil
      • jewelry: haute bride and bridal bling
      • hair piece & brooch: brenda's bridal veils
      • clutch: viabella
    • {groom}
      • suit: burberry
      • necktie and pocket square: something borrowed
    • {team bride}
      • dress: bcbg maxazria
      • shoes: rsvp
      • jewelry: roundabout and kamagi
      • hair piece: the honeycomb

we did an informal rehearsal dinner BBQ at home, only with parents & bridal party.

our RD invitation (DIY) & rock candy favors:

dinner was catered by famous dave's. it was a big hit! everything was super tasty! :) then we did a [sort of] rehearsal. we also handed our gifts to his parents and our bridal party. 

gifts for his parents: personalized hankies embroidered with metallic silver thread from embroidery by Linda. this is for his mom: 

for the girls: because i bought my BMs all their attire (dresses, shoes, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, hair flowers), i just bought them small gifts. fuchsia pashminas from peach couture and personalized heart compacts from things remembered.

{decor}

{jewelry}

04/14/10 at el vez 

jennifer_m21, jesandshan, me  (pics by jesandshan)