From the bride…To make a long story short, in the winter of 2007, we went to Las Vegas and eloped thinking that we were going to have the wedding ceremony soon thereafter. Due to our busy lives, two years had quickly passed by without a wedding. I often checked Style Me Pretty for inspiration, but I was absolutely clueless as to where to begin. I came from Korea a few years ago and had attended only a handful of weddings. Planning a wedding in America was very new to me but I always knew in my heart that we wanted an ocean front wedding with an intimate, private setting. La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes was the perfect venue; we finally had to book it. We definitely wanted to stay away from having a typical huge Korean wedding ceremony.
The moment we hired Esther Kim as our designer/planner, she quickly booked our extremely talented photographer, Marisa Holmes, our florist, Hannah Koo Designs and our our cake designer, Kaylas Kakes . She also booked Dear Darling for all calligraphy to turn my inspirations into a reality.
We wanted a soft vintage elegance with a feminine romantic twist. The color schemes included peach, light cream orange and blush pink. I have a love of collecting teapots so we decided to use teapots, urns and antique milk jars for all the arrangements to represent a light, airy, garden-like feel. We also used candle lights throughout the reception to create a warm and romantic atmosphere. Hannah Koo Designs incorporated a variety of garden roses, scabiosas, astilbe, lissianthus and curly willow as well as other natural garden elements in her designs. Peaches and apricots added a fresh look to the aisle treatments and table settings.
La Venta Inn already had a Spanish villa vibe and the venue coordinator was kind enough to let us rearrange some of their furniture. The couch and ruffle pillows were moved outside in front of the fountain where the guests signed in and took Polaroid pictures. Having the vintage couch near the sign in table definitely created a casual & fun atmosphere during cocktail hour.
But I must admit, the huge hit was the dessert bar!! Kaylas Kakes provided the cake, cake pops, mini cupcakes, rice krispies and all the vintage props and cake stands while we hand selected our favorite french macarons from Paulettes’ in Beverly Hills. Esther Kim then picked up all the desserts and styled the station with her magic hands along with some of my own personal collection of tea cups we brought from home. The dessert bar would not have looked as perfect without the added calligraphy work from Dear Darling.
We still receive so many compliments about our wedding and every vendor truly exceeded all of our expectations. We have to admit that having a great team of vendors makes a world of difference and we are forever thankful for their team effort & dedication.
Event Designer/Planner: Esther Kim of My Bride Story / Photography: Marisa Holmes Photography / Floral Designer: Hannah Koo Designs / Wedding Gown: Shin Bu / DJ: Adagio Weddings / Bakery: Kaylas Kakes / Calligraphy: Dear Darling / Bridesmaids Dresses: Jill Stuart / Linens: Elegant Specialty Designs / Coordination: Katie Lee of Bella Destinee / Venue: La Venta Inn