After the tragic loss of the bride’s father just months before the wedding, it was this couple’s number one priority to honor his memory on the big day. They included beautiful moments like a candle lighting at the welcome table and a locket tied around the bridal bouquet. Peony & Plum and CCL Weddings helped make it a day to remember and The Great Romance and FonD Productions captured every bit.
From The Bride…Roy and I met in college and started dating 5 years ago, and it has been a whirlwind of an adventure since! Upon beginning our careers, our professional endeavors took us all over the East Coast – starting in Boston, then to Philadelphia, and now New York City. But when it came time to decide on the location for the wedding, we knew right away that we wanted to get married where our roots were planted and where our hearts collided: California. With general geography out of the way, we began the venue hunt. Roy and I are fortunate to have very similar preferences in style, but with it came the almost-unattainable specificity in the vision of what we wanted. After months of a seemingly endless search, we came to the realization that to materialize that vision and truly reflect us as a couple, we needed a blank-slate where we could customize and build our wedding from the ground-up.
We found that perfect blank slate in Malibu Rocky Oaks. From the moment we stepped onto the venue, we fell in love with its Tuscan architecture and design that exuded elegance. The private estate provided the right amount of intimacy, while the sweeping vineyard landscape painted the perfect romantic atmosphere. The raw setting was all that we could ask for, and enabled us to put in our personal touches to bring everything together.
In keeping with the Tuscan theme, we incorporated olive branches and Italian-inspired greenery throughout our floral décor. We opted for a fairly neutral color scheme consisting of ivory, nude, blush, peach, and pops of gold to tie in all of the details. Our aim was to produce a timeless, romantic, and elegant affair. Luxurious, but in an understated way. In addition to having a private space to celebrate, we also felt strongly about having an outdoor dining area. Building upon the breathtaking views of the mountains and vineyards, the use of bistro lights, crystal chandeliers, and gold candelabras came together to create the perfect al fresco dining experience that we dreamed. The overall theme for the wedding was “Let Everything Be Done in Love” – the phrase by which we choose to live for one another. And we infused these phrases into various elements of the wedding.
One of our key focuses was on catering to our guests and their experience from beginning to the end. Starting with a chauffeured ride into the venue, we welcomed them with tasty refreshment drinks, and surprised them following the ceremony with cold eucalyptus towels and popsicle-infused champagne to cool them on a warm Malibu day. We certainly wanted to account for the diverse sweets palates of our guests, so multiple dessert stations were a must, although the macaron ice cream sandwiches were the biggest hit.
I recall a moment during the reception as Roy and I marveled at the sight of our loved ones enjoying their meals, and we gazed at one another with pure joy in our eyes, the biggest smiles, and overflowing hearts, truly thankful that everything, and most especially that everyone, had come together for our special day…it was a perfect celebration to honor our love and union. The only thing that would have made this day even more perfect was having my father by my side. The wedding was already a roller coaster of emotions for obvious reasons, but it was an especially emotional day for me as I had lost my father just months before the big day. To overcome the anxiety and heartache on the day-of, we found small ways to honor and remember him throughout the wedding. On the welcome table, we laid out rows of candles that our guests could light in his memory. At the ceremony, we reserved a seat with his name and picture, and had an acoustic guitarist to commemorate his love for the guitar. And as I walked down the aisle alongside my brother, I carried a gold locket of his picture around my bouquet.
Losing my father was the single most tragic event of my life, and to marry Roy was the single happiest moment of my life. I consider having these two juxtapose one another as a symbolic representation of life and our matrimony. It is in the toughest times that we vowed to lean on each other, and to breathe new hope and bring laughter when life seems devoid of either. It shows us what we can overcome and endure, as long as we have each other by our side. And it highlights the fragility and ethereal nature of life, but the beauty that can always be found within it. Our wedding was remarkable to us for so many reasons, but it is the discovery of a true ‘soul mate’ within each other that really makes this love extraordinary.
Photography: The Great Romance | Cinematography: FonD Productions | Event Planning: CCL Weddings & Events | Floral Design: Peony & Plum | Cake: Merely Sweets | Catering: Hungry Bear Catering | Hair + Makeup: Kelly Zhang Makeup Team | DJ: All The Above Events | Officiant: Deidra Gray-Breijo | Venue: Malibu Rocky Oaks | Beverage Services: Cocktail Academy | Desserts: Snow Monster | Linen Rentals: La Tavola | Photo Booth: Photo Booth Supply Co | Rentals: Town And Country Rentals | Specialty Rentals: Etablir Shop
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