C & J's California Wedding Featured A Unique Wedding Guest Book: A Wine Bottle
Couple: C & J
Wedding Date: December 9, 2023
Wedding Venue: The Colony House
Wedding City / Country: Anaheim, California, USA
Ceremony Dress: Mona
Stunning Korean-Chinese Fusion Wedding in California that Reflected the Couple's True Essence
Tell us more about your love story. What do you love most about your partner?
C: One of the things I love most about J is his ability to find joy in the small things in life. He can find joy and fun in the smallest of things, and it made me feel like that our lives would be filled with joy for many years to come! We’ve been together for 5 years total, and out of that, we’ve been married for almost 1 year! Our first wedding anniversary is coming up in December.
J: C is a very caring and affectionate person. I fell in love with her endless generosity and care for not just myself, but for others as well. She is always trying to take care of the people around her, and I knew that life with her would be filled with kindness and warmth.
What’s one thing you guys always agree on / disagree on?
We agree on most things, but in terms of things we disagree on, J runs warm and I run cold, so we can never agree on whether to turn the air conditioning on or not.
How did your partner propose? Share with us your proposal story!
J is a huge wine lover and I am a huge foodie, and he always talked about wanting to do a tour of wineries in Napa, which is a huge wine and food region in California. During a trip to Napa in November 2022, J proposed to me in a beautiful winery called Frog’s Leap. He was able to get one of my close high school friends involved in the planning process as our secret photographer in the vineyards. After the proposal, the three of us had a fun time celebrating with wine and food!
To honour this proposal story and our love for wine and food, we had wine bottles for guests to sign instead of a traditional guest book. Our hope is to open these special bottles during future landmark anniversaries
A Wedding All About the Moments that Truly Count
How did you decide on your wedding theme and venue? What was your inspiration behind it?
We wanted our wedding day to feel timeless and authentic to us. Instead of trying to follow too many trends, we decided to focus on our biggest priorities: food, drinks, and making memories with our loved ones. We are huge foodies, and we wanted the food and drinks to reflect our culture, so we served a special 8-course meal that was inspired by Chinese banquet style dinners.
For many of our guests who weren’t Chinese, they were so shocked by how abundant and delicious the meal was, and it’s still something our guests talk about when they remember our wedding. For drinks, we had 2 special cocktails created to reflect who we are: the Jungle Bird (reflecting J’s heritage as a Chinese Malaysian) and a Yuja Gin Tonic (reflecting C’s Korean heritage).
We tried to spend as much time as possible on our day mingling with guests, as making memories with them was a big priority for us. We wanted to make sure we got some face time with all of guests. It meant that our timeline was filled with less formalities like speeches and games, and more mingling and open dance floor time. I think we were able to have a day that really reflected who we were, and I have no regrets about how the day went!
What were some of your biggest challenges you faced during your wedding planning?
Our wedding day was easy-going and fun (thanks to our wonderful coordinators and vendors), but of course, the planning process is not always so easy! The biggest challenges we faced during wedding planning was of course, budgeting. I think most brides just don’t have a realistic idea of how much wedding vendors or services cost, as it’s not something we have to purchase frequently. It can come as a big shock at first.
As a couple, we had transparent and honest conversations about what our wedding budget is and what our priorities were. For us, our priorities were food and drink and making sure our day is as stress free as possible, so focused our budget on great food and drinks and choosing reputable vendors that we knew we could trust our day with.
I think it was great training for us as a couple to have those real conversations about money and budgeting, and I think our decisions paid off in the end, as we had an awesome day that was run so smoothly by our professional and amazing vendors! I warn all my friends who are wedding planning now to not shy away from the budget conversation with their partners, as it’s important to set those expectations and focus on a few key priorities to make it a good day for the couple!
What made you choose our Mona gown?
I never felt very drawn to the big, princess-style gowns growing up, so I always knew I wanted something more sleek, classic, and minimalist for my wedding day. I loved how the Mona felt both classic yet modern, which seemed like a great fit for my desire for a more timeless feel to my day. The thing I loved most about the Mona was the tulle details in the back - it gave it that touch of feminine that distinguished from other white minimalist gowns!
Was there a special touch in styling the gown on the big day?
The Mona has sleeves that you can wear on or off the shoulder, and I decided that off the shoulder felt a bit more feminine and modern to me. The tulle detail in the back can also be made into a bow, but I decided to keep the tulle free-flowing. I ended up really enjoying that decision, because our wedding day was a bit windy, and the tulle looked beautiful flowing in the wind in photos!
How did your friends or family react when they first saw you in your wedding gown?
My family and friends loved seeing me in the Mona - so many of my guests commented how classy and beautiful the gown looked. Several people mentioned that the dress felt true to me, which I totally agree!
I felt really comfortable wearing the Mona not only because it was a dress that allowed me to move freely, but also because it really felt like it matched my own personal style and personality.
What was the most memorable part of your wedding that you love up till today?
I was feeling a bit anxious and busy leading up to the wedding, but on the actual day of the wedding, I didn’t feel too nervous or anxious. I think I knew that I did all I could do to prepare for the day, so I was able to focus on the day and enjoy the moment.
I’ll never forget our first dance together as a married couple. We had practiced our choreography for months leading up to the wedding, and I know J was super anxious about the routine. But we nailed it as a couple, and I just remember having so much joy about the dance!
Advice you have for brides-to-be...
My biggest advice is to find your support network. Don’t try to do this on your own! Lean on your partner, family, friends, and loved ones to support you physically and emotionally throughout this process.
Find vendors that you trust to do a good job, and lean on their expertise and advice. Delegate things to people you trust and ask them for help. You’re going to need the support!
Wedding Vendors
Wedding Planner / Coordinator: Petal and Rose Events | @petalandrose_eventco
Photographer: Kristine & Charles | @kristineandcharles
Makeup & Hair: Credo Makeup Studio | @credomakeupstudio
Venue: The Colony House | @thecolonyhouse
Florist: @deflorala
Catering: Furiwa | @furiwa
Bone and Grey #LoveMadeSimple
We interviewed C&J when they popped by the studio while visiting family in Singapore, watch the 3-part Love Made Simple series on C&J.