Kathy + Mike decided to have a wedding weekend extravaganza at Sebastiani Vineyards in Sonoma, California – their goal being that everyone have a fun and relaxing wine weekend (we OLAS ladies sure loved the sound of that!). 😉 Kathy is Vietnamese, so everything about the weekend was infused with bits and pieces of Vietnamese culture. Before we get into all the nitty gritty of everything we absolutely loved about K + M’s wedding (because there’s a lot), let’s back up and delve a bit into their love story. They met at a Georgia Tech alumni event and fell in love over many coffee dates, surfing dates, and rocket launching dates. Yes, you heard us right – rocket launching dates (you get to do that when you live on the spacecoast of Florida!). A few years later, Kathy planned a two week World War II History Tour for them to take together in Europe, and Mike found a way to sneak something shiny onto the plane… He waited until they arrived at K’s favorite city (Paris), right by her favorite bridge (Pont des Arts), and popped the question that changed their lives forever. Don’t you love them already?! Here are our top 5 favorites from K + M’s beautiful wedding day in July:
1. Ok, so we’ve been dying to share this one — Mike’s ring is made of dinosaur bone & meteorite!! That’s just cool.
2. Their choice of venue for their relaxing wine-wedding-weekend, Sebastiani Vineyards! It houses the world’s largest wine barrel in the U.S. (look out for photos of it showcased throughout K + M’s reception – hint, it has it’s own staircase!), and it boasts of some of the most truly breathtaking views of Sonoma County.
3. Their surfer inspired wedding cakes! We loved the cake topper on the traditional wedding cake, and then really, really loved that the groom’s cake (Mike’s favorite pound cake) was in the shape of a sand castle next to a VW bug. Amazing. Little known fact? K + M took a surfing honeymoon as well!
4. K + M’s change of dress into the traditional Vietnamese garb part way through their reception. It’s such a beautiful way to honor your family’s cultural heritage (not to mention the fact that the clothes are absolutely exquisite!).
5. One of our FAVORITE things K + M did at their reception was to completely surprise their guests and have Lion Dancers!!! Tyler (our super talented southeast photog, flown out especially for K + M’s big day) really captured some epic shots of the lion dance. Soooo fun + look out for the surprise dancer that managed to turn the surprise around on the bride & groom — (hint, he’s in the bridal party!). 😉
Kathy & Mike, we are so happy you chose (once like a spark) to be a part of your amazing wedding weekend, and we hope you love your sneak peek! xoxo!
Ceremony/Reception Venue:: Sebastiani Vineyards; Florist:: Devoto Gardens; Cake Vendor:: Occasional Cakes; Caterer:: Park Ave Catering; Entertainment (DJ/Band):: Mixwell Entertainment; Officiant:: Father Skip Sikora; Dress Designer:: Custom Made; Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist:: My-Hang Pham; Invitation/Programs:: Kathy (the bride!); Transportation:: Sebastiani Trolley; Wedding Planner:: Denise Kramer; Lion Dancers:: Far East Dragon Lion Dance; Photobooth:: Sonoma Photo Booth Company; Videographer:: One Day Pictures; Ceremony String Duo:: Musical Heart Strings
Christina DannerStunning. What an exciting wedding, and captured so well.