I loved, loved, LOVE being a part of this wedding! Catherine was such a great calm and relaxed bride to work with! I think she even surprised herself! And Mike is so loving and compassionate towards his wife- their relationship truly was showcased throughout the day. Now, Catherine and Mike decided to have their ceremony in Mike’s back yard [well, the backyard of what I'd like to call the "Dude house", seeing as Mike has two roommates]. It was such a perfect setting- manicured, beautiful and the flexibility that came with having no rules for set up and tear down was perfect! Catherine had some great personal touches as well, and her job at a home builder really came in handy! That added little things like this balloon collumn:
[There was one at the reception site as well]. And these signs:
Directing guests through the side gate [with the signage] was such a perfect idea! It really allowed us to set the scene for the wedding. At the front gate, baskets of parasols and fans awaited the guests for the warm day:
Reserved signs on the back of the parent’s chairs [both bride and groom]:
The aisle!!
Mini paper lanterns!
Catherine also had bought these great pink lanterns for the patio area of the backyard! Putting those up must have been some kind of work and I think all in all, she put them up two different times! The effect was so beautiful- it had to be worth it [and she knew it!]:
There was a bit of a gap between the ceremony and reception, so Catherine had a few refreshments and snacks at the ceremony site as well, just to tide over the guests for 45 minutes or so. She also provided tables to sit at. Very laid back and casual, and perfect for what this day needed!
Guests with the parasols… so cute:
Ceremony time!!
She’s breath-taking [just ask Mike!!]
Catherine’s mom taking some pictures:
Parasols all over!
Vows, Rings, Kisses…
Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin”
Best Man [Mike's brother] and Maid of Honor [Catherine's Sister]:
Signing the marriage license:
Sneak peak of her bouquet:
Onto the reception! The reception was held at The Villa at Lifetime Weddings and Events. I think one of their huge selling points is their gorgeous room [with gold chivari chairs provided] and the HUGE windows in the corners. Also, it offers a traditional 7-course Vietnamese meal for dinner! Outside and in the lobby, the cocktail hour took place. Catherine and Mike had some GREAT details here as well.
These seating cards were SO great! Catherine provided me with the umbrellas, the name cards and a picture of how she wanted it, and I got to make it happen! I loved the way it came out and hope the guests were wowed as well. Unique and gorgeous- always a great idea.
The cake!! If you don’t know by now… I love cakes. I love that they’re all different and gorgeous and reflect the couple’s personality. This cake was no different! The detailing on it was killing me! So, I have a ton of pictures.
Okay, now onto some shots of the ROOM as a whole [and the centerpieces, which were perfect- bamboo shoots and orchids in a tall cylinder vase- which worked because they had to be located in the middle of the lazy susan for the meal, which was "family style"]:
[That was the front of the sweetheart table- 3 rows of candles!!!]
Favors and menus:
Floral centerpiece in the lobby [The Villa is pretty much inclusive, so this was made by them]:
Their “Bridal Pictures” [not to be confused with their engagement shots] were blown up and displayed in front of the venue. They kept one open with a matte to sign around for their guestbook, and I loved every single one of them!!
A few pictures of the room with all of the candles lit:
Everyone lined up for the Grand Entrance! [This was actually orchestrated a lot by Nikki, The Villa's on site coordinator- she was so great to work with!!]:
Straight into a welcome by Catherine’s father and then by Mike and Catherine! [This reception was such a beautiful blend of culture and tradition, and the modern touches that Catherine and Mike wanted- it really expressed who they truly are!]
The servers did a food presentation to the theme of Mission Impossible! It was so amazing to watch them all:
During dinner, her mother and father got up and sang for the crowd. It was truly touching. First her mother sang alone, and the second song was a duet from both of them.
Catherine and Mike watching
Speeches were next:
Accompanied by hugs after speeches:
And then it was a mad dash for Mike and Catherine upstairs to change into their DANCING outfits! My jaw truly dropped when I saw Catherine come out in that hot little pink number. Here’s their first dance:
Then, they had a little “surprise entertainment” for the guests- which was their dance instructor and other professional dancers doing some classic and ballroom dancing. It was pretty amazing! They did 5 different dances.
Onto another outfit change for Catherine- this time was a traditional outfit for table visits with the family. And she was so stunning!
With her mother…
At the tables:
Another toast ["raise your glasses one more time for the bride and groom"]
And a few words from the groom to his bride:
Catherine again jetted upstairs to change [this time for the last time- back into her beautiful wedding dress] and her uncle got ahold of the mic for two songs! [Keep in mind... she had WARNED me about this!!]Boy, was he a crowd favorite!
By this time we were MORE than ready for the cake, and so… the cake!
And, Mike trying his hand at opening the champagne [which he purposefuly shook and got EVERYWHERE!]:
Father-Daughter dance [which her dad dedicated "Butterfly Kisses" to her- their singer, Michelle, who was so great and acted as MC throughout the evening, translating everything in English and Vietnamese, sang this song for them beautifully]
And then lastly, her parents kicked off an anniversary dance to their song “Blue Bayou” [Michelle, singer, actually explained the story of their song just before they danced to it- something about the DJ/music at THEIR own wedding not working out and so they found this song to dance to- on the radio or something? It was truly so cute!]:
And, for the last picture of the evening, I wanted to show you how “glowy” and warm it felt on the pathway outside where the guests left! My assistant and I took the large candles from the cake table and moved them down to the outside walk way. It was so beautiful! Not sure if anyone noticed or not, but I loved it!:
All in all, it was a GREAT event! I still don’t know how Catherine did it! Before their actual ceremony they had been all around tound taking part in their tea ceremony and pictures. I actually saw on Catherine’s schedule that her make up artist was supposed to show up at 6am! Now that is ONE long day! I am anxiously awaiting her professional pictures, because I know that her and Mike are so in love it will just shine right through their faces and smiles and out onto me as I’m looking at them!
