Tell us a little about yourselves!
I was born in New York, grew up in Washington, and ventured out to Los Angeles after high school. After 9 years of exploring LA and then graduating from Art Center College of Design to work briefly in the design field, I returned to Seattle to be close to family and friends. Do Gyu, born in Korea lived all over – from Indonesia to Denmark, Netherlands, and then the States.
Do Gyu and I met early Spring of 2022 while he and his friends were visiting Seattle. At the time, he lived in Arizona attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to become a pilot. As it was a group setting and a short trip, we didn’t have much alone time to really get to know each other. So, we just exchanged IG handles and just kept in touch here and there, but somehow rekindled the following spring. He came back to Seattle, and we went on our first real one-on-one date and instantly fell hard for each other! We met each other’s family two months later and got engaged three months after that. We are both foodies, love to explore new places, love movie nights and spending time with our pups Kaya and Belle.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
I grew up here in Washington and Do Gyu has always loved it here. We’ve explored many, many venues but this place felt like the one. The venue is surrounded by lush greenery and is quite dreamy. We thought it would be the perfect setting to celebrate our special day.
How many guests did you have?
We wanted to have an intimate wedding, so we celebrated with 84 of our close friends and family.
What was your budget?
We started out with a rough number however, inevitably the numbers grew throughout the process!
Tell us about your outfits.
Moona – Vivienne Westwood veil and Nova Cocotte dress with YSL platform heels. The dress was too beautiful to change out of into a second dress!
Do Gyu – Vera Wang tuxedo with Zegna oxford dress shoes. He wanted to stay simple, sharp and traditional!
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
The most important aspect for us in terms of planning our wedding was to have fun and be creative. We decided not to hire a wedding planner and just a day of coordinator because I wanted to be in control – from researching and choosing my vendors who I thought would help execute the dreamy, fairytale concept I had in mind, to customizing candles with my sister-in-law to give out to our special guests - and having my close friends create beautiful tablescapes for cocktail hour and the bridal suite. So it definitely was as stressful as everyone warned, but loved everything about it!
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
First – to try to stay together the whole day…and we did! We probably even went to the restroom together hand in hand (tmi, sorry!) It was perfect.
Everything was intentional and equally important, but the most exciting was working with my sister-in-law to create custom candles for our guests and having my two best friends create tablescapes filled with fruits, cheeses, caviar, bread, etc. for our guests to enjoy throughout the wedding.
We asked if Do Gyu’s parents would like to do a special dance after our first dance during the wedding and they loved the idea! They started taking waltz lessons months before the wedding and we were all blown away at their performance! I’m pretty sure half of the guests shed a tear or two.
Any tips for couples getting married?
The biggest tip would be to do everything together. That might sound impossible but trying to be present in all things is important. I think really listening to each other, communicating, compromising, stepping in when your other half feels burnt out or stuck, making decisions together, etc. It really helps with the whole process and no one will feel left out or alone. It is your wedding day so think of only you and your partner and what you two want. It is your blank canvas and you can paint whatever you want!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We loved all our vendors – truly! The venue itself was already beautiful with all the lush greens, trees and florals, but A La Chloe really topped it off and created the dreamy, fairytale-like vibe I envisioned. She understood my vision and executed it perfectly!
Gather with Mimi – I’m not sure what I would’ve done without her that day. She kept it professional, but also felt like a friend that I could confide in. She understood the concept and vibe I wanted to go for and really helped execute the day seamlessly.
Sk Studio – all I want to say is thank you so much for being so patient and understanding! Hair and makeup were so beautifully done, not only for me but for my family members as well!
Photography was a top priority for us. Memories are important but in the end pictures are what remain. We can look back on them and show our future children and grandchildren as well! So, I did some thorough research and finally found Emotions & Math. I knew I had to have them capture our special day. They didn’t need to understand our concept or aesthetic because their aesthetic is exactly what I envisioned! I am so thankful for Isla to travel all the way to the States for our special day.
Photographer: Emotions & Math @emotionsandmathweddings | Day Of Coordination: Gather with Mimi @gatherwithmimi | Flora: A La Chloe @alachloe | Videographer: Dipey Films @dipeyfilms | Ceremony Location: Fox Hollow Farms @Foxhollow_events | Styling: Friends of the Couple Sincerely Glo @sincerely.glo (Cocktail Hour) / Loretta Christian (Bridal Suite) @lorettachrstian | Celebrant: Pastor Steve Han | Rentals: Cort Party Rentals @cortpartyrental & Pedersens Event Rentals @pedersenseventrentals | HMUA: Sk Studio @skstudioseattle | Catering + Beverages: Herban Feast @herbanfeast | Cake: Raised Doughnuts and Cakes @raiseddoughnutsandcakes | Dessert: Ristorante Picolinos @ristorantepicolinos | Stationery: Enora Creative Co. @enoracreativeco | Entertainment: Insaiyan Entertainment @insaiyanent | | Dress & Veil: Vivienne Westwood @viviennewestwood | Suit: Vera Wang @verawanggang |Engagement Ring: Fenom & Co. @fenomandco | Wedding Rings: Tiffany&Co. @tiffanyandco | Shoes: Yves Saint Laurent @ysl heels / Zegna @zegnaofficial Oxford shoes | Tennis Bracelet: The Crown Collection @thecrowncollection | Custom Candles: Prk Studios @Prk___studios