Wedding | Claire & Sabin

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Hi – we are Claire and Sabin! We met about 10 years ago in college, but only started dating a few years back. We are both Angelenos through and through – currently living in Koreatown, Los Angeles. We had the best wedding ever!

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

The Preserve LA was the first place we toured when we were looking for a venue. After attending a few weddings in LA – there were a couple things that we prioritized in our search: location, price and ambiance. The Preserve LA’s location was perfect as it was a short uber/lyft ride away for most of our guests. Price for the venue was reasonable and our coordinator was experienced and helpful. At the time of our tour, the venue had actually never held a wedding. So even though it was slightly risky to go with a new wedding venue, we really loved the idea of a circular ceremony – it was truly unique and felt true to who we were as people.

How many guests did you have?

150 guests.

What was your budget?

$50K.

Tell us about your outfits.

The fits are simple – Sabin started off with the idea of having a loose fit tuxedo pants, but unfortunately looked like a middle school choir outfit so went for a standard BR tux. Claire nonchalantly picked out a dress at Anthropologie during her work hours, not thinking she would find the one. Luckily, she did, so wedding dress shopping was easy! As for her reception dress, she went for a long sleeve satin dress that was under $100 that she found online.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

Probably not overthinking things. This might be a terrible answer, but rather than trying to fit a mold of what other folks/family/friends may think, we considered this as an expression in which we both collaborated on - something that our loved ones can participate and witness together. We did plan this wedding in less than 6 months, so we wanted to make sure the wedding was exactly how we both wanted it to be.

We also made sure to run every idea by each other, to make sure that both of us are on the same page and in agreement for every little part of the wedding.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

We wanted cool little things for the guests like build-your-own-figure Lego guestbook. We also printed our own posters, mirror vinyls and menu. We provided cute colorful dancing shoes for our guests with high heels, and went with a long sheet cake, rather than a tiered one. With full control ourselves and not hiring a planner, we wanted our wedding to stand out and not be your typical wedding. Specifically, we wanted the colors to be warm and cozy – true to our personalities. Our florist, Moon Jar Design, did an incredible design in setting the mood and overall ~vibes~.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Pick vendors that are well suited to you! In so many moments during the wedding, we felt lucky to have picked the vendors we did. We are a little awkward and anti-models, but Nikki Strekowski Photo, our photographer, was incredible in walking us through poses and getting incredible shots.

Most of our parents' friends are first generation immigrants that prefer an Asian palate, and our Asian inspired menu delivered by Chubby Fingers Catering garnered raving reviews.

We need to move flowers and the sound system from the ceremony space to the reception space – which Moon Jar Design and Tone Colour Entertainment executed seamlessly. We love our vendors!

Also, just want all couples to know, everything will work out in the end!

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Claire’s little sister’s friends pulled through to DJ and rock the day-of coordinating (thanks Hannah and Heidi!) We loved our vendors and cannot rave about them enough!