My Dream Wedding

Custom veil by Meadowbelle (inspired by this pin)
White by Vera Wang wedding dress (Style: VW351178)
{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography}

It’s been a little over two months since we’ve been married but it feels like our wedding was just yesterday. It was a very long day (I was up at 4AM and barely slept due to my excitement) but everything happened so quickly. I certainly don’t miss traveling back and forth and late nights spent planning and discussing minute details and customs. However, all the stress paid off once we saw everything come together so perfectly. Everyone’s collective efforts helped make our wedding the happiest day of my life thus far. I know a lot of people say this about their own wedding but it really was the best day ever! I miss being amongst all our family and friends in such an intimate and beautiful setting.

Here are some of my favorite photos. There were so many pictures to choose from and I actually still haven’t seen the ones my sister took. I’m really looking forward to going through them when I visit my family for Thanksgiving. She took many photos in the morning prior to our photographers’ arrival and I know her boyfriend took more throughout the day.

  

{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography}

My wedding shoes: Badgley Mischka Hannah
{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography}

Anthropologie Bunny Ring Dish (sold out)
{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography}

DIY custom hanger by my talented sister
{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography}

{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography}

 

Custom Petal Fascinator by Meadowbelle

Hair style inspired by Hera Studio

Hem & Bustle by Irina Sigal
{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography}

{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography}

Chair Sashes from Elegant Sashes and More
Other chair sash option (my original inspiration)
{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography}

Our head table was unique from the other tables with a tall floral arrangement surrounded by three smaller arrangements and chair sashes.

Favor Boxes from LightInTheBox.com
{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography}

 

Beautiful floating candles rented from Blush Events
{Photo by Branham Perceptions Photography} 

Our wedding invitations had a cherry blossom theme. Continuing with this theme, my talented sister and her boyfriend made DIY table numbers, menu cards and the escort cards.

I adore this shot of our cake cutting moment
{Photo by Thu‘s husband}

Our romantic illuminated cake stand was inspired by this pin. The materials for our cake stand were sourced by the ever resourceful team of Blush Events. Our cake design inspired by this pin and luckily the bakery had a very similar design.

 

Our DIY photo booth resulted in awesome gems like these photos

Here’s a test shot of our dreamy photo booth created and designed by my sister and her boyfriend. He drafted the specifications for the modular PVP pipes used to put together the photobooth. We needed for it to be light weight and easily portable in our family’s compact car. We used Simple Booth Event Edition, my iPad mini and a small printer capable of air print. I highly recommend Simple Booth for it’s highly customizable options and our guests were able to print or email the photos to themselves. The adorable DIY props on a stick were also made by my sister and she found the gold frame which she retouched at a yard sale.

 

DIY flower pomanders and expressive bread buns from Asia Crafts in Philly Chinatown

LESSONS LEARNED

Your wedding day may be just one day but planning a wedding is a huge project in it of itself. Wedding planning will test how well you work with your future husband, in-laws and your family and friends. It requires a lot of trust and delegating and it will test your sanity because Murphy’s Law has a way of making work, schedules, the weather and insurmountable wedding errands conflict.

Planning

Arrange for hired day of coordination or with the help of a trusted friend or family member. Make sure your wedding planner is someone that communicates well with you and your husband so that he/she can help execute all of the finer details with your vendors. A good wedding planner should have your best interests at heart, tell you the truth when you need it the most, and save you money where it counts thereby justifying the cost of hiring an expert to handle everything on your big day.

Communication

Communicate with both sides of the family. It may be your day but the key to a happy day for everyone is to listen and try to be respectful of your family’s wishes to the best of your abilities.

Ask for help early and often and remember to follow up. You’ll be surprised how many people are happy and willing to help out if you simply ask. You’ll probably save a lot of time, money and frustration this way too.

Don’t be afraid to give constructive feedback. It’s all about how you deliver your message and communicate what you want with clear examples. If it’s not your strong suit then take more time and ask for second opinions. Never deliver an important message with a lot of emotion behind it. A lot of the things that I weren’t happy about were all within my control but my natural inclination was to keep it to myself.

Biggest regret

Our biggest regret is not hiring a professional videographer. Luckily some of our family members took video footage knowing this but it’s not the same quality. Perhaps we can look into taking the videos we do have and making them into a short video.

Have a good time

Smile a lot (cameras are everywhere). You want your happiness to show through in the photos and you should own that bridal glow.

Finally, relax and enjoy the party. You only spent forever planning for this day so don’t let anything keep you from having a blast. It’s inevitable that little and big details may not go exactly as planned but what matters is that you’re there with your loved ones.

DETAILS

Photography: Branham Perceptions Photography // Wedding Planner: Blush Events // Flowers: Cut 1 Floral Design // Hair & Makeup: Reiko Utsugi // Wedding Dress: White by Vera Wang wedding dress (Style: VW351178) // Reception Dress: Ann Taylor Mya Cowl Neck Wedding Dress (See my review  here.) // Custom petal veil and fascinator: Meadowbelle  // Wedding Cake: Palermo’s Bakery // Venue: Westin Jersey City // Decor: Chair Sashes: Elegant Sashes and More. DIY bridal hanger, photo booth and props, ceremony programs, table numbers, menus and escort cards all thanks to my talented sister (maid of honor) and her boyfriend. Gold chargers, floating candles and cake stand rented and/or sourced from Blush Events. // Uplighting: We had a bad experience with this vendor so I chose not to disclose/recommend them to anyone.

Thank you for reading about our special day!