Bio

It all began in 2000 when we met at a school event. Seven years later, we tied the knot at a beautiful Japanese garden in Long Beach, California. Our wedding day had every element we wanted: perfect weather, amazing setting, wonderful friends and family in attendance, and lots of laughter. Really, I can't complain.

Browsing through other knotties' bios helped me tremendously during my wedding planning, so I hope my bio will pass along some ideas for future brides-to-be. All photos were taken by En Pointe Photography unless otherwise noted. Please credit my photographer and me if you use any of the pictures below. Enjoy!

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engagement

The engagement photo shoot was done in San Diego by Susan Yee of En Pointe Photography (formerly known as Ocean Tsunami Photography).

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pre-ceremony

Getting ready at the hotel:

"Gracefully" marching to the parking lot:

The first time we saw each other before the ceremony:

More evidence that I'm not a graceful bride:

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ceremony

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cocktail hour

We even got to feed the fishes in the pond:

[photo above taken by my cousin Randolph]

Will they kill me for posting this picture?

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reception

I'm pretty sure nobody noticed this little detail except me (and the photographer):

Get it? It says "j+w always [and] forever" . . .

Our first dance:

Cutting the yummilicious cake:

[Photo above taken by my cousin Randolph]

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the details

Invitation created by yours truly:

[Photo above taken by my friend Ron]

DIY chair tags and fan programs:

The veil made by my mother-in-law (decorated with Swarovski crystals):

More DIY stuff -- placecards and table number cards:

DIY favors (filled with Tazo tea bags as a tribute to my addiction) and an autographed frame (in lieu of a guestbook):

An activity / coloring book especially made for our flowergirl:

DIY centerpiece and non-DIY bouquet:

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honeymoon

Jason and I spent 13 days in Costa Rica for our honeymoon and visited three destinations: Arenal, Punta Islita, and Playa Nicuesa. We truly had the times of our lives and enjoyed every moment of the trip. The hubster planned the entire honeymoon by himself so kudos to him for organizing the best honeymoon ever :)

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vendor reviews

Note: The vendors listed below are vendors whom I would recommend. I didn't bother writing "negative" reviews in light of the Knot's restrictions and other potential liabilities. If you don't see the review of certain vendors . . . well, you get the point.

Disclaimer: The vendor reviews below only represent the opinion and experience of one bride (me), and are only posted for the benefit of sharing her experiences with other brides-to-be. The vendor reviews are written fbased on one day's worth of event so they do not generally describe the overall ability / experience / quality of work of the vendors. The bride is a critical, judgmental, picky, pessimistic perfectionist and her personality probably reflects in the vendor reviews so take them with a grain of salt. The readers should not base their judgment of hiring or not hiring a vendor based on these vendor reviews alone.

[ venue :: earl burns miller japanese garden at csulb ]
The venue is gorgeous and breathtaking. We chose to get married at the Japanese Garden despite the strict guidelines (e.g. no hard liquor) and somewhat hefty rental fee (at least for our budget). The staff was very helpful and always responsive during our planning. Our day-of-coordinator (included in the rental fees) was uber-helpful, organized, and professional even though she was only a student. Our ceremony was held on the bridge -- which was a major selling point of this place for us. The reception setting was a little strange (since the tables were scattered around the pond) but the setting was so romantic and beautiful when it was lit by candles and rope light.

[ caterer :: the grand ]
The caterer was exclusive to the Japanese Garden. The food was decent for the price we paid. The staff was terrific; they honored the 2006 prices (when we first got a quote) even though we booked them after they'd published their 2007 prices. In fact, they helped us save even more money by customizing our packages to our specific needs.

[ wedding cake :: rossmoor pastries ]
The cake was so, so delicious (and oh-so-pretty). As a certified dessert lover, it was definitely the highlight of the reception for me. Our cake looked so smooth like fondant on the outside, but was in fact covered with buttercream so it tasted fabulous. The chocolate and white cake layers were both very moist; the filling (chocolate raspberry Bavarian crème) was especially delightful. I highly recommend Rossmoor Pastries.

[ officiant :: jason's uncle ]
Jason's uncle got ordained online by the Universal Life Church and officiated our ceremony. It was quite possibly the best decision we made for the wedding; he made our otherwise generic ceremony so special and personal.

[ photography :: en pointe photography :: susan yee ]
Susan and her assistant were so helpful and calm at the wedding despite having a reckless bride on hand. Susan even gave me a ride to the venue to help alleviate some of my stress arranging transportation at the last minute. We are really happy with our photos overall. I wish we had more photos of our guests, but then again I didn't specify that prior to the wedding. Anyway, you can see the quality of Susan's work (above) for yourself.

[ videography :: one man crew productions :: benjamin steeples ]
Ben was easy to work with and responded quickly and professionally to my emails before the wedding. He came early to set up and was quite stealth at the wedding. Final vendor review to be determined pending delivery of our DVD.

[ personal flowers :: finishing touches :: kimarie ]
Kim was very accommodating when it came to the many changes I made merely weeks before my wedding. The bouquets were beautiful and sturdy. Everything was exactly as we'd discussed. I thought the corsages looked rather small but it was probably due to the fact that I misunderstood the sizes of spray roses.

[ centerpiece supplies :: genwax + l.a. flower district ]
We purchased the centerpiece materials from various places and the venue coordinator assembled them for us on the day of the wedding. Easy enough and saved us a few dollars :) Genwax and the LA Flower District both had great prices and were worth the effort to drive out there (well, "out there" for me).

[ dress + alterations :: nordstrom ]
The ordering process from Nordstrom was easy and the dress arrived in perfect condition within days of placing the order. My dress was well-made with quality materials. The alterations was done quickly, though I thought the hem was a bit high. It's also noteworthy that Nordstrom's return policy was very lenient; I had no trouble returning the first dress I ordered after keeping it for over six months. I highly recommend looking on Nordstrom's website if you're looking for a simply and relatively inexpensive wedding dress.

[ bridesmaid dresses :: trendy too in the l.a. fashion district ]
Trendy Too had a large selection of cheap dresses in many colors. The quality and styles weren't bad at all considering the prices. The store was quite crowded when my bridesmaids and I went on a Saturday morning but it was definitely worth the trouble (again, considering the prices).

[ tuxedos :: men's warehouse ]
No complaints here. The ordering process was straightforward, the prices were decent, and the salespeople were nice and helpful.

[ wedding rings :: icing on the ring ]
Icing on the Ring came highly recommended by other knotties. The salespeople were not pushy at all. We got a fantastic deal on our rings during their 20% off promotion. My husband's ring was custom-made and turned out just as we'd envisioned.

[ paper supplies :: paper source + kelly paper ]
I love Paper Source's selection and Kelly Paper's prices. Heck, I love paper in general. Other supplies and tools were found at various local scrapbooking stores. All paper goods were created by yours truly so obviously I was very happy with my handiwork :)

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