What made the wedding special and unique?

For our wedding, Jonathan and I didn’t want to only display our love towards one another, but also wanted it to be a time to honor our friends and family who have supported us through our entire journey. One part that was really important for us was to appreciate our parents during the ceremony. We knew that no gift would be great enough to show how we truly feel, so we wanted to verbally thank them for their great love and influence on our lives. The entire room was in tears when Jonathan started off his appreciation by calling his mom, “Mommy…”. It was such a tender and real moment that showed the closeness of their relationship. Because my mom’s native tongue is Mandarin, I decided to muster up the courage to publicly speak to her in her native tongue, and as I looked into her eyes in that moment, I was just overwhelmed by the love and sacrifices she has shown me.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

Growing up, I knew my bridal style wasn’t the “strapless, sweetheart, tulle” type. I saw beauty in sleek lines and modern details, and that is why I completely fell in love with BHLDN’s “Estelle” gown by Jenny Yoo. I wanted to feel as completely myself as I could, well, besides the eyelash extensions, and wearing the Estelle gown made me feel bright and effortless. I loved how elegantly the thin straps crossed in the back, the bell shaped skirt that allowed my body to move, and how gracefully my cape/veil draped as I walked down the aisle. The most special part of this dress is that my sister gifted this to me on my birthday! Reading her birthday card for me brought tears to my eyes, knowing that she wanted to dress me on such a special moment!

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

I love how weddings blend two people’s universes together. It was important for Jonathan and I to both feel that we were attending our own weddings, not one side more present than the other. I loved how during the planning process, Jonathan knew exactly which song he wanted to walk down the aisle to, and that was the theme song to one of his favorite video games, Legend of Zelda. The instrumental version was actually quite beautiful, and as Jonathan walked down with the biggest smile of his face, many of our guests smiled and rooted along because they knew exactly what was going on. Along with our music selection, I had the best time creating DIY elements to make our day feel more personal. One thing that I will forever treasure is my cape/veil that I made with tulle and some crystals. I love how it’s a unique take on the traditional veil and it totally made me feel like a goddess walking down the aisle.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

The ceremony was such a sweet moment for us. It was a time for us to express our love towards one another, our families, and to God. While planning, it felt like each part of the ceremony was just a check off list, but on the day of, the entire atmosphere was filled with so much joy and love, and that was so magical to experience. For our unity symbol, we decided to have communion together to start off our marriage with a clean beginning. It was such a powerful moment because as we stepped away from the guests and through the beautiful arch, we finally had a moment to ourselves to pray and hold each other. That was so special to experience because that marked the beginning to our new lives together!

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Jonathan and I are blessed to have many mutual friends who helped form the start of our relationship. Most of our early times together were around our different church communities coming together to play sports or hangout at a friend’s house. After many laughs and some snapchat exchanges later, we decided to take the next steps to build a relationship together! During those times together, we would either find ourselves having picnics at parks, or Jonathan re-watching all the Marvel movies with me just because I didn’t grow up watching them. It was only natural that Jonathan chose a park that we would often visit after a trip to the theaters to propose at. Jonathan sang and played “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” on his ukulele, (which is something he does during every anniversary), got down on one knee, and made history for the both of us! We were able to celebrate with friends and family afterwards, and we are so thankful for that!

Jon + Alison from Memo Collective on Vimeo.

Photographer: Maritha Mae // Wedding Coordinator: Ah Love Events // Floral Design: Emblem Flowers // Videography: Memo Collective Films // Calligraphy: Taingled Lettering // Venue: Ebell Long Beach // Dress Designer: BHLDN // HMUA: Sharon Y. Park // Catering: Tres LA // Rentals: Stephanies Linens // Photobooth: Pixarity // DJ: Will Tseng