Michelle and Kevin’s Wedding 6.18.11
On the initial consultation, Michelle and I instantly bonded over our love for the color purple and so many other things we have in common! We got along so well on our first meeting that it lasted 3 hours!!! I think we spent about 45 min talking about wedding and the rest of the time, we just chit chatted about random things and became instant friends! I call Michelle my long lost purple sister!!! She is the sweetest, nicest, most lovable person ever! I didn’t get to meet Kevin on the initial meeting but I knew that he must be a sweetheart since Michelle was so lovable and easy to talk to. Over the course of the year, Michelle and I were constantly keeping in touch about the wedding and our everyday life. We even had a double date a month or so before their wedding! We felt so special when they invited Renrick and I to their rehearsal dinner after I conducted the rehearsal! I am so glad that I was part of their special, loving, memorable wedding and meeting all of their nice and welcoming family members. They really made me feel like I was part of the family and not just the coordinator. I am so thankful to call Michelle and Kevin my friends and to see their family blossom in the future.
I had the honor to work with the incomparable Henry Chen Photography on Michelle and Kevin’s wedding. I have been an avid follower of a handful of photographers and Henry was 1 of the top photographers I followed since even before I became a wedding planner. I was a bit nervous working with him at first but he is the kindest, sweetest person ever! I am truly blessed working with such amazing vendors. I am slowly but surely crossing off names on my list of “Vendors I would LOVE to work with”
All photos courtesy of Henry Chen Photography.
I headed first to the hotel to meet Kevin and his groomsmen to make sure everything was OK.
Kevin’s suit was custom-made in China! Love the shiny-ness!
A little gift to Kevin from his wife to be!
Love this part! The guys were all viewing a YouTube video on how to tie a tie
Meanwhile, the ladies were getting all dolled up…
The Bride!!!
Isn’t Michelle the cutest???
A mother/daughter moment….I can’t believe how young Michelle’s mom look! They look like they could be sisters!
While all the bridal party was still getting ready, KDWP headed to the Bowers Museum for the ceremony setup.
It was such a beautiful June day.
Before picture of the ceremony site….
During setup….Cards are all D.I.Y from the bride!
KDWP D.I.Y!
The end result of the ceremony site!!!
THE gown!
Michelle’s shoes were her something blue.
There were too many good ring shots! I Couldn’t pick just 1 so I’m putting them all!
The ring box/pillow is D.I.Y from the Bride!
The Bridesmaids putting the final finishing touches on the Bride before the first look.
A little one on one with the Matron of Honor.
Love these next First Look sequence!
Henry Chen Photography was able to squeeze a few portraits of Michelle and Kevin before the ceremony.
I really like Michelle’s cascading bouquet…there’s like an old-schooled feel to it.
Reflection shot…my favorite!
Soooooo ROMANTIC!!!
I had to resolve a little crisis before the ceremony starts. The florist forgot to leave the 2 stem of roses for the mothers so, I had to pick borrow some roses from the museum garden to avoid disaster. I was instructing the boys how to hold the rose without touching the thorns.
And…it all worked out! Pffuuiiii…
Michelle and her father before walking down. Yes, that’s her father! Can you believe it? I totally thought he was her brother when I first met him!
Here comes the beautiful bride!
The look of love and anticipation!
Michelle had a male attendant as part of her bridesmaids and Kevin had a female attendant as part of his groomsmen! This was so cool and modern!
So much tears of joy for the happy couple!
Married Mr. & Mrs. Jones!!!
A few more formal portraits before KDWP heads to the reception.
Reception setup.
Sweetheart table.
More Details!
Yup! Michelle and Kevin are both Doctors! Couple of Smarties
I have to say that the food at S Fine Dining is really good!
The Cake!!!
Time for the reception to start!
Grand Entrance!
The speeches brought tears and laughter to the sweet couple.
Kevin made a small speech in Vietnamese. He was really good! The whole room cheered for him!
Traditional round of tables with Vietnamese Ao Dai.
While the couple was greeting tables, KDWP was setting up the dessert station!
All cake stands are D.I.Y by the talented bride!
Michelle and Kevin’s first dance as husband and wife.
Father Daughter dance.
Mother Son Dance. The look on Michelle’s face is so touching and genuine.
Cake Cutting!
The night ended on a high note with all the guests partying until the wee hours.
Michelle and Kevin! Thank you so much for having me be part of your wedding and making me feel like family! I am so happy for the both of you and so excited that I can call you my friends. You truly are 2 of the best people that I have had the pleasure to meet. I wish you both many many years of happiness and unconditional love for each other. Love – Kelly.
KDWP having some fun!
Annh and I manning the guests seating assignment table.
Henry’s assistant, Jove from Jovanni Photography and I posing for Henry’s test lighting before guests entered.
Good times!
Ceremony: Bowers Museum
Reception: S Fine Dining
Hair and Makeup: Le Brian Salon
Cake: Final Touch Bakery
Florals: KC Floral Designs
Officiant: Reverend Ken
Photography: Henry Chen Photography
Assistant Wedding Coordinator: Annh Vo and Elise Tang
Happy 1 Year Anniversary Katie B and Shaun B!
Happy 1 year anniversary Mr. & Mrs. B! I can’t believe 1 year has gone by so fast and now, you are celebrating your anniversary with little B! How precious!
I am so glad and thankful to call both of you my friends. I wish the both of you many many more years of happiness and with many more little Bs! Love you!
Thuy and Andy’s Wedding 6.4.11
Thuy and Andy got married on a beautiful day in June. When I first met them, I came out with the feeling that this couple was very serious, turns out it’s because they were doctors! Wow…my 1st in coordinating a wedding for doctors! I felt quite inadequate and not smart enough for them
Thuy and Andy are 2 of the nicest people I have met. They are down to earth, very fun to be around and very sophisticated. I still can’t believe that they planned half of their wedding while living in Texas!
Special thanks to Jill Thomas for the great photos! She shot the whole wedding in films! That was a first for me working with a photographer who shoots totally in films. It made the color so much softer.
As usual, I woke up bright and early to pick up all the personal flowers for the bridal party.
Here is the groom! If I remember correctly, he had a designer suit. I like a metro-sexual groom!
The wire to hold the boutonnieres makes it pretty hard to pin…
The groomsmen flowers.
When I entered Thuy’s room, she gave me a big smile, hugged me and said “I’m so glad you are here, I am less worried now”. Made my day! It gives me so much happiness in what I do when the bride and groom feel relief just by seeing me
The bride’s Carolina Herrera dress
Louboutin!!!
KDWP helping the flowergirl to a perfect bow
The details….
The bride and bridesmaids lovely bouquets.
And the beautiful bride….
I’m not sure why but I love this picture of Thuy. She looks so serene and ready to get married! Just the simple act of putting her jewelry on gets to me.
The bride with her ladies. Love the softness of everything.
The groom with his handsome groomsmen. All doctors!!!
Andy checking out his beautiful bride…
Bridal Party!
Now onto some awesome portraits of the bride and groom…
The look of L.O.V.E!!!
This one is too cute!!! Andy’s nephew was such a cutie pie! I was even babysitting for a little bit when the bridal party was taking pictures.
KDWP = jack of all trades
After all the bridal photos, we headed to St. Nicholas Church in Laguna Niguel for the ceremony.
Here I go in the background ruining the photographer’s shot!!! I swear I usually am pretty good at being invisible!
Look at how happy they look at being Mr. & Mrs!!
Bubbles make great photos!
Details of the reception.
Everything was D.I.Y from the bride herself! So talented! I wished I had an ounce of creativity and craftiness in me to do those D.I Y.
The guests place cards
The cake!!!
While the ballroom was getting decorated and ready for guests, Thuy and Andy were out for more photos.
Andy changed into another suit
Love when the groom doesn’t want to be outdone by his bride.
Time to have some fun!
Thuy and Andy performed a perfect choreographed 1st dance as husband and wife.
I really love her Ao Dai…
A little game to get to know the bride and groom.
At the end of the night, there was a dessert cake station! I was drooling over how delicious everything looked!
Thuy and Andy, thank you so much for letting me be part of your wedding day! Your love for each other is undeniable and I am so glad I was there to witness it. I wish you many many years of happiness together with lots of very smart children like the 2 of you!
Ceremony: St. Nicholas Church
Reception: Hyatt Huntington Beach
Hair and Makeup: Duy Ly
Cake: Tomgirl Baking Company
Florals: KC Floral Designs
Photography: Jill Thomas Photography
Videography: New Classic Wedding Films
Assistant Wedding Coordinator: Lily Luong
Happy 1 Year Anniversary Annie and Justin!
Happy 1 year anniversary Annie and Justin!!!
Marriage agrees with the 2 of you! Wishing you many more years of bright happiness!
Love you both dearly!
Wedding Planner turns 30!!!
This post is definitely not wedding related but when the planner turns 30, it calls for a celebration!!! I turned the dreaded number 30 about 1 month and a half ago but was too preoccupied with my own wedding that I haven’t had the chance to blog about how I made my milestone memorable. I have to admit that I was a bit bummed out because my 30th birthday was too close to the wedding and wouldn’t be celebrated as it should. So to still make it special and fun, I decided to capture jumping in my 30s at Disneyland! What better than the Happiest Place on Earth!!! I mean I only turn 30 once right???
Thao of Thao Vu Photography and I, have discussed about shooting my 30th birthday since I saw her blog about her 30th birthday shoot. We were brainstorming about location when I thought it would be awesome to capture it at Disneyland to show how 30 is just an number and all that matters is how I still feel young at heart. Besides…you can’t beat all of the colors there. As the days were getting closer to the photoshoot and I was submerged with wedding to-dos, I started panicking because I haven’t even figured out my outfits! Thank goodness that I received referral for the amazing stylist Karenza Kailee. After 2 meetings and a few hours at the mall, we ended up with 2 outfits for the shoot! All below $50 courtesy of Forever 21! Woohoo!!! I’ve enlisted the power of making me look pretty with makeup and hair from the sweet Anha Nguyen.
It was nice to have some alone time with Thao and getting to know each other more. We have worked together before (i.e. me coordinating her own wedding, side by side for a client wedding and her shooting our wedding) but during weddings, it’s not like we have time to chit chat about our personal lives
I knew there was a reason why I like Thao and we get along so well… she is super professional, caring, sweet and a fun-loving person. I’m glad I’ve been going to Thao Vu Photography for all of my special occasions.
All photos courtesy of Thao Vu Photography! Here are the result!
We started at Toontown!
When I first saw this photo, I barely recognized myself.
LOVE the colors at Toontown!
I kept telling Thao that I don’t know how to pose and she tells me to think of something happy because I am turning 30 afterall….at that point I was thinking: “please, let me make it through the last month before the wedding” hahahaha….
My friends will dub this one “Cheeky Kelly”
Ready to take over the world!
In front of Minnie’s house because it’s purple
Steve Madden shoes….
…Forever 21 dress!
After I posed like this…a lady did the same
I guess sometimes I do know how to pose
I’m going to sound a little vain here but there is something about this next picture that makes it very pretty!
In Minnie’s kitchen waiting to be served!
Having some fun with my Minnie ears!
Daydreaming…
SUPER KELLY!!!
Next, we hopped onto Alice In Wonderland teacup in another Forever 21 outfit.
I’m not much for these types of rides because I easily get dizzy :/ but it was so much fun!
I was aware the camera was pointed at my face so I tried to make an effort and show some enthusiasm.
One of my favorite photo!
Peek-a-boo!!!
Of course I had to take a photo with a purple tea cup!
Off to the Merry-Go-Round we go! I felt so much like a kid! It was awesome!
Sleeping beauty castle was closed that day
but we made the best of it
I really do feel like a princess! That’s how Renrick calls me <3
Hellooooo….long legs illusion!! Only a great photographer can make you look like you are 5’8 when you are actually only 5’2
I was laughing so hard here because Thao was taking photos in between each person that walked by!
I fell in love with this boy statue in the New Orleans square!!!
Isn’t he the cutest??
Finally, we went crazy and rode Big Thunder Mountain
I had a great great time at Disneyland for my birthday shoot…even with the weird looks I got from time to time because I was over-dressed
I highly recommend capturing all the milestone in your life. It’s worth the experience and memories. Thank you to Thao Vu Photography, Anha Nguyen, Karenza Kailee and my friend Amber Matas for making my 30th birthday even more special.
Final thought: being 30 is not that bad
Happy 1 Year Anniversary Thao and Robert!
Happy 1 year Anniversary Thao and Robert!
Thank you for believing in a newbie like me to coordinate your fantastic wedding. It will forever be THE most beautiful wedding of my career!
I sincerely value the friendship we have built.
Here’s to wishing you many more years of happiness full of fun, love, and laughter like the below picture!!!
Wendy and Brandon’s Wedding 4.29.11
Sorry I have been M.I.A from blogging but I’m making it up now with beautiful photos from Wendy and Brandon’s wedding.
When I first met B+W, I was blown away by their beauty as a couple. They are by far the hottest bride and groom I’ve ever worked with. I was a bit intimidated by them at first but the feeling didn’t last long for they are the friendliest, nicest and sweetest couple I could’ve met.
True to their initial, B+W had a very elegant white theme wedding. Wendy did an amazing job with all of the florals! I am still amazed by how much work and time it took her to make them and she still looked flawless on the wedding day. Their wedding was very tight on set-up time and I was quite worried, to be truthful, trying to set up a big wedding in such a tight schedule. I wasn’t one to refuse a challenge though
Because of the time restraint, I had to pull a lot of helping hands on my team in order to make it happen within 2 hours, which, in the end, turned out amazing with just slight glitches here and there. Working with professional vendors makes a whole lot of difference…especially when there were so many details with very little time to accomplish them.
Thank you to Apertura Photo for all the beautiful photos and capturing everything so splendidly!!!!
The day started with the bride and groom getting ready….I am absolutely in love with Wendy’s Lazaro gown!!!!
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
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Look at Wendy’s smile while admiring her dress! I would be too with such a gorgeous gown
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Her SHOES are to die for!!!
Helllooooo Mr. Louboutin!
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
and…Helllooooo Mr. Badgley Mischka!!!!
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Her invitations were breathtaking! Very Wendy and Brandon…
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Wendy looked gorgeous in her Lazaro gown.
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
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Now,a little behind the scene…KDWP in action putting the bride’s ao dai away so it can be transported to the wedding venue.
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Onto the handsome groom and groomsmen getting ready…
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KDWP setting up for photo detail…
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= perfect product placement!!
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So GQ! LOVE!!! <3
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En route to the Diamond Bar Center for ceremony and reception!
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo Courtesy of © APERTURA
B+W opted for a first look. They really are this cute together
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Timeless…
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Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Absolutely breathtaking……
B+W are so natural in front of a camera, you’d think they do this for a living.
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While B+W were busy modeling and being fierce, KDWP’s team was scrambling setting up for the ceremony.
B+W used the Diamond Bar Center for a very quick tea ceremony.
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Ceremony details.
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Wendy made all of the programs.
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The trees were all D.I.Y by Wendy.
These were so heavy…I adjust them several times to be at the position I was satisfied with
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
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The reception placecards.
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Here comes the bride!!!
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Reading their vows from their IPhone
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It is not official until it is sealed with a kiss!
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Married!!!! Congratulations B+W!
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After the ceremony, it was time for some photos with the beautiful bridal party.
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Diamond Bar Center really is a beautiful place.
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
The next photos are my favorite.
Wendy is absolutely GEORGEOUS and the picture is so classy!
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H.O.T.N.E.S.S. Alert!!!!*blush*
Photo Courtesy of © APERTURA
With only 2 hours to setup the reception ballroom to look as magical as B+W imagined, my team and I ran around like crazy making sure that table numbers, party favors, decorations, etc…are set. I am sooo thankful to have a great team who works so hard!
Reception Details
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Macarons as party favors!
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Guests are ready to enter the ballroom!
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The big trees next to the cake and sweetheart table were brought from the outside ceremony onto the reception ballroom. They were really really heavy and we had to maneuver them as quickly as possible since there was quite a walk from both ceremony to reception ballroom.
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The cake!
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My-Dzung and Elise from KDWP did an awesome job at applying the decal sticker to the dance floor.
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
B+W sneaking a peek at the guests and video (they haven’t seen it before the wedding day) before their grand entrance.
Check out their video by Alumiq Productions
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
B+W first dance as husband and wife….So sweet.
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Even from behind, they look HOT and sexy! Sooo jealous
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
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Perfect way to end the night!
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Photo courtesy of © APERTURA
Brandon and Wendy (B+W), thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me be part of your beautiful wedding. You were both so kind to my team and I. I am truly blessed for witnessing your love for each other and the connection you 2 have. I wish the both of you many years of love, happiness and to always look this HOT!
Love the both of you dearly…Kelly – KDWP
KDWP having some fun!
Venue: Diamond Bar Center
Hair and Makeup: Gordon Banh
Cake: Patty’s Cake
Band: The Banana Bay Band
DJ: Steve Nguyen
Personal Florals: Petals by Mary
Florals: D.I.Y bride Wendy Dinh
Catering: Seafood World
Photography: Apertura
Videography: Alumiq Productions
Officiant: Elysia Skye
Photobooth: Sassy Photobooth
Bartenders: All Mixed Up Bartending
Lighting and Drapery: Amber Event Production
Chiavari Chairs and linens: Elegant Chiavari Chairs
Assistant Wedding Coordinator: Annh Vo and Lily Luong with the assistance of Sylvie Huynh, Elise Tang, My-Dzung Hoang and Renrick Hidalgo

















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































