While there are many couples that meet in school, Julie and Shy were truly one of CBS’s “IT” couples.  Both were extremely active in student clubs and kindled their love as dancers in Follies, an amazingly talented student performance group that puts on sold-out shows at the end of each semester.  I first met Julie during orientation since we were in the same cluster, and she amazed us all by reciting all 68 names of our fellow clustermates within a couple days of meeting us!  Julie quickly won us over, and served as our Cluster Chair for our first year at school.  I first met Shayan, affectionately known as Shy, since we were both Social Chairs of our respective clusters.  Over the past two years, we worked together to throw some great events!

From the moment they began dating, Julie and Shy were inseparable.  Their engagement story is incredibly sweet: while in Korea on a Chazen Study Tour during spring break, they had arranged to visit the Seoul Central Mosque.  Atop the steps of the “beautiful and glistening white building,” Shayan said “This is the perfect blend of both our cultures…”  He rustled in his backpack to find a special package and bent down on one knee to say, “So, I brought you here to ask you something… Julie Ann Stokely, will you marry me?”  Julie said that the proposal was a completely joyous surprise, and of course she said, “YES, ABSOLUTELY!” 

I was in Kenya at the time that I received an email from Julie, and I remember that I felt like I could sense the excitement and joy pouring out even though I was thousands of miles away.  A few weeks later, Julie had settled on a wedding date less than 5 months away at the stunning Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, TX.  I remember thinking that people thought *I* was crazy for picking a wedding date only 7 months out from my engagement date, but our two weddings are evidence that with a clear plan, focus, and positive energy, a beautiful wedding of your dreams IS possible even with a short engagement!

From the very beginning, Julie and Shy wanted to incorporate both of their cultures (Korean and Pakistani) in their wedding weekend…  with a Mehndi Celebration, Nikah Ceremony, Interfaith Ceremony, and Paebaek Ceremony spread over the course of two days.  In addition to these ceremonies, the wedding was filled with gorgeous traditional dresses (both Pakistani salwar kameez and lenghas and Korean hanboks), traditional food made from family recipes (e.g. chicken tikka masala and Korean BBQ kalbi, yum!!), and special dance/musical performances.

I absolutely loved the dresses Julie chose for herself and her bridesmaids for the various ceremonies… the colors and adornments were candy for the eyes! Check out some of these fantastic photos from Niji Stanley Photography:

From the Mehndi Ceremony:

Love the dresses!!

From the Interfaith Ceremony:

Did you know that the Mehndi artist traditionally “hides” the groom’s name within the bridal henna? Can you see Shayan’s name — it’s there!

Gorgeous bride Julie

During the unity candle lighting, Julie and Shy chose to leave each of their individual candles burning in addition to their unity candle, symbolizing that they would uphold their individual cultures and heritage while uniting in marriage.

The Paebak Ceremony:

The reception:

Check out those beaming smiles

I’d expect nothing less from two Follies dancers! The couple choreographed an awesome intro dance and invited the bridesmaids and groomsmen to join them for the second half — it was SO fun!

Julie also surprised Shy with a special rendition of Ingrid Michaelson’s The Way I Am — soo cute!

Yum! It was a real treat for guests to taste some ethnic cuisine for the reception dinner.

…And the dancing continues! Jai-ho!

Julie and Shy… thank you so much for letting me be part of your wedding celebration! I’m so so happy for the two of you, and it was so fun to be part of your wedding day.  One of the most memorable parts of your wedding day was when Julie took the mic to thank guests for coming… and asked guests to look around to see a room full of people of different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, cultures, etc… and said that this is how she imagined heaven to be.  Seeing all your loved ones in one room, celebrating your love and their love with each other — reminds me why I love my job!  Congratulations again!!!

It’s always a joy to be part of the wedding celebration for family members, so I was thrilled when Tina and Eric (aka the recently crowned “America’s Top Ten DJs” DJ Enferno!) asked me to help coordinate their wedding, which took place at the absolutely gorgeous St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Since the space has so much natural beauty, Tina and Eric chose to keep the ceremony decor to a minimum to play up the grandeur of the cathedral itself.  Check out these amazing views!

Soaring Ceilings:

The dashing groomsmen:

The lovely bridesmaids:

The ring bearer, Emmitt, giving the bride a kiss before she walks down the aisle!

Lush red roses, wrapped in satin with crystal detail:

I love this shot… you can just see the joy in the relationship

I really love when couples choose to incorporate elements of their cultures into their ceremonies and receptions to truly personalize the wedding day and help their guests to learn more about them.  Tina and Eric incorporated both Filipino and Korean wedding traditions, such as the Filipino coin, veil and cord ceremony and “money dance” during the reception and the Korean paebaek ceremony.

Eric carrying Tina on his back, to prove that he can “support his wife”

Here are some more wedding shots from The Edge Photography:

Celebrating the start of an exciting day in the bridal suite:

Some gorgeous shots at National icons:

The rings, embedded in beautiful green cymbidium orchids:

The reception was held at The Westin Arlington Gateway.  The decor featured gold chiavari chairs, tall centerpieces of green cymbidium orchids, and a soft pink accent lighting to cast a soft glow on the room:

The cake was a stunning four-tiered beauty with delicate dots and fresh, cascading orchids down the side – yum!

And finally, here is the wedding highlight reel, produced by the amazingly talented Barnaby Draper Studios… I ADORE the mix of vintage and modern style:

Congratulations, Tina and Eric!  Welcome to the family!

Since I love traveling, I also love the concept of a destination wedding. I was thrilled to coordinate the destination wedding for Joe and Jina… in the beautiful Bahamas! Given that most of their close friends and family were spread across the US, the couple reasoned that a flight to the Bahamas was almost the same cost as flying anywhere else in the continental US, so why not treat their guests to a vacation? They also loved the idea of celebrating their marriage for a long weekend with all of their guests… so the Bahamas, just a quick 3-hour flight from New York City, was the perfect choice.

Welcome to the Bahamas!
Gorgeous, sunny weather and bright turquoise water greeted us when we arrived! Since most guests were staying for at least three nights, I helped the couple put together an itinerary of events and carefully vetted excursions to help guests get settled in the Bahamas and provide opportunities for them to meet each other at wedding and non-wedding events. Some highlights included the following:

• Welcome dinner for all guests at Carmine’s (Atlantis Resort)
• Swimming with dolphins at Dolphin Cay
• Brazilian steakhouse dinner and hand-rolled cigars at Graycliff Manor
• Wave runners and water park at The Atlantis
  
• Rehearsal lunch at the uber stylish Dune restaurant at One & Only Ocean Club
• … and snorkeling, golfing, and horse back riding!

Wedding Day
Prior the the ceremony, the wedding party gathered at the lobby of the One&Only Ocean Club. You may recognize the classy scene from the Bond flick, Casino Royale:

The ceremony was held across the street at the stunning Cloisters at the Ocean Club. The contrast of the garden of pillars against the bright blue sky and ocean provided the perfect backdrop for the ceremony. Since it was a fall wedding (even though it felt like summer!), the bride chose a vibrant color scheme: red, orange, kelly green, and a touch of ivory.

The reception was held back at The Atlantis:

Trashing the Dress
The couple left the island with some gorgeous shots (even a trash the dress session which I have always wanted to do!)… the wedding was even featured in Destination Weddings Magazine! Here are some of my faves… the couple is so sweet & romantic:



(All photos by Kenny Kim Photography)