KB Weddings is a new series that features couples and their beautiful weddings. Whether it be a traditional Korean wedding with richly-hued hanboks, or an offbeat wedding with a quirky theme, we’d love to share your wedding with our readers! Submit here.

When Douglas met Kelly, the first thing he said to her was, “I’m going to marry you!” His prediction came true in September of 2011 when the lovely couple tied the knot at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. They continued their celebration with a beautiful reception and a full-fledged paebaek ceremony at the Oxford Palace Hotel & Galleria.

Come check out the beautiful pictures – captured by D. Park Photography – of this “Love at First Sight” pair!

Big thanks to Douglas and Kelly for sharing their wedding with us!

Photography: D. Park Photography / Venue: First Congregational Church of Los Angeles / Reception: Oxford Palace Hotel & Galleria / Florist: Fete a Fete, Inc. / DJ: Sterling Productions

KB Weddings is a new series that features couples and their beautiful weddings. Whether it be a traditional Korean wedding with richly-hued hanboks, or an offbeat wedding with a quirky theme, we’d love to share your wedding with our readers! Submit here.

Sleek modern taste with a hint of whimsy. That’s how we would describe Sun-a and Brian’s wedding at the Westmount Country Club in New Jersey.

Accented with nuances of purples and rich pinks, their wedding was beautiful. From personalized invitations and name cards to individual cupcakes in lieu of a wedding cake, Sun-a and Brian showed that putting in hard work can produce great results.

Check out the pair’s stunning wedding photos captured by Ethan Yang Photography.

What was the proposal like?

Brian: For me, the proposal was something that needed to be memorable and individually special for Sun-a. She had mentioned that she wanted to celebrate her engagement with her friends and family as well as hinted how special it would be to get engaged on her birthday in October. After secretly meeting with her parents for their permission and arduously picking out the simplest and brightest diamond, I planned to show her a video of our lives before dating, while dating, and ending with a future picture our hopeful wedding day, all in the form of arts-n-crafts figures and stop-motion.

Brian: On the day of her birthday, we started the day with a relaxing spa and massage followed by a formal lunch in the City at a historic restaurant. Afterwards, we ventured to her brothers’ condo, which had a built-in movie theatre and watched one of her favorite movies The Wizard of Oz. When she asked if there was anything else, I told her there was one more thing. I anxiously tried to set up the video on the big screen but to no avail, nervously pacing back and forth with the ring behind her chair. We had to watch the engagement video on the computer! Another thing she wanted was to have the engagement taped so I gave her an HD video camera as a birthday gift and proceeded to record the engagement unbeknownst to her. She did not initially understand the meaning of the wedding picture at the end of the video. It wasn’t until I was on bended knee and asking her to marry me that she finally understood the purpose of the video and said yes. After some more tears, she met her closest friends and family who were waiting to celebrate that special day with her.

Sun-a: For my bridal party, I wanted to make sure they felt comfortable and looked amazing. So, instead of dressing the bridal party in traditional attire, we thought outside the box. My vision from the beginning was to dress the bridesmaids in a two-piece outfit. Think more sweet and less stuffy in terms of style and fabric. We ended up picking a scalloped lace skirt in the prettiest blush pink color and a light silk camisole.

Weddings can be similar and repetitive, and there’s is nothing wrong with that, but we decided to pay attention to the subtle details to make it our own. We wanted to create a whimsical environment where our guests could feel warm and even fall in love all over again. We wanted to not only focus on us and our union, but also celebrate love in general. It was important to us that our venue was cozy and intimate. We loved the fire place at the Westmount Country Club and that the back wall had windows from the ceiling to the floor, which let in a lot of sunlight. It was the first venue we looked at and immediately fell in love.

Sun-a: For our reception, we didn’t want to be separated from our loved ones by being seated at a sweetheart table. We wanted to be immersed in the party and be totally accessible all night. Luckily, our florist was gracious enough to put together a few rectangular tables that were big enough to seat us, our entire bridal party of ten, and all of their dates. It was by far one of the best decisions we made.

Advice for newly-engaged couples?

Sun-a: This first bit of advice is that after the securing the big things – venue, food, photographer, music, etc., there are many little things that will need to be decided and taken care of so remember to enjoy this time as well. The engagement period is the time to plan and prepare a wedding, but being engaged is also a part of a couple’s engagement that is different, unique, and special. It is a transitional time – the honeymoon before the honeymoon, a period of excitement of renewed joy of a loving relationship.

Furthermore, as busy as the wedding planning can become, do not forget about each other. As necessary as it is to please everyone else, a wedding is also a momentous celebration of a committed and joyful relationship. It is the one party that a couple can have that is dedicated solely to each other. The wedding day is not the end, but the beginning of marriage. As our pastor astutely reminded us, the promise of “I do” made on the weeding day is not for that day, but for the eternal days that follow.

Thanks Sun-a and Brian for sharing your special day with us!

Photography: Ethan Yang Photography / Venue: The Westmount Country Club / Make-up/Hair: Amy Chin / Dress: Vera Wang

KB Weddings is a new series that features couples and their beautiful weddings. Whether it be a traditional Korean wedding with richly-hued hanboks, or an offbeat wedding with a quirky theme, we’d love to share your wedding with our readers! Submit here.

Lauren and Tae’s destination wedding in Maui was an intimate ceremony and reception that were complemented with vibrant colors. Their wedding gave a nod to tradition (their mothers wore hanboks), and the outdoor ceremony exemplified modern elegance.

Check out how the happy couple celebrated the unification of their love with a dreamy island wedding at Hotel Wailea. Swoon-worthy shots by Wendy Laurel Photography.

Thank you Lauren and Tae for sharing your wedding with us!

Wedding Planning + Design: LaFleur Weddings + Events / Flowers: Anny Heid Flowers / Venue + Wedding Cake: Gannon’s / Hair + Make-up: Rachel with Team Hair & Makeup / Wedding Stationery: Ceci New York / Linens: La Tavola Linens / Wedding Dress: Alma Novia / Bride’s Shoes: Gucci / Groom’s Suit: Ralph Lauren Black Label / Bridesmaid Dress: Lulus / Wedding Photography: Wendy Laurel Photography seconded by Dmitri Photography

KB Weddings is a new series that features couples and their beautiful weddings. Whether it be a traditional Korean wedding with richly-hued hanboks, or an offbeat wedding with a quirky theme, we’d love to share your wedding with our readers! Submit here.

Pops of pretty purple, a symbolic butterfly release (it’s supposed to represent a couple’s evolving relationship, among many other things), kimbab and kimchi hors d’oeuvres, and a playful cake in the shape of an antique beer pitcher. Plenty of details went into Ashley and Jeff’s wedding at the Barn at Boone’s Dam in Bloomsburg, PA.

Captured by Carden’s Photography, Ashley and Jeff’s wedding on June 3rd 2011 was nothing short of amazing. Plus, the goofy duo totally swept us off our feet with their “Border Brews” cake. Cheers!

Big thanks to Ashley and Jeff for sharing their wedding with us!

Photography: Carden’s Photography / Venue: The Barn at Boone’s Dam

KB Weddings is a new series that features couples and their beautiful weddings. Whether it be a traditional Korean wedding with richly-hued hanboks, or an offbeat wedding with a quirky theme, we’d love to share your wedding with our readers! Submit here.

Both Brian and Sara went back to their respective roots (Brian, the Midwest; Sara, Korea) for their stunning weddings at Praise Presbyterian Church, in Somerset, NJ.  Yup, the quirky duo had two weddings—both wonderfully shot by Jonathan R. Tan of Dreamlite Photography—to celebrate their love.

First, Brian and Sara held a traditional Paebaek ceremony, where they proceeded with the tea ritual, exchanging of the bows, throwing of the dates (the more you catch, the more kids you’ll have, as my halmoni says!), and the feast. Following their Paebaek, the couple tied the knot again and had a wild reception at Somerset Hills Hotel, where Brian and Sara donned cowboy hats and whipped out moves to “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” Two words describe this wedding: Country Seoul.

We had two weddings, a Korean traditional one to celebrate with our church, as Brian was the youth group pastor there, and a Western-style wedding to celebrate with our friends and family. We wanted to bring in both of our cultures to the wedding(s), so during the Western-style wedding we had our wedding party dressed up in cowboy hats and we all did some two-stepping to “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.”

Big thanks to Brian and Sara for sharing their wedding with us!

Photography: Jonathan R. Tan of Dreamlite Photography / Ceremony: Praise Presbyterian Church / Reception: Somerset Hills Hotel

KB Weddings is a new series that features couples and their beautiful weddings. Whether it be a traditional Korean wedding with richly-hued hanboks, or an offbeat wedding with a quirky theme, we’d love to share your wedding with our readers! Submit here.

Calvin asked, and Lizz said “Yes,” immediately beginning a long journey of choosing the right venue, dress, cake, photographer, etc, etc. But by the looks of it, it seems like Calvin and Lizz didn’t let the pressure of planning a wedding get the best of them.

Indeed, with the help of their supportive family and friends, the lovely couple found the perfect vendors, including photographer Kenny Kim who worked his wedding wizardry, yet again, for their big day on July 23, 2011 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Mount Prospect, IL.

How and when did you meet?

To keep a long story short, we met at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  We had mutual friends, went to the same church, and even lived in the same dorm (directly above/below each other!) for four years!  We were just friends and respected one another.  We don’t remember our first impressions of one another, but we thought the other person was nice and fun.  :)

Videography by Henry Wu.

Two words come to mind when we think about our wedding: ‘community’ and ‘blessed.’  Although the two words seem completely unrelated to one another, we wholeheartedly believe that the two go hand-in-hand.  From the beginning of our relationship, we have been blessed with a wonderful community of family and friends who supported us in every aspect of our lives, both individually and as a couple.  That support only grew more evident as we prepared for our wedding and marriage.  All the love and support of this amazing community of family and friends—not to mention everyone’s hard work throughout the wedding planning process—came together on our special day!  We are still overwhelmed by all the love and support… we’re so thankful to be blessed with this awesome community.

Elizabeth and Calvin’s advice for newly-engaged couples:

Take it one step at a time.  Never sit down and write a list of all the things you have to do; otherwise, you will be overwhelmed and…cry. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help, because most people really do want to support you in some way.  Be a part of your families’ and friends’ lives (it’s so easy to get lost in all the wedding planning).  And finally, don’t let the wedding become the main focus of your relationship; continuing being friends, love and laugh with each other, spend quality time together (without mentioning the wedding)… continue building your friendship/relationship, because although the wedding is a most important day in both of your lives, it is still one day out of the many you will spend together.  :)

Big thanks to Calvin and Lizz for sharing their wedding with us!

Photography: Kenny Kim Photography / Ceremony: Trinity United Methodist Church / Reception: New Furama Restaurant / Makeup: Mary Yu / Hair: Marissa Julin at The Bridal Beauty Salon / Dress: Here Comes the Bride / Tux: Formally Modern / Floral: A Always Lou’s Florist /  Cake: Eliza Williamson at Swedish Bakery / Videographer: Henry Wu / DJ: Andy Set / Photobooth: Party Booths

KB Weddings is a new series that features couples and their beautiful weddings. Whether it be a traditional Korean wedding with richly-hued hanboks, or an offbeat wedding with a quirky theme, we’d love to share your wedding with our readers! Submit here.

Haime and Michael said their “I do’s” on May 14, 2001 at The Graycliff in Moonachie, N.J. But before the main festivities, the smiley pair had a gorgeous photo session at Fort Lee Historic Park, which has a scenic view of the George Washington Bridge. Get ready to swoon!

Photographic perfection to a T by Bōm Photography.

Thanks to Haime and Michael for sharing their wedding day with us!

Photography: Bōm Photography / Ceremony and Reception: The Graycliff / Makeup & Hair: Vicky C5

KB Weddings is a new series that features couples and their beautiful weddings. Whether it be a traditional Korean wedding with richly-hued hanboks, or an offbeat wedding with a quirky theme, we’d love to share your wedding with our readers! Submit here.

Earl and Mandy met while skydiving at a friend’s birthday party and, after surviving the leap together, they flew to a resort in Bali, where Earl proposed to Mandy after getting his future-in-laws’ blessings.

With their track record you’d expect the adventurous duo to have a wild wedding, but behold, Earl and Mandy had a calm and peaceful wedding ceremony in Chicago, Earl’s hometown, on the morning of July 30, 2011. There to capture the intimate celebration was photographer Kenny Kim.

Our wedding took place on Saturday July 30, 2011, a beautiful afternoon as the sun beamed across the endless blue sky of Chicago, IL.  Beginning bright and early, the bridal party took pictures along the beautiful lake shore trails surrounding the Northwestern University campus.  Following a brief bout with unexpected traffic, we headed to Saints Faith, Hope, and Charity Catholic Parish for our morning ceremony.  This was followed by a reception at Meridian Banquets where we all sang and danced the night away!

What made our nuptials unique?

Mandy: Planning a wedding while living in a different city, let alone one that is a thousand miles away, is not something I would wish upon anyone.  That being said, I think this is what made our nuptials truly unique.  While this did cause a few extra stressful nights, it often brought Earl and I that much closer, solidified as a team to create our dream wedding.

How and when did you meet?

Mandy: If you can believe it, we first met while skydiving at a mutual friend’s birthday outing in Texas. It was the first time either of us had gone skydiving and while we didn’t get a chance to talk much that day, the meeting clearly left an impression!

What was the proposal like?

Earl: I proposed to Mandy at the Nusa Dua Beach Resort in Bali, Indonesia.  We were on our summer vacation with Mandy’s parents and it was my first visit to Mandy’s home country. After checking in and surveying the resort, I stumbled upon a gazebo surrounded by lush trees and a flowing stream of water — I immediately knew that was it.

The following morning, after informing her dad of my plans, we all walked down together for breakfast.  Unable to come up with a plausible reason to excuse ourselves, Mandy’s dad came to the rescue and suggested that we enjoy the beautiful morning and take a stroll around the resort.  I then took the opportunity to show Mandy the gazebo but as we got close, I realized there were groundskeepers everywhere blowing leaves and tending to the grass. So we waited. And waited.  After what felt like eternity, we were alone.  I got down on one knee, eyes swelling with water, and asked her to marry me. Fortunately, she said yes and as they say, the rest is history!

Earl: Early on in planning the wedding, I knew that if there was one thing I wanted, it was to have the wedding in Chicago.  While most of this had to do with my family, the only thing I could think about was having my grandmother there.  Growing up in Chicago, my grandmother took care of my brother and I as my parents tirelessly worked to establish their business and provide for us.  As a result, as soon as Mandy and I were engaged, I prayed constantly that my grandmother would have the strength to attend our wedding.  When it was finally the day of the wedding, my grandmother was seated right in front, lovingly looking upon us as we exchanged our vows.  To this day, I am incredibly grateful for the love and support Mandy showed in understanding my desire to have our wedding in Chicago.

Earl and Mandy’s advice for newly-engaged couples:
Try not to get frustrated with the planning, enjoy the little things, embrace the new, and fall in love every day!

Huge thanks to Earl and Mandy for sharing their wedding with us!

Photography: Kenny Kim Photography / Ceremony: Saints Faith, Hope & Charity Catholic Parish / Reception: Meridian Banquets / Makeup: Nicole Ventura / Hair: Mia Aezaz / Dress: Enzoani / Floral: Wilmette Flowers / Videographer: Chris and Oliver Cinema / Entertainment: Endless Entertainment Chicago / Photobooth: Photobooth Express

KB Weddings is a new series that features couples and their beautiful weddings. Whether it be a traditional Korean wedding with richly-hued hanboks, or an offbeat wedding with a quirky theme, we’d love to share your wedding with our readers! Submit here.

Two cultures, two families, and two people were united in Hong Kong on October 9th, 2010. Je-Woo and Valentina had a spectacular, three-part wedding with three costume changes! First they dressed like Chinese royalty for the Chinese tea ceremony, then they had a formal dress-and-tux ceremony by the sea, and finally ended the celebration wearing hanboks for a Korean Paebaek ceremony.

While we wish we were invited to Valentina and Je-Woo’s grand and gorgeous wedding (did we mention that they had a 14-course menu for their guests?), we’re glad photographer Tobias Chu of SixSixty Studios was there to capture their big day so that we can at least “ooh” and “aah” at their wedding photos.

The rituals started before the wedding day, as we do in Hong Kong and Korea.  We had the ambition to bring our guests through a one off journey starting with the rituals of the Chinese tea ceremony and the Korean tradition of Haam the day before…

We dressed ourselves back to the ancient Chinese Emperors and Empresses to perform the tea ceremony.

After the tea ceremony, we proceeded to a more solemn seaside Western garden ceremony in white…

We then had a Paebaek ceremony, all elements transported from Seoul and sourced from Hong Kong, recreated indoors.

We decided we wanted to delight our international guests with a unique menu for the evening banquet, so we’ve asked the hotel to prepare the traditional Korean banquet noodle as the first course of the evening, to be followed by Chinese/Western fusion banquet food and to conclude with the Korean rice cake individually packaged for our guests to take away as everybody would have had 14 courses by the time they get to the end!

It was indeed a wedding of many ‘unusuals’ and were memorable to many who were dear to our hearts.  Most important of all, it was a satisfying creative process and FUN!

Huge thanks to Valentina and Je-Woo for sharing their wedding with us! And an early congrats on your 1-year anniversary! Cheers!

Photography: SixSixty Studios / Garden Ceremony: Hong Kong Gold Coast / Evening banquet: The Mira

KB Weddings is a new series that features couples and their beautiful weddings. Whether it be a traditional Korean wedding with richly-hued hanboks, or an offbeat wedding with a quirky theme, we’d love to share your wedding with our readers! Submit here.

On May 29, 2011, Erin and Ron invited some of their closest friends and family members and had a lovely wedding at one of the most interesting indoor venues in Chicago: The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Surrounded my fun exhibits, not to mention a beautiful butterfly sanctuary, we’re jealous of photographer Steve Koo who was there to capture Erin and Ron’s big day.

Erin and Ron had a traditional Paebaek ceremony after their dress-and-tux nuptials.

Big thanks to Erin and Ron for sharing their wedding with us!

Photography: Steve Koo Photography / Venue: The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum / Planner: Lauren Le Pine, Ryan Alexander Events / Make-up/Hair: Sonia Roselli / Floral: Avant Gardenia / Cake: Bittersweet Bakery / Catering: Jewell Catering / Dress: Paloma Blanca from Mira Couture / Videographer: Emily from Fig Media / DJ: ETV Productions / Host Hotel: Belden Stratford Hotel