Wendy and James met through mutual friends. At first, they were lukewarm acquaintances, but they later moved into an apartment together for convenience due to a series of pandemic-related events. From there, they got to truly know each other and realized that they had completely misjudged each other earlier on. After a rom com-inspired 6 months of “will they, won’t they,” James and Wendy started dating about and got married 4 years later. For their wedding captured by Vivian Chen Photography and planned with the help of Perfectly Planned, the couple wanted an exuberant celebration for their community—very Californian, full of color, with many thoughtful and personal touches – classy and elegant.
Idea we love: nonprofit venue
James and Wendy picked the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California not only for the beauty of its gardens and Spanish architecture – both hallmarks of California and Wendy’s childhood growing up in Palo Alto – but because the venue also represented values important to both of them. As a nonprofit supporting Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, the cause spoke to Wendy’s heart for healthcare and volunteering, and as a complex of studios and a marketplace for local artists, the venue spoke to James’s background and passion for entrepreneurship.
Color palette: sunset citrus meets dusty blue
The color scheme for the day was “sunset citrus” with a dusty pale blue as the background for the peach, coral, pink, and butter yellow accents. The bride and groom’s intention was “what feels colorful and summery but also complements both the white dress/black suit vibe of a Western wedding and the bright red colors of a Chinese wedding.”
Bridal style: draping & pearl details
Wendy’s initial vision was to get a runaway bride princess-ballgown dress, but during the try-on process, everyone — including her! — all decided that the super fitted dresses suited her best. Wendy’s wedding dress was a strapless sweetheart number by Paloma Blanca. She chose a minimalist design where the drape and quality of the material would carry the majority of the look. She paired her dress with a pearl-detailed cathedral veil by A.B. Ellie, block heel pumps from Betsey Johnson, and a pendant necklace with a golden pearl gifted by her father. In fact, pearls would be the consistent detail between her ceremony and evening reception look.
Detail we love: meaningful bouquets
3 of the 4 bridesmaids are designers, so the bride entrusted them to choose their own dresses. They each had bouquets of a single flower type (their favorite), with Wendy’s bouquet comprised of each of the bridesmaids’ flowers and her own favorite, peonies.
The wedding looks were all DIY—the bride preferred to do her own makeup, and the girls all had appointments at Drybar to have their hair done, which meant they could all sleep in a bit later!
Sand & burgundy suits
The groomsmen wore sand-colored suits with burgundy ties to complement the bridesmaids.
Lychee stole the show!
James and Lychee, their dog, kept things classic in black suits, with Lychee stepping things up in a tux.
A wedding day miracle: peonies in October
Florals were centered around fluffy large blooms, with the florist Lily Flowever (a friend of the bride’s!) pulling a miracle nobody expected—procuring peonies in October!
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Honoring tradition: private tea ceremony
The bride and groom honored their Chinese heritage by having a private tea ceremony with their parents before the reception dinner.
Classic style choice: bold color, subtle pattern
For the tea ceremony and evening reception, Wendy changed into a custom qipao she designed with Dragon Seed Bridal, a San Francisco family-owned bridal atelier established in 1978. Instead of large motifs or patterns, Wendy preferred that the material carry the dress and selected a classic bright red silk with a subtle bamboo pattern and contrasting light yellow piping with pankou buttons. The boutique suggested a full-length traditional cut with high leg slits and cap sleeves that Wendy ended up falling in love with.
Wedding must-do: showcase your personalities
The day was full of details that showcased the couple’s personalities. They opted for a band (Gold Standard Sound, based out of LA) at cocktail hour playing jazz renditions of anime music.
Video game-themed bar
A video game themed bar featured five custom cocktails, including one provided by The Progress – a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco.
Late-night ramen station
A late-night instant ramen bar was an homage to James and Wendy’s love for Asian convenience store food.
Custom wedding cake flavors
Their wedding cake with custom flavors came from Butter&, the bakery that Wendy works at part time.
Unique favor: professional portraiture
They wanted guests to feel like VIPs and offered professional portraiture in the garden’s golden hour in lieu of a traditional photo booth.
After the fact advice from the bride
“If you know you tend to need more time getting ready (especially with outfit changes), budget a lot more time than you think you may need with your coordinator.”
“My wedding day emergency kit must-haves included: lidocaine spray, fashion tape, and a mini hair curling iron – lidocaine so you never think about your feet, fashion tape so your dress doesn’t move around, and a mini hair curling iron for any touchups you may want later in the day.”
“Do a BYOB bar—you can control the quantity of what you buy, or you can buy in bulk. If you feature cocktails, plan for the majority of your guests to enjoy those cocktails. We had tons of wine, top shelf liquor, and beer left over. K&L Wine Merchants were great for helping us select wines but be careful using Chat GPT to approximate quantity! It told us that 60% of guests would go for cocktails, but realistically more like 95% of our guests did.”
