A Christmas Wedding Sans the Clichés in San Diego, California

Extending an Olive Branch

An invitation suite from Color and Creation mixed a casual script font with a more formal block text. "We had an olive leaf motif in our wax seals, just because we liked the symbolism," says Bonny.

All for One

Bonny chose her Viero wedding dress with off-the-shoulder lace straps and an illusion back after several rounds of virtual shopping with the women in her family. "I wasn't able to take my mom and sister with me for dress shopping since we lived on opposite coasts at the time, so we would Facetime each other during my dress shopping and this was the dress that we could all agree on," she says. Though she planned to add a veil that she had borrowed from one of her bridesmaids, she ended up going without it: "With the last-minute rain and everything going on, we all completely forgot to put it on me during the actual ceremony!" she says. "While I wish I would have gotten the chance to wear it, I was very honored that she wanted to let me borrow her veil in the first place."

Her loosely-gathered bouquet from Siren Floral Co. included white ranunculus, ivory majolica spray roses, white stock, Queen Anne's lace, white anemone, and white lisianthus, all set off by blue-green vines and leaves.

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'Maids in the Mist

Her five bridesmaids wore icy blue gowns—a color called Morning Mist—by Jenny Yoo from BHLDN. "My sister fell in love with the dress and chose the style and color," says Bonny.

Perfectly On-Palette

Lamb's ear in the bridesmaids' bouquets perfectly matched their frosty gowns.

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Black and Blue

James chose a classic black Armani tuxedo, which he wore with a black bow tie and black shoes. His groomsmen also wore black, but added a festive touch with bright bow ties that coordinated with the day's color scheme.

Under the Christmas Tree

The couple met for their first look outside the venue, where a massive Christmas tree decorated with red, blue, silver, and gold ornaments created an on-theme backdrop. "When I saw James, he looked at me with this happy smile and I felt grounded knowing that we'd been looking forward to this for so long and that day was actually here," says Bonny.

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Weather (or Not)

Bonny and James planned for an outdoor ceremony, but the weather forced them inside at the last minute—after their team had already set up the white cross-back chairs, towering aisle arrangements, and oversized circle arch outside. "We felt so lucky Amorology and Siren Floral Co. were able to get the ceremony all set up and ready for James and I to take photos in front of before having to move inside for the actual ceremony," says Bonny.

Grounded Florals

Grounded delphinium and hydrangea arrangements flanked the final row of chairs, a look that was recreated when the ceremony shifted inside.

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Ring Masters

Bonny's father walked her to the altar, where the couple exchanged vows in front of a gold circle backdrop wrapped with green-and-white floral arrangements. "We didn't want it to be religious, but the officiant—picked out by my dad—went off on an unscripted, very religious, meandering tangent," says Bonny. "The lesson here is this: Make sure to vet your officiant personally. They are more important than you might think, even if you're writing your own vows."

In Their Own Words

The couple wrote their own vows, but nearly missed their chance to read them after their officiant began improvising. "He had pretty much finished up the entire ceremony, declared us man and wife, and even made some family introductions before my mom gestured to us bewilderedly holding our notes to remind him we still had not read our vows," says Bonny. "[It was] horrific at the time, but now we can laugh about it. And I still get jokes about it from my friends and family, so it's definitely a memory we'll never forget."

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A Novel Idea

A copy of the novel that inspired the wedding's theme served as a guest book, while small woodland deer figures paired with evergreen boughs gave the reception décor a wintry feel. "We also had a small sign that invited guests to share a memory of the past, a love for the present or a wish for the future," says Bonny.

Present Company

Back Up Backdrops built an escort wall that read, "No time like the present," adding colorful wrapped gifts around the text.

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Find Your Gift

Small boxes wrapped in brown or white paper were tagged with guest's names to serve as escort cards. "[They] held gingerbread cookies iced with their table number seating assignments," says Bonny. "It was a fun, unexpected way to have guests eat their way to their tables!"

Musical Notes

An unexpected dash of holiday cheer came from a group of Victorian-costumed carolers, who performed at the end of the cocktail hour. "It was such a sweet moment and gave our guests a fun element of surprise!" says Bonny.

Blue Mood

Textural blue cloths and chairs set the scene for a winter wonderland inside the reception room, where guests dined on a salad of field greens with cranberries and spiced pecans; blood orange sorbet; and Burgundy-marinated short ribs, fennel-glazed salmon, or butternut squash ravioli.

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Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

White flowers, winter greenery, and juniper berries sat in low vessels along the pale blue cloths, with simple taupe plates, gold flatware, and fringed napkins at each place setting. "The menu said 'A Joyful Feast'—which was a nod to 'A Christmas Carol'—with a quote on the backside that read, 'A feast is a wonderful thing, but only if one has loved ones with whom to share,' from Charles Dickens."

Winter Woodland

Tiny woodland creatures brought intrigue to each station.

Home Sweet Home

Hey There, Cupcake iced scripted table numbers onto tiny gingerbread houses, surrounded by berries and branches.

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Blue and White Delight

A three-tier almond raspberry cake from Hey There, Cupcake featured a blue-gray, velvet-textured finish on the bottom layer, and snowy white frosting accented by branches and florals on the top.

A Nod to Tradition

Bonny and James incorporated a traditional paebaek ceremony into their reception in honor of their Korean culture.

Piggyback Ride

"Our parents gave us advice for marriage and at the end, James had to piggyback carry me out of the room," says Bonny. "Our costumes were surprisingly weighty, each with multiple layers of fabric, and I'm no Tinkerbell, so I was concerned that he wouldn't be able to pull it off."

After the ceremony, the couple's DJ from Valentine Entertainment took over, incorporating interactive games into the night. "We had bought a bunch of prizes ranging from gift cards to air fryers to Nespresso machines for the DJ/MC to pass out during his games," says Bonny. "It's a Korean thing, we need dinner and a show." But one of the couple's favorite memories of the reception was simply hitting the dance floor together. "Believe it or not we've never gone dancing together," says Bonny. "This was our first time just dancing with each other."

Sources

Photography, Cavin Elizabeth
Venue and Catering, L'auberge Del Mar
Wedding Planning and Event Design, Amorology
Flowers, Siren Floral Co.
Stationery, Color & Creation
Cake, Hey There, Cupcake
Music, Valentine Entertainment
Rentals, BBJ Linen; Borrowed Blu; Bright Event Rentals; Folkore; Hostess Haven
Bride's Gown, Viero Bridal
Makeup, Eva Kim
Bridesmaids' Dresses, Jenny Yoo for BHLDN
Groom's Tuxedo, Armani
Backdrops, Back Up Backdrops
Paper Goods, Four Things Paper