A Garden Micro Wedding—Lush with Fall Flowers—Replaced This Duo's Destination Celebration in the Maldives

In 2011, at UCLA's Dental School, it was virtually guaranteed that Kay and Eric would meet. "We had the same last name, so we were partners for everything—from anatomy to pre-clinical labs!" says Kay. "Our relationship evolved from locker buddies to lab/study partners, and finally to girlfriend and boyfriend." After moving across the country to Philadelphia together for their residency programs, the pair seized every opportunity to go home to Los Angeles; following dinner on one of those trips, Eric took Kay back to the college campus where their romance began. "We sat on the bench to reminisce about our days there and then Eric got on his knees and popped the question," shares Kay. "I was reduced to happy tears, and since it was 10 p.m. on a Saturday night, no one was there to capture our special moment. We took a selfie with our teary eyes and it was one of the most memorable nights of my life."

The couple originally planned for a destination wedding in the Maldives for November 2020, which they would have followed with a small reception in California. However, when it became clear that pandemic travel restrictions would not be lifted in time for them to move forward, the pair decided to marry at the Southern California home of Eric's parents. "We had an amazing planner (Sally Shin of Pretty Little Events) who had the best strategy to completely transform the backyard," says Kay. "She introduced us to all the vendors who would be the perfect fit for our vision." Ultimately, that vision gave way to an intimate, romantic, garden wedding with a modern twist.

Planning an event from afar did have its challenges. "With the wedding all the way across the country and the pandemic at its peak, I couldn't meet Sally or any of the vendors until the day before!" Kay shares. "There were a lot of emails and phone calls." The revised backyard celebration involved more coordination than their original destination celebration, she says, since the duo had to hand-pick everything from backdrops to chairs and dinnerware. "But this was also the best part, because we could fully customize our wedding," the bride notes.

Looking back on what became the perfect mix of everything and everyone she and Eric love most, the bride advises others faced with changing plans to embrace the process: "It's all part of the journey that makes a wedding special and unique."

"We wanted our invitation suite to be modern and minimalistic, but natural to go with our wedding theme," says Kay of the set created by Salt Paper Co.

Kay's plan was to wear a simple white sundress to her celebration in the Maldives. "When we decided to change to a micro event, I wanted my wedding dress to be modern, clean, and understated," she says. A fitted, high-neck ensemble from BHLDN with deep cuts down the sides offered the minimalist look the bride envisioned.

At her mother's suggestion, she selected a second look for the reception—a full gown with just a hint of blush and exquisite floral details that spilled from the bodice onto a skirt of glittering tulle. "I love that I went with this for my second dress!" she says. "It was a nice contrast to my first and perfectly festive for the reception."

The bride paired both dresses with her "something blue"—classic Manolo Blahnik pumps with crystal embellishments.

Lush, romantic, and airy, the bride's bouquet featured garden roses, ranunculus, lisianthus, and sweet pea in subtle shades of blush, apricot, ivory, and white. A delicate chiffon ribbon in peach pulled the pretty look together.

Eric's stylish pleated ceremony suit was a thoroughly modern design by Homme Plissé Issey Miyake; he paired it with a shirt that featured black along the collar, which created a bow-tie effect. A boutonnière composed of rose buds, ranunculus, pampas grass, and touches of pale greenery completed the contemporary ensemble.

The groom took in his bride for the first time in a small area behind the main house that was wooded with bamboo trees. "It was exciting and emotional at the same time," he says. "It started to feel more 'real' to me that we were actually getting married!"

A petal bar was stationed at the entrance to the ceremony site so guests could stock up on the goods they needed to shower the bride and groom during the recessional.

The al fresco service site featured an oblong arch (created by Milieu Florals) of willow branches adorned with garden roses, ranunculus, hellebores, sweet pea, majolica sprays, lisianthus, and tulip stocks among assorted greenery and dried accents.

The same flowers, with the addition of delphiniums and curly willows, lined the aisle, which was left bare to contribute to the natural, organic feeling of the garden.

Eric and Kay's mothers walked down the aisle, hand-in-hand, at the start of the processional.

A light sprinkling of rain fell as the father of the bride escorted his daughter towards the altar, resulting in a big, beautiful rainbow that spread across the sky as they exchanged vows. "It was so magical and perfect to us. We felt that everything worked out well to celebrate our special day!" says Kay.

In addition to exchanging lighthearted vows that included personal stories of how they fell in love, Kay and Eric underscored their commitment by lighting a unity candle with tapers that had been previously lit by their respective mothers.

The couple joyfully raised their arms in victory as they exited the ceremony as husband and wife.

During the cocktail hour, Kay and Eric appeared in hanbok, the traditional attire worn during the Korean tea ceremony called Pyebaek. The ceremony included serving tea to their parents and catching chestnuts and jujubes tossed by older relatives, an exercise meant to determine how many children they will someday have (chestnuts mean daughters, while jujubes predict sons).

The pair's Pyebaek setup featured a table swathed in blue-and-red fabric topped with traditional Korean snacks. Painted screens formed a beautiful backdrop, while strings of market lights cast a lovely glow overhead.

Reception tables on the property's patio were set with creamy linens and petite arrangements of fall blooms and interspersed with candles in tall glass hurricanes. 

Each place setting featured a beribboned seating card placed alongside a deckle-edged menu. Peach-hued plates were centered between sophisticated flatware with handles dipped in white.

Floral installations suspended from pergolas overhead added a dreamy effect to the serene scene below.

Eric changed into a light gray plisse suit for dinner; Kay traded her veil for a jeweled headpiece that beautifully accented her reception dress.

The couple cut into two tiers of cookies-and-cream cake iced in white buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers. Sweet Deetails was responsible for the lovely confection.

Husband and wife stole a moment to admire the romantic floating candles in the pool. The light show didn't end there: Loved ones waved sparklers as the couple took leave of the reception. "It was so special to end the night with our family and friends showering us with love," says the bride. "It was one of our favorite memories of the special day."

Photography, Perpixel Photography
Wedding Planning and Event Design, Sally Shin for Pretty Little Events
Videography, Perpixel Photography
Flowers, Milieu Florals
Invitations and Stationery, Salt Paper Co.
Officiant, Pastor Junie Lee
Bride's Gown, BHLDN
Reception Gown, BHLDN
Korean Tea Ceremony Dress, Hanbok Bidanhyang
Veil, Blossom Veils for BHLDN
Jewelry, Van Cleef & Arpels (necklace), Mignonne Gavigan (earrings)
Shoes, Manolo Blahnik
Hair and Makeup, Credo Makeup Studio
Groom's Attire, Homme Plissé Issey Miyake
Groom's Timepiece, Audemars Piguet
Wedding Bands, Buccellati
Music, MC Simon Park
Catering, Sweetpea LA
Cake, Sweet Deetails
Favors, Compartes Chocolatier
Rentals, Theoni Collection, Town and Country Event Rentals
Lighting, Town and Country