Modern Chinese Destination Wedding | Julep Venue San Diego

Starting 2025 off with a destination wedding feature! Who doesn’t love sunny San Diego??

G & E met in San Diego, so the city holds a special place in their heart. We knew right away that a wedding honoring their families and Chinese & Western cultures, and hosting the celebration in “America’s Finest City” were important priorities to G & E. And so, we worked diligently with G & E for almost a year to plan every single detail of their epic and beautiful destination wedding. We navigated our planning journey around 3 different cities, time zones, and schedules - and came out on top of it all!

“Modern and industrial” were key themes in our design. We handpicked a gorgeous warehouse venue that allowed creative freedom for creating and designing the space as we saw fit. Excited by all the possibilities, we got to work building multiple mockups and concepts, gathered samples and swatches, and negotiated and reviewed dozens of quotes and proposals, all while revisiting the budget at every turn.

Inspired by Japandi aesthetic, we intentionally selected minimal and modern flowers, décor, and colors. Our colors were natural shades of ivory & beige and blush pink, with pops of maroon. The blush pink and beige brought in delicate and feminine attributes (complementing the Bride perfectly) and the pops of maroon-red tied in the Fall season, as well as G & E’s Chinese heritage. For the tablescape, we picked out high quality linens in neutral colors. Delicate Japandi-esque florals were arranged in gorgeous ceramics and the candles were neutral in color.

We knew that with a smaller guest count in a big space, we did not want guests to feel overwhelmed or empty. And so, with the open warehouse floorplan, we thoughtfully “closed” off certain spaces to allow for maximum guest flow throughout the event and also made sure that conversations could flow easily at each table. We also carefully curated a lounge space with natural woods for a more comfortable guest environment. Designing and installing custom drapery, market lights, and Chinese lanterns helped bring together this elegant affair.

On the day-of, reassured by our healthy timeline, the Bride and Groom enjoyed a relaxed getting-ready experience at the hotel. Meanwhile, we worked with amazing Photographer Amy Huang to capture all of the Couple’s meaningful details in thoughtfully-designed flat lays worthy of any luxury wedding editorial.

The Bride wore a fabulous Modern Chinese dress, while the Groom wore a handsome custom Western suit. In lieu of a typical Ceremony, we decided to host a private Chinese Tea Ceremony and Vow Exchange for the couple’s families. Certain “traditional” Western Ceremony customs were still maintained, while also honoring Chinese culture with the Tea Ceremony.

After an intimate Ceremony, all the guests arrived for Cocktail Hour in the most perfect warm California weather. The weather and setting were absolutely perfect - it was a warm and sunny weekend in San Diego. We entertained guests with an open bar, delicious Japanese sweets, and fresh farm-to-table selections. At the end of the night, G & E closed out the wedding day with their guests in a flurry fun, underneath the twinkle lights.

It was such a sweet weekend, celebrating with G & E and their loved ones. Congratulations again and Happy Anniversary!

Venue: Julep Venue

Photography: Amy Huang Photography

Planning, Design, & Coordination: Made by Connie Designs

Refined and Sophisticated Mansion Wedding | Kohl Mansion

How are we in the last month of 2024?? As our last blog post this year, we are featuring L & C’s refined, sophisticated, and timeless mansion wedding. Everything about their day gave “old money vibes” in all the right ways!

Planning for and designing L & C’s wedding was truly a labor of love. Over the course of our 17 month wedding planning journey, we led and managed every planning milestone, coordinated many site visits, gathered samples and swatches, negotiated and reviewed dozens of quotes and proposals, revisited the budget at every turn, navigated tricky personal situations, and built multiple moodboard and mockups to curate a perfect and personalized wedding. Knowing that L &C were so happy on their wedding day (and seeing it in person!) made all this work worthwhile.

To design their elegant and refined wedding, we leaned into the vibe of the grand mansion venue and focused on elevating all the details. Every detail was thoughtfully considered and chosen. Colors included natural shades of ivory & beige, blush pink, and salmon orange peach. Building out the reception tablescape and layout was a challenging but fun experience. The reception hall was all moody and dark wood. So, to bring more light and visually “brighten and lighten” the space, we picked out neutral colors in the table linens and chairs. We diligently prepared and acquire samples of all the linens and napkins to make sure that the color palette paired well with our floral and candle selections. Delicate-yet-colorful florals were arranged in gorgeous ceramics and the candles were neutral in color. The Bride also worked hard in hand-making beautiful pressed florals for each guest’s placecard. The reception hall gave “Harry Potter Great Hall” vibes so we ran with it by having guests dine “dining hall” style with long banquet tables. Now, this kind of dining experience could potentially limit guest interactions, so we made sure that the layout and centerpieces were conducive to building conversations across more seats than the ones directly next to each guest.

Wedding couple and bridal party attire were intentionally chosen to complement our overall classy aesthetic. We absolutely loved the Bride’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”-esque dress, with a gorgeous sash and long gloves. With the Groom in a handsome black tux, the two made a stunning pair.

Guests enjoyed an outdoor Ceremony and Cocktail Hour in the most perfect warm weather. We entertained guests with delicious modern Asian cuisine and desserts of Boba and Mochi Donuts to honor the couple’s Chinese heritage! In lieu of a traditional cake-cutting moment, the couple chose to do a champagne tower toast in high-society fashion! And then, guests partied the night away with fun music and dancing.

Venue: Kohl Mansion

Photography: Orange Turtle Photography

Planning, Design, & Coordination: Made by Connie Designs

Redwoods Retreat Wedding | Waterfall Lodge and Retreat

A & A’s redwoods retreat wedding weekend is the perfect event to feature this fall!

For their wedding, A & A envisioned a getaway wedding retreat for themselves and their guests in the forest and mountains. We worked diligently months prior to plan all the details and logistics for the weekend. Guests arrived on Friday afternoon and checked into their lodges. We started the weekend’s festivities with a forest bath, followed by a low-key welcome party with great drinks, tasty wood-fired pizza, and heart-warming speeches and performances.

The next day, the bridal party gathered in the morning to get ready while guests enjoyed a breakfast spread of pastries, breakfast burritos, and fruit, and a craft coffee bar. A & A shared an intimate first look and it was off to the Ceremony.

The weather and setting were absolutely perfect - it was a very warm and sunny weekend in the Santa Cruz area, but we were able to find reprieve in the cool shade of the redwood trees. It was important for A & A to fully embrace and experience the forest by walking barefoot into their Ceremony. Tea also played a big part in their relationship, so we made sure to feature tea and tea leaves throughout the wedding day. Beneath the majestic redwood trees, we celebrated A & A’s union with sweet vows and a Unity Tea Ceremony, in which the couple shared their first tea drink together. As the couple walked out, guests playfully tossed bubbles into the air.

For the reception, A & A thoughtfully prepared a DIY tea bar for guests to enjoy an assortment of tea flavors and toppings. Tables were decorated with rustic elements of greenery and earth-toned florals. We dine on freshly-cooked paella on hammered gold plates.

At the end of the night, A & A closed out the wedding day with a well-choregraphed mix performance for their First Dance. Guests danced the night away in the barn.

It was such a sweet weekend, celebrating with A & A and their loved ones. Congratulations again and Happy Anniversary!

Venue: Waterfall Lodge and Retreat

Photography: Kate Elyse Photography

Planning & Coordination: Made by Connie Designs

Classic Summer Winery Wedding | Thomas Fogarty Winery

The last few weeks of summer are upon us in the Bay Area and we’re finally sharing details and snaps from I & K’s classic and modern summer winery wedding!

We worked with I & K in the final months of their wedding planning journey to tie up all loose ends and take over all logistics, details, and communications to ensure a smooth wedding day. We started the Wedding Day with a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony, honoring both side of the family. We then whisked the couple away for an intimate First Look in their Western attire. After a sweet Ceremony, we ushered guests to a greeting line to greet the Couple and take a photo with them - a great way to make sure the Couple got to spend time with each guest in attendance.

Guests enjoyed a fully outdoor Ceremony, Cocktail Hour, and Reception in the most perfect Summer weather. We kept decor simple, minimal, and clean - with soft pink romantics and gold elements. We also lucked out on the most amazing dusk lighting, which highlighted the natural rustic charm of the winery venue.

It was such a sweet day, celebrating with I & K and their loved ones. Congratulations again and Happy Anniversary!

Venue: Thomas Fogarty Winery

Photography: Helena Wong Photography

Planning & Coordination: Made by Connie Designs

Timeless Modern Garden Estate Wedding | Park Winters

Finally sharing details and snaps from K & O’s timeless, modern, romantic estate garden wedding!

It was such a privilege to design K & O’s wedding. We leaned into the vibe of the estate venue and focused on minimalistic, light, clean, and earthy elements. Colors included natural shades of ivory & beige, mauve, and sage green. Building out the reception tablescape and layout was such a fun experience. We worked hard to acquire samples of all the linens and napkins to make sure that the color palette complemented with our floral and candle selections. The florals were arranged in gorgeous ceramics and the candles were neutral in color while the holders shared gold accents. K & O share an adorable dog in Oatly so we just HAD to subtly incorporate her into the details (namely: the signature drinks and stirrers) and in part of the wedding weekend.

Guests enjoyed a fully outdoor Ceremony, Cocktail Hour, and Reception in the most perfect warm Spring weather. And then, we partied the night away in the dance barn.

It was such a sweet day, celebrating with K & O and their loved ones. We wish K & O many more years of love and happiness. Congratulations again and Happy Anniversary!

Venue: Park Winters

Photography: Zha Zha Photography

Planning, Design & Coordination: Made by Connie Designs