Wedding Date on Dec 15, 2018

From the couple: Our wedding was winter elegance at a winery with a moody color palette and velvet textures. We wanted our wedding to be an intimate celebration, under 40 guests, with our closest friends and family. We wanted to celebrate real, honest love, making our guests feel like part of our celebration. We also wanted our brasswood Cellars wedding photos to be classic and romantic so we felt this venue would be a perfect match. It was very important to us to include Wilian’s daughter, Sophia, in our ceremony and the day. I was not just marrying Wilian; I was lovingly committing to Sophia as well. Our floral arrangements, centerpieces, backdrops, and bouquets mixed winter whites and greens with blush, and deep burgundy. They brightened and complimented the dark navy and gold. Our favorite part of the wedding was our wedding officiant, Lauren Snead. She worked with us to create a beautiful, unique-to-us wedding ceremony. It was a real and true expression of our love for each other and Sophia. We also had an electric violin duo, Chris and Laurann. They played the ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner. They played our favorite songs as a violin duo with tracks in the background. They played Imagine Dragons, Lana Del Rey, The Postal Service, Sia, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It felt like I had an endless search for a wedding dress. I tried on dresses at more than a dozen bridal stores. As a winter wedding, I knew I wanted a long sleeve dress, which is hard to find in Los Angeles. I finally found the dress at Lovella Bridal. I made alterations to the dress (the sleeve lace coming down on my hand, cinched-in waist, and more lace applique on the shoulders) to make it my own. Wilian knew he wanted either a Tom Ford or John Varvatos tuxedo. Together, we found a classic, elegant, chic black John Varvatos tux. We met at a mutual friend’s party and literally bumped into each other. We began talking and spent the rest of the night chatting. I put up a wall at first (I was afraid of being hurt), but I soon realized that Wilian was true to his word, respectful, and truly loyal. He saw through the wall I put up, seeing that I was protecting my sweetness and kindness, so he continued to pursue me. Months after being together, Wilian asked me to marry him at Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma. He brought me outside to show me the views. Unaware what he was about to do, I tried to turn around and go back inside because the sun was too bright and hurting my eyes. I almost ruined his proposal, but he urged me on. I followed him outside, and he proposed to me. I said “yes!” without any hesitation. The ceremony was our most anticipated and special moment from our wedding. We were both excited because it was a true expression of our love. It was unlike any other wedding ceremony. And, we were able to include Sophia. There wasn’t a dry eye as we exchanged vows, and then I said my vows to Sophia. It was a very emotional, loving and real ceremony.