Is it just me or do wedding videos have a way of making you tear up? Every time I watch Michelle and Charles’ wedding video by IQ Videography, it gets me all misty-eyed. It’s all of the real emotion – the laughter! the tears! the love! – that’s packed into this one day that you can’t help but get swept up in it.

And, Michelle and Charles’ wedding day is absolutely lovely. Once Charles is allowed in the house (he has to pass the bridesmaids’ stringent tests, which include singing a rendition of “I Will Always Love You” in front of the whole family), they start their wedding celebrations with a traditional Vietnamese ceremony. Michelle looks stunning in her Ao Dai (Vietnamese dress) and the tea ceremony is filled with such emotion and love.

Then they move onto a Presbyterian church in Sausalito, California for a Western-style ceremony. Be sure to listen for the flower girl’s priceless comment – you just know the family will be bringing it up at her wedding one day…

Michelle fills us in on their wedding details…

What was your vision for the day?
I wanted to focus on tradition, culture and keep our wedding classic, yet modern. I wanted our day to be very personalized to us.
My colors are bougainvillea with gold accents. I love bright colors. I wanted the colors to reflect me and who I am.

Tell us about the specific details of the day.
We had three events on our wedding day: a Vietnamese morning tea ceremony, a church ceremony, and reception.
The Vietnamese tea ceremony gift trays had tea, fruits, brandy, dragon candles, wedding moon cakes, wedding cookies and roast suckling pig.

I had three dresses, one for each event: the Vietnamese ao dai dress for the Vietnamese tea ceremony, the wedding gown for the church ceremony, and the Chinese cheongsam dress for table toasting because my husband is Chinese.

Did you do any DIY projects?
* Wine glasses filled with jelly beans as kissing bell favors, embossed with our initials
* Homemade wedding programs, menus and table numbers
* Hand made flower girls’ baskets and ring pillows

Did your wedding location hold a specific significance to you?
We were looking for a small church, somewhere intimate for our family and friends. We fell in love the moment we saw our church. Since it was up on a hill, we thought it would be fun and memorable to bring our guests up on a San Francisco cable car.

What was the most meaningful part of your day?
There were two parts. As I walked down the aisle and seeing him standing there smiling. All I saw was him and I couldn’t believe how handsome he was and that this day was finally here. I couldn’t wait to meet him at the altar. The second part was our first dance at the reception to “Close to You” by The Carpenters. It was just me and him on the dance floor and I didn’t want our song to end.

Did anything funny or out of the ordinary happen?
The gate-keeping games at the tea ceremony, where the groom had to prove himself worthy by doing what my bridesmaids told him, such as push-ups, belching a song and tell my family how the future would look for us. Another funny thing was at our reception venue, there’s a large waterfall that you’re not supposed to dance in, but we weren’t aware of that and since we had so much fun, a few guests, the groom and I took off our shoes, and jumped in and danced the night away. We all got soaking wet!

How did you know your partner was “the one”?
Because he always knows how to make me laugh with his cute little jokes. And he’s a great kisser, too! I feel blessed and extremely lucky to have found him. He is the most thoughtful man I’ve ever met. So sincere, loving, and dedicated.

Any advice you’d give new brides who are just getting started?
1. Have fun while you’re planning.
2. Avoid stress by planning to the finest detail.
3. Ask your family and friends to help execute your day smoothly.
4. Find a good photographer and videographer.
5. And on your wedding day, let it all go and enjoy.

Vendors:

Videographer: IQ Videography
Ceremony Venue: Sausalito Presbyterian Church
Reception Venue: Yank Sing at Rincon Center
Dress: Rivini
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Men’s Attire: Selix Formal Wear
Flowers: Sharla Flock Designs
DJ: DJ Jeff Chong

Proud to say IQ Videography is a mywedding member.