By biggest wedding ever: Christine’s and Young’s FIVE-day celebration!

After a full decade of courtship, Christine and Young, both physicians, decided that “enough was enough” and it was time to finally get married! They turned to my company, A Day Like No Other, to help them find just the right fit for their venue and vendors, plan and design the Great Day, and, of course, orchestrate the festivities. And off we went… in a (at least to me!) very unexpected direction: instead of a glamorous party, these two prioritized quality time with their “nearest and dearest” far more – they were going to invite them all to a five-day resort retreat, plus more friends to their wedding celebration. Suddenly, I was facing a HUGE project.

For their “home base,” the couple chose Ralston White Retreat, a converted mansion tucked away in the Redwoods high above the little township of Mill Valley in Marin County, accommodating 30+ guests, typically for Thursday-through-Monday retreats; exactly what they had in mind for their nuptials.

That the front lawn is heart-shaped for all the romantic weddings that this venue has hosted over the years was, of course, an added bonus! Due to its secluded location (and winding, one-lane mountain access road…) the logistics of this wedding proved difficult, to say the least – but we had about a year to plan. Two caterers for every day of the retreat. Linens, rental items, beverages, snacks, guest entertainment and a myriad details for the day before and after the wedding … to keep all house guests (including doggies!) well-fed, happy and entertained.

And then, of course, everything needed for a typical wedding celebration! And suddenly, Wedding Day was upon us – for Christine, that meant hair and makeup services (by Kary Li) to start the day.

The mansion was already filled with flowers and gifts…

… and photographer Frank J. Lee started very early to capture all these details …

… and the whole atmosphere of this exceptional wedding – INCLUDING Christine’s and Young’s delightful puppy Mochi and HIS homebase:

Once hair and makeup were done, Christine got into her elegant wedding dress..

… and jewelry…

… with the help of her friends.

Girls definitely having fun!

The experienced production team from A Day Like No Other (Nimy and Narod) orchestrated the whole event discreetly from “behind the scenes,” from start to finish – a huge task! Soon the first vendors started to arrive, to load in, to set up, in order to get everything ready in time. The Boba Guys set up their station to tide hungry guests over from brunch to ceremony. Rental items (from Bright Event Rentals) were delivered and installed, alongside all the setup that the venue team, Christy and Gabe, had to do;

parking valets (West Park Express) got ready to park the guests’ cars, Mademoiselle Colette Catering delivered both brunch for the houseguests and a dozen delicious small wedding cakes;

florist Janelle of Green Petal Designs delivered the bridal bouquet …

… and boutonnieres and installed the ceremony decor;

DJ Paul of Big Fun Disc Jockeys set up music and lights (supported here by my fabulous production lead, Nimy)…

… and Le’s Kitchen Catering under the expert leadership of Christina Hsu and Amy Tang had their hands full with cooking and setting up tables and chairs.

Christine and Young – traditionalists in that respect – had decided NOT to see each other before the ceremony, and photographer Frank went back and forth between the two, capturing a host of SEPARATE pre-ceremony photos.

And here is the undisputed star of the show: Mochi on his Mom’s arm.

Ceremony time! Here comes the bride.

Father Gerry diCaprio conducted the wedding ceremony, and – “You may now kiss the bride!”

Just married! While guests were enjoying cocktails, the newlyweds had many, many “together” photos to take. Plenty of opportunities in the beautiful woods surrounding Ralston White Retreat!

Come dinnertime, the string lights surrounding the dining area created a truly magical scene. Place cards were tied to blankets – welcome wedding favors to keep off the evening chill under the towering Redwoods.

The traditional ceremonial Cake Cutting, following the conclusion of dinner, was as unconventional as this whole wedding: in lieu of one big, towering wedding cake, the couple had opted for smaller Black Forest cakes from their favorite French bakery, Mademoiselle Colette – one on each dining table – as delicious edible centerpieces, for the guests to help themselves. Bride and groom cut the first two of the cakes …