jewelry | Wedding Woof

After a more than seven-year courtship, Audrey and Niko decided to make their union official – and to do that in the presence of more than 300 guests. An epic party, in short! Their longtime friend, my assistant Quan at A Day Like No Other, had taken on the huge task of planning every detail of their Great Day.

The couple had chosen a venue with spectacular views of the San Francisco skyline: the Seminary at Strawberry in Mill Valley, just across the SF Bay, and last week it all came together on a beautiful sunny Spring day under blue skies and with a slight breeze. Absolutely perfect!

The view from the ceremony lawn – courtesy of The Seminary at Strawberry

Bride Audrey and her bridesmaids started very early in the day with hair and makeup services by Maya of Dreamcatcher Artistry.

She and her bridesmaids definitely had a great time together!

Audrey received a gorgeous diamond necklace as a wedding gift from her groom…

… and it was the perfect complement to her low-cut, elegant lace wedding dress.

Next – high heels (gorgeous lacy ones) and the rings…

… and finally, her pretty bridal bouquet by Willow Floral Design (who also provided the ceremony florals). Photographer Kat Ma and videographer Jeremy Quans captured it all, all day long! (All photos by Kat Ma Photography, unless noted otherwise).

Niko and his groomsmen were also dressing up “to the nines…”

Ready for the traditional Tea Ceremony (for which Audrey wore a beautiful red lace dress)!

The bride traveled in style to her “First Look” location (her Dad chauffeured her in his fire-engine-red Corvette!)…

… and then it was time for many, many photos of the couple and the bridal party.

Very soon, the first ones of the couple’s 300 guests were arriving…

… an arbor (from Bright Party Rentals) had been set up and decorated with flowers (by Willow Floral Designs)…

… and then the great moment was there: Audrey and Niko were saying their vows in a beautiful ceremony officiated by Niko’s uncle, Father Ringo Perez.

Meanwhile, the teams of A Day Like No Other (assistants Trisha, Stephanie, and myself), Standard Party Rentals (for draping and chairs), Joe Squared Productions (lighting) and Zen Peninsula Catering were hard at work to get the cocktail area and dining room ready for the big party.

Now, how do 300 guests find their assigned tables? Here it was a whimsical display of pretty name lists on vintage shutters.

Time for the Great Entrance of the couple and their bridal party – BUT with a huge, unexpected twist: an authentic Lion Dance by Tenny Lee and his troupe!

The couple presided over it all from their Sweetheart Table.

The groom and his groomsmen had prepared a surprise performance for the bride:

More surprises were awaiting their guests: with reverence for the Star Wars movies (the couple’s all-time favorite), guests received “chop sabers” (light-up chopsticks) for their 10-course Chinese Banquet dinner!

Trulee Memorable provided their photo booth as additional guest entertainment – a HUGE hit!

In between, the newlyweds quietly “stole away” for Sunset photos…

And when they returned and had completed their traditional table visits, they went on to cut their cake (by Tony’s Cakes) …

… toss a bouquet…

… and a garter…

… and then the dance floor was opened to everyone. Oh – I nearly forgot – we had a traditional Money Dance as well…

It was an epic dance party to the tunes of Chemistry DJs!

Everyone had a great time… wishing you a lifetime filled with joy, happiness and many more epic parties, Audrey and Niko!

… at Thomas Fogarty Winery in Woodside! The two had been together a full seven years, were parents to three cats (the youngest kitten having been adopted two weeks before their wedding!) – so all their friends agreed: it was about time! Stacey and Michael are super busy young professionals, so when they decided in Spring to “make it official” in October of 2018, they were looking for help. A lot of help! My company, A Day Like No Other, was entrusted with all the preparations, and off we went…

The two had chosen their venue, a spectacular winery overlooking all of Silicon Valley with endless views, and a day that turned out to be proverbial “Bay Area Golden October:” sunny, with blue skies, and warm. Just perfect.

The bride arrived at the venue in full hair and makeup (by A-List Makeup) and all she needed to do was get into her gorgeous wedding dress with the help of her bridesmaids…

… pick up her vibrant, Fall-colored, richly textured bridal bouquet (from Laurel & Vine)…

… and here she is, ready for her First Look:

Groom Michael and his groomsmen were meanwhile also getting ready…

… donned their boutonnieres, and the Best Man took care of the rings.

With that, Bride and Groom were ready for their official First Look:

Time for many, many photos with bridesmaids and groomsmen (by Sandra Fazzino Photography) and video (by Sway Media) while the teams of Thomas Fogarty Winery, Laurel & Vine Florals, and Toast Catering were busy with preparations. DJ Justin of JustIntertainment set up their sound systems while my assistant Trisha and I set up decorations and made sure that all went smoothly and on time.

Very soon, the first guests were arriving – they were greeted by a vintage baby-blue typewriter to leave their messages and well-wishes for the couple.

In addition to the (already quirky) typewriter in lieu of a conventional guestbook, we had provided a map for all guests to mark from where they had traveled to be with Stacey and Michael on their special day…

… and here they see the first of many kittens that would pop up throughout that whole wedding celebration in honor of the couple’s beloved felines!

Time for the ceremony which was officiated by a longtime friend of the couple, aided by more friends who read passages from Antoine de St. Exupery’s “Le Petit Prince” during the ceremony.

You may now kiss the bride! And here they are, just married… and so happy!

For the couple, it meant… more photos! And for their guests, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the open deck, with gorgeous views.

For “escort cards,” the couple had come up with yet another quirky and unexpected idea: custom cookies decorated in the “College colors” of each particular guest! A smart idea as most of their guests were their friends from college…

Dining tables in the beautiful open “Pavilion” were adorned with centerpieces matching the bride’s bouquet, and the table numbers were another loving nod to the couple’s cat babies.

The couple’s Sweetheart Table got, of course, a little extra-special treatment!

Time for the Grand Entrance of the newlyweds!

… and for speeches…

… and then, for dessert! Another quirky choice: delicious, fragrant mini donuts (by Harvey’s Donuts) – everyone decided to “re-start the diet tomorrow!”