I can’t believe it’s already May, which means wedding season is definitely in full swing! I kicked off my season with this incredible multicultural Sacramento wedding this past weekend. Phoebe and Joey brought in elements from Vietnamese, Hawaiian and Japanese culture into their wedding, creating an incredible wedding that highlighted  their personalities and their love for each other. Phoebe changed into a gorgeous Ao Dai, a traditional Vietnamese dress, as a nod to her heritage. Some of Joey’s family is from Japan, so Phoebe folded 1001 tiny golden cranes for good luck, as is the Japanese tradition. Joey’s aunt took the cranes and arranged them into an incredible piece of art, a turtle, which is a symbol of good luck in Hawaiian culture. Joey’s family also brought dozens of leis from Hawaii.

Phoebe and Joey met via Coffee Meets Bagel after Joey was reassigned back to California after being stationed in Texas for a few years as a JAG in the Air Force. Phoebe is also an attorney and had been working crazy hours before a friend convinced her to give Coffee Meets Bagel a try. Phoebe is a meticulous planner (as I found out on their wedding day, which went so incredibly smoothly without even a day-of-coordinatior!), but she let Joey plan their first date. He took her on a hike… which ended in a parking lot rather than a sweeping, beautiful view! Luckily, despite being taken aback by the hike to the parking lot, Phoebe reached out to Joey again and the rest is history.

I started off the morning with Phoebe at their beautiful home and was immediately struck by how close Phoebe was to all of her bridesmaids. I love that she chose to have three bridesmaids even though Joey had 7 groomsmen, rather than filling the spaces with people who she didn’t have as strong of a connection with.

We met Joey at the Sawyer Hotel in downtown Sacramento, where he had stayed the night before, for the first look. Joey was so amazed by the sight of Phoebe in her dress that there were definitely some tears. It was so incredibly sweet! After the first look, we took advantage of the amazing clean lines at the Sawyer Hotel and the lush greenery to take some portraits.

From there, we headed to the St. Francis of Assisi Parish for the ceremony. And can we take a quick moment to comment on how incredible Phoebe’s dress and veil were?

From there, we headed to the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria for the reception, where Phoebe and Joey did a quick outfit change.

Joey’s dad was also in the military, as are several of his groomsmen. During his speech, Joey’s dad brought out his challenge coin, teaching Joey’s groomsmen to never leave their challenge coins behind!

• Ceremony Venue: St. Francis of Assisi Parish
• Reception Venue: Tsakopoulos Library Galleria
• Flowers + Decor: CL Decor
• Music: DJ Ninhtendo
• Videographer: Tri Luu Films
• Cake: Sweet Creations by AV
• Catering: All Seasons All Reasons
• Bridesmaid Dresses: Lulu’s
• Tuxes: Hall Madden + The Black Tux
• Invitations: Vistaprint

Congratulations to Phoebe and Joey on their gorgeous, multicultural wedding in Sacramento!

I am almost fully booked for 2018, but am starting to book weddings for 2019! Contact me or email me at alice@aliceche.com to book your wedding now.