Dance Couple’s Laid-Back Modern Wedding at Lush San Diego Botanic Garden
Happy 3rd Anniversary, Shirley and Vincent!
Wow, what an honor it was to capture the love between Shirley + Vincent back in 2019! This was even before I lived in LA—I was stoked for my first Southern California wedding.
Song: The Tuxedo Way by Tuxedo; Video courtesy of the couple
We all go way back to college through the dance community which means I have known Shirley for 10+ years! From the TALENTED collaborative DIY efforts from their family and friends to put together this wedding to the amazing CHOREOGRAPHED FIRST DANCE, to the SURPRISE choreographed dance from their old dance teammates featuring dances Shirley and Vincent choreographed themselves back in the day to the ALL WHITE BRIDESMAIDS OUTFITS …. this was one of the most thoughtful, heartwarming, and FUN weddings I’ve ever captured! Shoutout to my boo Ngawang for being my assistant for the day, lugging my camera equipment all around Encinitas and around the garden! I so so appreciate you!
And now I present some words from Shirley herself:
Look & Feel: Vincent and I knew we wanted our wedding to reflect us as a couple: simple, fun, and laid back. Since majority of our 80-guest wedding attendees would be traveling from all parts of the country to Southern California, we wanted to provide a glimpse of our San Diego home with a San Diego-esque venue and incorporated our personal, minimal, and modern-garden ideas. A lot of thought was poured into the details ensuring everything about our wedding embodied us, our personalities, and relationship, from serving our favorite foods and hand selecting our music playlist throughout the wedding down to the smallest of items including local coffee beans and personalized coffee mug gifts.
What really took the cake on our big day was feeling the outpouring of love from our friends and family and living that special day in full fruition. We fully support and believe in the talents of our friends and family, and decided that incorporating their talents would be the perfect opportunity to show our support. My husband’s mother beautifully decorated our cake and arranged the bridal bouquets. Our sisters slayed all the coordination with vendors and day-of setup. To top it off, our wonderful friends graciously accepted our requests as officiant, photographer, make-up, hair, and illustrator.
How Shirley & Vincent Met: We met in 2008 at Virginia Tech during a hip hop dance team audition. Vincent and I were acquaintances until late into the 2009 spring semester when we would pass by each other between class. Our dance group held a potluck one weekend and Vincent offered to drive me and some friends home. He had just got a new car, which drove me say “Wow, I like your car. You should take me out some time”. Well, somehow that worked and the rest is history.
Photography: Jessica Millete, Venue: San Diego Botanic Garden, Coordinator: Christine Tran (couple’s sister), Wholesale Flower Supply: Fifty Flowers, Flower Design: Becca McCharen-Tran (couple’s sister), Table Settings: Adore Folklore, Table cloths: Allie's Party Rentals, Catering/Bar: Miho Catering, Cake: Edelweiss Bakery, Makeup: kcd.makeup, Hair: Dulce Mcbride, Dress store: The Dress Theory San Diego, Dress Alterations: Bustle On Wheels, Ceremony Dress Designer: Rue De Seine, Reception Dress Designer: Alexandra Grecco, Bride Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell via Nordstrom, Earrings: Olive & Piper, Suit: Suitsupply, Ceremony Live Music: Cedrice Music, DJ: Suit and Tie Group, Mugs: Discount Mugs, Coffee Beans: Dark Horse Coffee Roasters
“For anyone looking for an experienced, high-quality, top-notch wedding photographer, you’ve come to the right place! Jessica is a master behind the lens and delivers absolutely gorgeous photos. She’s super easy to work with, personable, and finds all the right moments to capture on your big day! Highly recommend! Couldn’t have selected anyone better for our wedding and would definitely go with Jessica in a heartbeat for future events!”
