Marriage was written in the stars for Margo and Drew, at least according to the Chinese zodiac, which Margo (a Rat) and Drew (a Boar) consulted before determining the date of their nuptials—June 16, 2012, a “prosperous” day in a very good year (enter the Dragon).
After a Montara State Beach proposal and 18 months of planning, during which time the couple tapped the Crocker Art Museum to host their wedding day festivities, the low-key couple put it in high gear, streamlining their wants—traditional Chinese banquet wedding versus a simpler soiree—with expert advice from professional planner Aimee Wendell with 2Chic Events & Design. The result was an informal-feeling affair rife with humor and hints of tradition. Although the bride elected not to change into customary Chinese dress should it somehow impair her ability to have fun—the couple’s “number one goal” for their big day—aspects of the ceremony were conventional, while others nodded unique, including seating designed to make guests feel like they were the center of the wedding and time slotted for the couple to thank their families and present gestures of flora to their mothers in gracious acknowledgement.
The reception, also held at the Crocker, indulged the couple’s love of food—a passion turned inspiration for their overall wedding-day concept. “Family and friends are everything to us,” Margo gushes. “Food is love and we hope that what we served illustrated us as a couple.” Dishes were served family-style to mimic the manor in which meals were presented during the couple’s childhood. The engaging and sharable repast encouraged seamless interaction between guests.
Gastronomy also informed décor for the citrus-tinged affair. “We wanted bright, vivid colors,” Margo recalls, “so lime, yellow, tangerine and orange were major colors of the wedding.” The vibrant color palette reflected the bride and groom’s desire to cultivate a convivial atmosphere reflective of their happiness. Helping achieve this sunny ethos was radiant overhead lighting and sweets galore—from candies in bold hues and tables boasting sweet-treat monikers to a generous roundup of sugary delights, including a three-tiered wedding cake topped with fondant frosting and embellished with flowers, all adorning the scrumptious dessert bar that Margo coins “redonkulous.” At night’s end, guests found their favors—Chinese takeout boxes they were invited to fill with saccharine offerings from a custom candy bar.
Maybe it was all the sugar, but everyone was sweet on the photo booth and especially the DJ, who wooed Drew’s uncles and aunts to a buzzing dance floor. There, Drew led everyone in a funky groove in a moment that still impresses his bride in amused reflection. “I’ve never seen Drew ‘break it down’ like that before!” Margo confesses.
“Everyone was enjoying and celebrating our special day,” the bride remembers. “That is what made everything worth it to me! Nothing was pretentious about the wedding and it flowed really naturally.”
And as the groom proved, it moved pretty well too.
