1. Real Weddings

A Modern Wedding in San Francisco, CA

A mutual friend brought Christine and Brian together for a night at Dave and Busters. Brian bought Christine a drink and they sectioned off to chat al

A mutual friend brought Christine and Brian together for a night at Dave and Busters. Brian bought Christine a drink and they sectioned off to chat alone the rest of the evening. The next day, they got in touch over Instant Messenger and continued to hit it off. Brian impressed Christine with an unusual first date -- a day of indoor rock climbing. After just a few months of dating, they moved in together. The Bride Christine Nguyen, 29, a marketing project manager The Groom Brian Vaeth, 29, a mechanical engineer The Date September 12 Two years later, they took a trip to San Francisco to celebrate their anniversary. It took some advanced planning and a few white lies, but Brian was able to surprise Christine with a visit to the Exploratorium and a proposal on a bench facing the Golden Gate Bridge.

The stationary set the tone and gave guests a hint of the whimsical wedding to come.
Since the ceremony space doubled as the reception space (white linens separated the rooms during the service), the decorations could be left up all night. The only change: The largest white ball from the ceremony was swapped out for a red one, signifying it was time to party!
Christine and Brian love to sing and dance to music from all eras. They asked the DJ to play a mix of oldies, ‘80s, ‘90s and today’s danceable music. But first, they danced together to “It had to be You” by Billie Holiday.
Red Converse Shoes
The baker suggested mimicking the invitation design on the cake to bring the event full circle; guests saw the invitations first and the cake was one of the last! The fourth tier was topped with a sugar replica of Christine’s floral headpiece.
To complement their red and ivory floral print dresses, the bridesmaids carried dahlias and a mix of other red accent flowers.
Tented cards were draped with homemade fabric bags, which guests could later fill with goodies from the candy bar.
The pattern of the escort bags corresponded with a homemade stuffed bird. Guests had to match the fabrics to figure out which table they’d been assigned to. The birds sat perched above five square vases with floating candles and clusters of red dahlias.
Somehow, Christine made it through the night wearing five-inch (Fendi!) heels. They were bright red and matched the day’s décor perfectly.
Red napkins popped against ivory table linens. Dinner was served on black and white square plates.
The special fuzzy navel drink was renamed the “Fuzzy Kiba,” after the couple’s mini husky who couldn’t attend the party.
Christine knew her gown was “the one” as soon as she saw it. She loved that it was tea-length, cinched at the waist, and covered with handmade rosettes. “It felt fun, modern, city-esque, flirty, and flattering on my body type,” she says.
Christine carried a bouquet of garden roses. It was oversized -- just the way she wanted it.
The six groomsmen wore black suits, which they already owned, and matching red ties. Brian gave them each a pair of black leather Converse sneakers with their names stitched on the backs.
The pattern of the escort bags corresponded with a homemade stuffed bird. Guests had to match the fabrics to figure out which table they’d been assigned to. The birds sat perched above five square vases with floating candles and clusters of red dahlias.