A Tea Ceremony Honored The Bride's Vietnamese Heritage at This Rancho Las Lomas Wedding

Kim and Bill wanted their wedding day to be "to be representative of how our love and relationship felt—easy, open, dreamy, soft, and romantic," says Kim. To bring that vision to life they selected Rancho Las Lomas in Silverado, California, to serve as the venue. The decision to book Rancho Las Lomas was a serendipitous one—it was actually the first venue they toured and it ticked all the boxes for the duo. "My husband and I have always loved Spanish style architecture so I was specifically looking for a venue that featured the curves and arches, white stucco exterior and walls, painted tile, balconies, terra cotta roof tiles, and wooden details," explains Kim of the look she had in mind. "We immediately fell in love with the first venue we had toured—Rancho Las Lomas. From there, we knew we didn't want our decor to take away from the natural beauty of the venue, so we decided the color palette would be neutrals that incorporated creams, whites, soft blush pink, and little hints of gold." Because Rancho Los Lomas is already eye-catching without any added decor, the couple kept their floral arrangements and other decor items tastefully understated so as to complement, but not compete, with the space. "The venue we chose had such natural beauty that we didn't need to incorporate too much of our own touches for the space to look like our dream wedding. The altar had beautiful blue tiling on the back and a romantic Spanish-style arch, so I asked my florist to create a white, blush, and cream floral arch to decorate the top. I also asked to incorporate varying heights of gold lanterns with candles and floral arrangements with pampas grass at the beginning of the aisle," notes Kim of the decor used in their Silverado, California, outdoor wedding celebration. 

Beyond planning a wedding that aesthetically felt soft and romantic, it was also important that the celebration feel unique to the couple and honor Kim's Vietnamese heritage. "My family is Vietnamese and although there are plenty of Vietnamese traditions to celebrate a wedding that spans over a few days, we decided to simplify and incorporate a traditional tea ceremony during the ceremony portion of our wedding," says Kim. "During the tea ceremony, Bill and I served cups of tea to each of our parents and grandparents in descending order by age as a way to honor and thank them for the love and support they have given us. Their sacrifices have shaped us into who we are as individuals and as a couple. We also changed into traditional Vietnamese gowns (or ao dais) during a portion of our reception. It was so fun to change out of our suit and white dress and put on something so different and vibrant. My mom and grandma handpicked the fabric of our Vietnamese outfits so that was also a sentimental touch I will cherish." 

Looking back on their whirlwind wedding day, the couple recalls their first look as an especially memorable moment. "The moment we were most excited about was our first look. I'm usually the one that cries more easily on a day-to-day basis, but Bill will always lose it during big moments. It was so exciting to see each other dressed up, knowing it was one of the most significant days of our lives. In just a few hours we were going to cross the threshold of being two individuals into one family. We also agreed that it was incredibly moving and overwhelming for us to see all of our friends and family who had traveled near and far to celebrate us. We were floating long after the wedding was over," says Kim.