… i choose you!
happy 1 year anniversary tee!
xo, ina
in celebration of our 1 year anniversary, here is our wedding video that was taken by a go pro and edited by us.
in honor of mother’s day today…
i love this picture that christine chang photography captured of my mom helping me put on my necklace. not just because she captured the moment so well, but because there is so much meaning behind the necklace itself.
the necklace chain was a gift my late grandmother (my mom’s mom) gave to me before she passed. my grandmother was a big part of my life growing up and i wanted to wear that necklace on my special day to honor her.
the necklace pendant is the same exact one my mom wore on her wedding day.
it’s easy to see from this picture, where i get my smile and my laugh from. 🙂
happy mother’s day, mom!
thank you for the joy and laughter you bring to my life and those around you.
xo, ina
so much of our wedding that i have shared so far has been stationery related. however, today, i want to showcase something a little different. the jewelry and the amazing woman behind them, my best girlfriend and partner in crime, april kawaoka.
tee and i have known april for 15 years. she’s been there since the start of it all and we knew that she would be “the one” to create our wedding bands.
i always like to pick up a piece of jewelry when i travel as my little souvenir. when tee and i traveled to Costa Rica for the first time 10 years ago, i bought a sterling silver ring. i told april that it would be pretty cool if we could incorporate the design of my Costa Rica ring into my wedding band. so that was the inspiration behind my ring. the curve in the design lent itself real nicely to mold with the shape of my vintage engangement ring. it’s almost as if the two ring designs we’re made for each other.
tee was pretty excited when he knew that he could have april make pretty much anything for him in the form of a ring. only problem with that is, it left tee with endless possibilities! in the end, tee decided on a two tone brushed ring in the form of white and yellow gold, with a high polish look on the inside.
i think it’s rare that wedding bands can have as much meaning behind them as ours and to have someone that means so much to us hand make them, makes them priceless.
we also asked april to make our entire wedding party thank you gifts, which we presented to them at our rehearsal dinner.
bracelets for the ladies and tie clips for the gents.
each bracelet and tie clip was also hand stamped on the back side and personalized for each person.
for mine, we customized it a bit more by doing a gold chain with the sterling silver so that it would be a little different from the rest. i love that april uses such unique jewelry box packaging as well!
april will be at Unique L.A. May 9th & 10th. come by and visit her if you’re free. or if you prefer to shop at home, you can visit her Etsy shop.
p.s. may 10th is mother’s day so you can always swing by and pick up a piece of jewelry for the mamas in your life!
photo credit: christine chang photography & april kawaoka
the whole wedding was very personal to us. from the person we chose to officiate the ceremony, down to the font chosen for the wedding invite. it was also really important that we incorporated each of our crafts into the wedding. you all know when it came to the stationery items, that was all me. well, something that is very tee, is vinyl decals. tee has an Etsy shop, Put’em in the Wall, dedicated to selling his vinyl decal designs. so for his craft, we showcased it in the form of a fun vinyl decal application on an old window pane for our guest seating chart.
here are a few shots of some of the wedding details… (and even more desk embossing fun!!!)
a big thank you to my Uncle Wil for helping apply the vinyl decal onto this window pane in the very difficult humid Costa Rica weather! you really were “MacGyver” that day!
name change ALERT!!! 🙂
photo credit: christine chang photography
if you were able to read the copy from our save the date, you know that tee and i chose Costa Rica for a very special reason. and in choosing Costa Rica as our destination wedding, i also knew i wanted to put together welcome bags for our guest for when they arrived at the hotel.
every item that went into the bag was specifically placed in there with personal experience tee and i had with Costa Rica 10 years ago.
1. “in sickness and in health” – Hangover & Survival Kit – everything you need to survive and recoup for the wedding week ahead (ibuprofen, anti-itch cream, diotame, antacid, antiseptic wipes, band-aids, mints).
2. “to care and to protect” – Sun Survival Kit – something for before and after the sun (i learned the hard way, 10 years ago, that the closer you are to the equator, the harsher the uv rays. sunblock and aloe vera gel became my best friend.)
3. Avon Skin So Soft Bug Spray – the only bug spray that i find actually works and smells good.
4. Snacks – something sweet & something savory to nibble on while unpacking or for a late night snack.
5. Water Bottles – ’cause you have to stay hydrated when you’re drinking and basking in the Costa Rican sun! 🙂
more desk embosser fun!!!
6. “to have and to hold’em” – Playing Cards – endless games, endless fun.
7. Guidebook & Map – extra info is always good to have.
our guidebook included a little welcome message, a map of the hotel, the wedding week group activities, as well as other suggested activities and any important contact info our guests may need.
8. Custom Printed Tote Bag – a little something for our guests to carry home to remember our special day and if necessary to use as a carry on bag for souvenirs that don’t quite fit in the suitcase.
it was great to see our bag being used and taken around Costa Rica!
