Ying and Erik said I do at Baldoria on the Water and it was the perfect day for it! Ying and Erik started their day off with some traditional ceremonies with their family and closest friends. By the time I arrived the entire wedding party was ready for the celebration. We were greeted by the boys practicing their party intros in the main hall. While Sheena hung back with the boys to practice and enjoy foosball I headed back to see what the girls were up to.
Ying has always been calm and smiley, but today she just had air of pure happiness. Her girls lined the vanity getting beautified and she stood out in her bright red robe getting her makeup done. It was so fun to see her mom and aunts in with her getting pampered. It was such a relaxed and fun environment with plenty of time to eat, toast, hangout and enjoy the day. It was just filled with so much energy. Even when getting on her dress, family was popping in and out, “oooing and ahhing” over how beautiful she looked and how they were so excited for the day.
The rain came and went with perfection. It was there long enough (10 minutes) to cool everything off and have soft cloud cover as well as give us the chance to do an intimate first look in the vine filled front hallway of Baldoria on the Water. To see the look on Erik’s face was priceless. He was just in awe of how beautiful she looked and the intricate lace on her dress. Erik is one of those awesome grooms who pays attention to every detail. He planned a huge portion of the wedding and it was fun to see him experience the one thing he was surprised with. He LOVED the dress. Well, duh! It was stunningly simple and elegant. Ying wore it like a million bucks.
My favorite thing about Ying and Erik is their love for people. You could tell from the get go with their wedding party that these people were so excited to be gathered around the two of them. They had been well loved and supported by Ying and Erik and they were so happy that it was their turn to return the love. The girls were sweet and giggly and knew how to make Ying laugh. They boys, in their perfectly tailored suits, could pull off the boy band look with ease. Every pause between posing, they were laughing and so easy to photograph.
Then there is Ying and Erik. They make each other laugh and smile and feel like they have already spent a lifetime together with how comfortable they are with each other. Although, Ying ignored Erik’s initial texts asking her out, there is no way out of the fact that them coming back together and meeting again a year later was fate. These two are really meant to be together. They balance each other.
Erik has a great creative eye and is a planner through and through. I knew the wedding was going to be awesome when I heard about the proposal at the lantern fest. *Dreamy*. Every moment of the day was planned to a t. It ran smooth as could possible and I think at one point we were even quite ahead of schedule (no, in weddings this doesn’t happen). It made it so that they could really focus on spending time with friends and family. Celebrating, eating and of course, dancing. Their entrances, like promised by the early practicing, were awesome! Each one having their own secret handshake and the girls and guys having a dance battle. Then they went into introductions of the family. Hooping and hollaring as the whole family was introduced, the energy was off the charts. I love all the traditions that their Chinese and Vietnamese cultures have. They really bring in all the people around them. It was fun to see them toast with every table and some tables even got creative and came up with some fun games for them to play.
If you can’t tell, it was a great party. As everyone said it in the toasts, Ying and Erik love and treat people well and that was reflected incredibly in their wedding. I was so happy to be a part of it. Congratulations Ying and Erik!
A big thanks to all the vendors:
