With just three months to plan, Grace and Mike’s wedding thoughtfully connected Western and Korean traditions, guided by a progressive floral design that created a natural sense of movement for guests. From the start, they leaned into their ability to collaborate, navigating the whirlwind planning process as their vision came to life at Hampshire House. In place of traditional “getting ready” photos, the couple met their photographer, Nicole Chan Photo & Video, at a coffee shop that morning, incorporating a familiar part of their everyday routine. They also returned to the Boston Public Garden for portraits beneath the willow trees, honoring the many moments they had spent there together.
The couple held their ceremony in the library, a fitting nod to their careers as lawyers and their shared identity as self-described nerds. Long tables at the reception encouraged guests to move, mingle, and connect. Place cards displayed guests’ names in Korean, honoring Grace’s heritage. And despite language differences, the celebration seamlessly blended Western and Korean wedding traditions, centering connection at every turn.
“I wore a hairpin called a “binyeo” that brides in traditional Korean culture wore to signify their union to their spouse, as well as a string of pearls that I received from my grandmother, who could not make it to the ceremony due to her declining health and living overseas in Korea. My wedding dress had a sash that reminded me of the styling used in traditional Korean dresses (hanbok).”
“During our vows, both of us were crying. At one point, Grace paused in reading her vows, and Mike’s Best Man rose to hand her a handkerchief, which made us and the attendees laugh during an otherwise earnest and serious moment. Our vows were very personal, so it was gratifying to hear from friends and family after the ceremony that they could tell how much we care about each other.”
“For venue, we chose the Hampshire House for various reasons. We love living in Boston, and we wanted to share the City with our loved ones. The venue also overlooked the Boston Public Garden where we got engaged. Lastly, the room in which we held the ceremony was a library – both of us are self-described nerds who became lawyers, and we thought picking a library was both fitting and funny.”
“For colors, we leaned toward green- Mike’s eyes are green, and it’s our favorite color- and gold. We also engaged a calligrapher to write each guest’s name in Korean, to bring in Grace’s heritage to the day and to familiarize our non-Korean guests with some traditional Korean culture.”
“Our vision for the florals for the wedding was to create a progression of colors: when guests entered the venue, the florals at the entrance and base of the staircase leading up to the ceremony room were simple, white flowers that evoked a meadow-like environment. The most vibrant florals were reserved for the mantle at the center of the ceremony room, in front of which the wedding ceremony took place. For the reception, we incorporated aspects of the white meadow flowers with florals that had colors used in the mantle arrangement. The flowers were arranged to create a river-like aesthetic down the center of the long tables and flowing over the edge, to create a natural, flowing experience. Lastly, while we were thinking about which flowers to include, Mike liked the unique blue center of anemones, so we included one anemone in his boutonniere and one in Grace’s bouquet to link our personal florals.”
“We weren’t sure at first whether our families would be able to connect meaningfully, having not met before and because of language barriers. But they ended up joking and laughing as if they’d known each other for a long time, which was comforting to see.”
