On May 16, 2010, The Finishing Touch’s third 5/16 wedding in a row, Claudia Kim wed her long-term boyfriend, Andrew Wu. The gorgeous (and tall!) couple settled on an outdoor ceremony in the newly-renovated gardens of Crystal Plaza in Livingston, New Jersey with a reception held in their grand ballroom. Claudia and Andy had decided to see each other for the first time prior to the ceremony, which allows the bride and groom to thoroughly enjoy their cocktail hour in its entirety as all formal photos were taken prior.
With picture-perfect weather, the outdoor ceremony was adorned with 250
white folding chairs, white flowers atop white columns which lined the
aisle and white cones full of pink petals for guests to take and throw
at the commencement of the ceremony. Their ceremony consisted of
heartfelt self-written vows, as well as a 15-person choir, keyboard,
guitar & sax. Having a love of 80’s music and adding a touch of
their personality, the couple chose to recess to ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop
Us Now’ by Starship!
Guests then proceeded onto the cocktail hour which Crystal Plaza really knows how to do right! Passed Hors D’Ouevres, and multiple buffet stations such as a slider bar, Asian station and quesadilla station are just a sample of what the Plaza had to offer. A full open bar was complete with their signature drink signs, compliments of The Finishing Touch, labeled as a ‘Kim Royale’ and ‘Wu-Tini’ was a big hit. Rather than having a typical guest book, Claudia & Andy chose a Manzanita Wishing Well Tree in which guests were able to write their congratulations on pink tags which then hung from the branches with black velvet ribbon. Guests were treated to a photo station in which they were able to play dress-up with feather boas, top hats & pearls in front of a black backdrop.
As cocktail hour was underway, the Finishing Touch team was putting the ‘finishing touches’ on the ballroom. Table centerpieces alternated from tall silver candlebras topped with white Dendrobium Orchid blooms and dangling pink crystals to short clusters of pink and white flower bunches in black vases tied with pink ribbon. The room was softly lit with amber tones and a foliage pattern projected onto the dance floor. Keeping with their pink, black and white theme, the Crystal Plaza created a white tiered cake with black fondant trim and polka dots with pink bows; not only was it eye-appealing but the red velvet & vanilla filling was delicious!
Guests enjoyed a four-course meal and were out of their seats dancing to Escapade, an 8-piece band from Craig Scott Entertainment, before their entrees were served. In place of the traditional bouquet toss, all the single ladies participated in a Taiwanese tradition of grabbing one ribbon from the bride’s bouquet and pulling. The one whose ribbon was actually tied the brides bouquet was considered the winner, in which case ending up being Claudia’s mother! After an evening full of dancing, photo-taking and dining, guests said their goodbyes to the couple, collected their authentic chopsticks favors and made their way home.
The bride & groom were able to leave with a same-day edited DVD showcasing all special moments leading up to, and including, their first dance to be able to take with them to Taiwan the next day to show their family and friends.(Click here to check it out!) Claudia & Andy will also be enjoying a second reception in Taiwan before jet-setting to the Maldives for their honeymoon!
All the best, Nicole, Candice & Stephanie
Thank you to all our wonderful vendors involved:
Venue: Crystal PlazaFlowers: A Touch of EleganceMusic: Craig Scott EntertainmentStationery: The Finishing TouchLighting: Dynamite FXCeremony: Michael Stuempfle, Creative Wedding CeremoniesPhotography: Heather WaraksaVideography: Abella Studios
Comments