[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”]We always envisioned the backdrop of our wedding to be really lush and green and consisting of colors typically found in nature. But we also wanted some elements to really pop against the natural greenery so we chose shades of pink to be the color to stand out with shades of cream to be a transitory color.
We think the colors we chose fit in perfectly with the venue environment while also still providing a unique and interesting element with the bright pinks. It also just made us feel uplifted and happy.
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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]Our overall theme and vision for our wedding was actually to feel less like a wedding and more like an exclusive event (i.e. designer trunk show, premier, etc.) you got invited to while you’re on a tropical vacation.
All of our wedding events combined brought our whole vision and theme to life. We had 4 wedding events planned: 1) Welcome dinner, 2) Boat cruise, 3) Wedding ceremony/reception, 4) Farewell lunch.
The welcome dinner was held at Black Ginger restaurant in The Slate hotel. Black Ginger was the ideal setting for our welcome dinner. The entrance was so grand, someone pulled you across on a raft, we knew it was the perfect place to kick off our wedding celebrations to give that wow factor. We had welcome bags prepared for all of our guests filled with Thai snacks, emergency kit, and a schedule of events. We had a live band playing which created such a great atmosphere for our guests to talk and mingle. The food was amazing, we had selected the Black Ginger signature tasting menu which gave our guests a 4-course tasting of 10 different dishes. We knew we wanted something that would set the tone for the rest of the week and Black Ginger was absolutely perfect.
Boat cruise: We chartered two boats from Yacht Charters Phuket for an additional wedding event we hosted to take us on an island tour with our primary destination being James Bond Island. One boat was the “party boat”, a 111ft catamaran where we had 50 guests aboard and the second was our “family boat”, a 63ft yacht where we had 10 family members aboard. We went to Hong Island and did kayaking, took pictures on James Bond Island, and swam at Khai Island and Naka Island. We had Tichakorn aboard the party boat to take videos. This was one of our favorite events of our wedding week. We had planned it mostly because we had so many of our friends/family traveling from so far and many were only staying for the week so we wanted to give them a sightseeing/touring opportunity they might not have been able to do on their own. It was our main opportunity to just relax and hang out with our friends.
Wedding day: We think our venue (RV8 at Trisara), the service, and our decorations were the key elements that brought this vision to life. We’re almost certain we had a 3:1 ratio between the staff and guests on our wedding day. The service from all of our vendors made everyone feel like they were famous celebrities. Our venue was also so unique in so many ways. Not only was it one of the craziest places we’ve ever stayed at, but the views and the attention to detail in every aspect of the venue was unlike anything any of our guests had seen or experienced before. While attending a wedding isn’t necessarily the most novel thing, our venue and the unparalleled service made it feel like that super exclusive event we were aiming for.
Farewell lunch: This event was held in the beautiful Jampa restaurant. Known for locally-grown ingredients , live fire, and zero waste cuisine, it was awarded a Michelin Green Star. Chef Rick Dingen curated a bbq buffet for us after we did a tasting with him. We had fresh vegetable and fruit juices to help with hangovers from the night before. It was a way for us to say our final goodbyes as people were departing for home or the next leg of their trip.
We love to travel so we wanted to share that experience with our loved ones. We’ve gone on some really epic trips together but have never gotten a chance to really share those experiences with others. Our wedding was the perfect outlet for us to essentially plan a giant, epic vacation.
Our planners nailed our vibe and design. Since we had never visited Thailand and couldn’t do a site visit before our actual wedding trip, we relied so heavily on the expertise of The Bridal Planner team. We literally could not have done it without them. They were the ones that guided us on every single venue decision and it was exactly what we had in our minds. They helped identify the absolute best vendors that matched our personality and vibe. They really helped make our wildest dreams a reality even beyond just our wedding day.
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[field title=”Proposal Story”]Alfonso planned an epic 30th birthday trip to Dubai for Khulan, a place Khulan had always dreamed of visiting one day. The trip involved several incredible activities like visiting (and staying in!) the Burj Khalifa, diving in the world’s deepest indoor diving pool, swimming in a rooftop pool overlooking the Palm islands, and visiting the various souks. On the second to last day of the trip, Alfonso had organized a private sunrise hot air balloon ride and desert safari. Alfonso proposed as they were taking off from the ground in a private hot air balloon ride over the desert. Khulan technically never said “yes” because Alfonso was so nervous he never actually asked “Will you marry me?”. He had a giant sign created that some of the tour staff was holding down on the ground and could be seen from the balloon as we were taking off. Needless to say, the “yes” was implied by the happy tears, hugging, and kissing. It was the best way to end one adventure and start on another.
What’s also notable is that Alfonso researched and performed a traditional Mongolian engagement with Khulan’s parents without Khulan knowing at all. When a couple wishes to marry each other, the groom will visit the bride’s family with very close family or friends and present the bride’s father with a “hadag” (blue silk scarf), silver cup, and other gifts, asking acceptance of the bride’s parents. If the hadag and silver cup are accepted, the bride’s family agrees to the marriage. Alfonso visited Khulan’s parents with his best man, Alec, to ask for Khulan’s hand in marriage.
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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]
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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]I had 2 western wedding gowns and 1 traditional Mongolian deel.
I was really torn from the start on what I wanted for my western wedding gown. One part of me loved the idea of a really simple, classic, and clean white wedding gown while the other part of me wanted something really sparkly and different. I initially started off thinking I would only get one dress but it didn’t quite end up that way.
I ultimately made the decision when I ended up finding the gown I wore for the reception first. When I tried it on I knew I had to have it. It was so “me” in so many ways.
But thinking about it more, the dress didn’t feel exactly right for the ceremony. Alfonso is much more traditional and he was going for a really classic tuxedo for the wedding day so getting a slightly more traditional ceremony gown felt right. I ended up finding a beautiful, clean, white wedding gown but it didn’t feel completely genuinely “me”. After trying out a few different things, I ended up finding a cape from another designer that was perfect. It gave me the “unique” element I was craving (even though I tried to go traditional) and it acted as my veil since I couldn’t really make a traditional veil work with my short pixie cut.
For the traditional Mongolian deel, Alfonso and I worked super closely with my family to create custom matching deels. Mongolian deels can be made to be super intricate and over the top but you traditionally only see these in theater productions or movies or they were worn by royalty in ancient times. Rather than go for this, we opted to go for something more simple and truer to the types of deels that people still wear regularly even today in Mongolia. We went with a lighter color to fit in with the tropical environment a bit more and picked a fine cotton fabric with a light shine to it.
Ceremony gown: Leilani by Jimme Huang
Ceremony cape: Farrah by Erin Cole (cape only)
Ceremony headpiece: Pearl and Rhinestone 3-band headpiece
Ceremony shoes: Mach & Mach Crystal Double Bow Pointed Toe Pump in Silver
Mongolian ceremony deel: Custom made in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Reception gown: Customized Bling X by Galia Lahav
Reception shoes: Loeffler Randall Camellia Bow Sandals in Champagne
Khulan got Alfonso a Cartier Santos De Cartier watch as a wedding gift. Alfonso isn’t much of an accessory wearer so this was the first major timepiece he would have. There were so many options but ultimately I decided to go with an option that was cleaner and classic so he could wear it both for everyday and for special occasions. Funny enough, he had also gotten a Cartier piece for Khulan’s wedding gift (he got a gold Cartier Love Bracelet).
Alfonso has a really classic style and he wanted something timeless and classic for the wedding. We think it complemented both of my wedding gowns (ceremony and reception). With my ceremony gown, it was a really classic bride and groom look. With my reception gown, his tuxedo complemented it perfectly to go with our overall theme of an “exclusive gala”.
Suit: Emporio Armani Super 130s tuxedo (Black)
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Cortez Patent Leather Oxford (Black)
Watch: Cartier Santos De Cartier (wedding gift from Khulan engraved with our wedding date)
Studs: David Yurman Streamline Cushion Shirt Studs
Cufflinks: David Yurman Exotic Stone Cufflinks
Mongolian Deel: Custom made in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Our engagement ring and wedding rings
Khulan’s wedding bands: Custom Tiffany & Co. “Forever” platinum band with 5 diamonds made for The Landmark store and a plain Tiffany & Co. “Forever” platinum band with no diamonds to be a spacer ring between the wedding band and engagement ring. The diamonds in my wedding band had a high setting so I needed a small amount of space between the band and the engagement ring.
Alfonso’s wedding band: Tiffany & Co. “Forever” plain platinum band.
Alfonso and I have lived in Jersey City next to NYC for several years and we both absolutely love NYC. To us, it’s the greatest city in the world. It felt really fitting and super iconic to get our wedding bands from The Landmark Tiffany & Co store.
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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]The bridesmaid dresses are selected by the bridesmaids themselves. We decided to go with mismatched, floor-length bridesmaid dresses/jumpsuits with each bridesmaid choosing a distinct, vibrant/bold color. Each bridesmaid selected the color of their choice and the style. We wanted our friends to choose an outfit that they felt the most beautiful and comfortable in rather than conforming to a more traditional choice (aligning closely to our theme of “less wedding”). The mismatching kind of happened really naturally since everyone had their own unique style and vision.[/field]
[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]The groomsmen’s attires are Tan linen suits, selected by each groomsman. Similar to the bridesmaid dresses, we had our groomsmen select the exact shade, style, brand, material, etc. of their suits. We wanted them to be comfortable and choose something they would ideally wear again for other events. Since the bridesmaid dresses were bright, vibrant colors, we decided to keep the groomsmen suits a more neutral tone so it would keep.
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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]
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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]
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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]
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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]Since we did our wedding abroad in Phuket, Thailand and all of our guests were traveling from outside the country we wanted to keep our menu local to Thai cuisine. During our wedding day we had the majority of Thai dishes from Por Pia Thod to Tom Kha Gai to a live Phad Thai Station. Our signature drinks were Mai Thai and Piña Colada. The food and drinks were absolutely amazing. Plates, glasses, and tables were always full with a huge variety of dishes/drinks from the welcome all the way to our after party snacks. And our favorite dish was the live station Phad Thai.[/field]
[field title=”Florals & Decor”]The flower team was spot on with our arrangements! It was the perfect color ratio we wanted with the bright and light pink roses. It was perfectly positioned as an accent and didn’t overpower the rest of the decorations and natural beauty of the venue.[/field]
[field title=”Wedding Cake”]Our wedding cake was designed by Anthony Reynolds, our wedding cake had four different flavors.
Top tier – chocolate sponge with vanilla infusion, peanut buttercream 2nd tier – banana, chocolate chip with lemon buttercream 3rd tier – Victoria sponge, strawberry infusion, strawberry buttercream, crushed meringues Bottom – vanilla sponge, hazelnut monin infusion, Nutella buttercream.
We loved all of the flavors but our absolute favorite was the bottom tier. It was so light yet creamy and moist.
We envisioned a wedding cake that was simple yet elegant, and Chef Anthony brought it to life perfectly from the picture we sent. The cake beautifully complemented our wedding’s grand, yet understated theme.
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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]Bride walk in: Next to Me by Rufus du Sol. We both love Rufus du Sol so much and the lyrics of Next to Me are so romantic and pure love. We also both love house / alternative dance music and this song provided the most perfect balance and something really unique to create an atmosphere filled with emotion and love.
Ceremony walk out: My universe – Galantis Remix by Coldplay, BTS, Galantis. The lyrics just felt so perfect for the occasion. Listening to it on the day of right after our first kiss, it felt so accurate, we were each other universe.
Mongolian ceremony: Mongolian Melody by Morin Khuur Ensemble of Mongolia. Khulan’s dad actually selected this song. When we listened to it, we were moved by the instrumentals and it would fit the event perfectly. It was so traditionally Mongolian as the artist plays the traditional morin khuur (string instrument).
Reception entrance: I’m Good (Blue) by David Guetta, Bebe Rexha. An epic song for an epic moment. The song just makes us want to dance and celebrate. It uplifts and hypes up anyone listening to it. And the lyrics were so accurate in the moment “…baby I’m going to have the best f**ng night of my life…”
First dance: The Veldt Cinema – BYNX Edit by deadmau5, Benny Benassi, Gary Go, BYNX. We just loved the lyrics of the original song. It was so romantic. And this specific remix was so different and unique and was at the right tempo for the kind of first dance choreography we created with our dance instructors.
Fireworks: Years by Alesso, Matthew Koma. The melody was so uplifting and the lyrics were like a look ahead to the future “…these will be the years…”
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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]The main cultural tradition we incorporated into our wedding was the Mongolian Tea Ceremony held directly before dinner started. The ceremony itself is supposed to symbolize the union of two families and emulate what a couple would traditionally do when they have their first meal together in their new home. The ceremony starts by having the husband light a fire which the wife then uses to make traditional tea over. She then serves the tea to her husband’s family, her own family, and then her husband. The metal structure where the firepit was placed is called a “tulaga” which Alfonso and Khulan’s dad handmade together.
Being able to hold this ceremony in front of our guests meant so much to us. It gave us an opportunity to blend our cultures and share it with our closest friends and family. The ceremony itself was also very meaningful to us as it gave us an opportunity to show respect and honor to our immediate family who played a significant role in raising and shaping us to become who we are today.
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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]Our favorite moment from our wedding day was our reception entrance. We walked in with an epic song blasting with our friends and family on their feet cheering and looking like they were all having a great time. Alfonso accidentally kicked a sparkler on the way in but after a small adjustment, the sparklers went off and it made the whole entrance so unforgettable. We both remember just being so relaxed and just having fun without a single worry.
Also, guest experience was at the center of every decision we made. Our wedding was a once-in-a-lifetime moment where we could gather all of our closest friends and family into a single place. Plus it was a vacation for all of us! Every single one of our guests needed to travel to get to Phuket, Thailand with the majority attending from the other side of the world (US). It meant so much to us that all of these people were willing to spend so much time, money and effort just to be there with us so we wanted to give back as much as we could with our wedding. That’s why we spent a lot of our time organizing events outside of our actual wedding day (welcome dinner, boat cruise, farewell lunch) at a variety of different locations to help our guests maximize their time. This wasn’t just our wedding, it was also a vacation we were sharing with our friends and family.
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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]We must say not everything went exactly as planned but we wouldn’t have changed a single thing about our wedding. We would tell future couples to enjoy every single moment of the whole experience from planning all the way to the wedding day itself. We frequently talk about how much we could go back in time to do it all over again and how fast it all went by. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience to plan probably one of the largest parties we’ll ever host and be able to take such an amazing trip with our closest family and friends. It helps you appreciate how special the moment is when you realize this will likely be the only time you get the exact same group of people together in one place.
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]
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Photography: Darin Limsuansub | Cinematography: Tichakorn | Event Design: The Bridal Planner Thailand | Event Planning: The Bridal Planner Thailand | Floral Design: FW Signature Phuket | Wedding Dress: Jimme Huang | Cake: Passion bakery and restaurant | Invitations: The Bridal Planner Thailand | Ceremony Venue: Trisara Resort | Reception Venue: Trisara Resort | Catering: Trisara Resort | DJ: DJ Mike Edward | Groom's Attire: Armani | Wedding Venue: Trisara Resort | Accomodations: The Pavilions Phuket | Beauty: Phuket Make up artist | Engagement Ring Designer: Tiffany & Co. | Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Black Ginger | Rentals: The Bridal Rental | Weddings Rings: Tiffany & Co.
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