Tell us a little about yourselves!
7 years ago we met on a blind date in downtown San Francisco!
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We always saw ourselves getting married in California. It was only until we saw University Club of San Francisco that we could envision ourselves dancing and celebrating with our closest family and friends.
How many guests did you have?
88, which is such a very auspicious (unplanned) number in Chinese tradition.
Tell us about your outfits.
Serena: Out of everything I wore, my Badgley Mischka shoes were my first and favorite purchase. There were tiny daisy embellishments that made me so happy. Josh at Josh’s Tailoring and Design tweaked my simple dress to perfection, and I felt so comfortable and confident the entire day. Being able to dance freely with our guests was important to me so I knew I wanted a shorter reception dress that would let me party all night.
Anatoly: I wanted a fun yet classic spin on the traditional tux, so I opted for a white dinner jacket look. I drew inspiration from Arnold Schwarzenegger in the opening scene of True Lies.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Our number one priority was to make our wedding fun for our friends and family! In addition to a lot of Bay Area locals, we had friends and family travel from the East Coast, Japan, Australia, and Europe, so we wanted everyone to have the best time. We planned a picnic near the Golden Gate Bridge for the day after, which coincided with the Fleet Week celebrations. San Francisco glittered for us that weekend.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Music was so important to us. We started planning our cocktail, dinner, and reception playlist early on which made us want to enjoy the party that much more. For our reception, we incorporated as many Bay Area hyphy songs as we could - our dance floor was busy all night.
Any tips for couples getting married?
You can lean on your vendors to help give you ideas and/or recommendations, but be definitive with your vision. Whether it’s tablecloth rentals or photobooth layouts, the wedding planning process is riddled with options. Don’t be afraid to make decisions and trust your judgment.
Photographer : La Fin Weddings @lafinweddings | Ceremony + Reception Location : University Club of San Francisco @uclubsf | Celebrant : Steffen Lyngbaek (Friend) | Entertainment : DJ Jeremy Productions, Aaron Jacobson @djjeremyproductions | Planner : Sampaguita Lane @sampaguitalane | Flora : Marbled Mint @marbledmint | HMUA : Urban Beauty Loft @urbanbeautyloft.fiona | Cake : Butter& + Noe Valley @noevalleybakery | Serena's Dress : Watters @watters | Engagement + Wedding Rings : Via Raz @viarazco | Shoes : Badgley Mischka @badgleymishka | Reception Dress : Elliatt @elliatt | Earrings : From Mother-In-Law | Veil: Yuri Chang @yurichangbride | Bride’s Tailor: Josh’s Tailoring and Design