So delighted this fine Sunday to bring you a really special wedding all the way from Lalaland - yes, we're heading to Malibu (don't worry no Kardashians in sight!) for the gorgeous wedding of Tomomi and Shawn as captured by Fondly Forever Photography If you've got dreams of DIY-ing your wedding decor and putting the personal spin on things, then Tomomi will be your guru. She put all the decor - flowers, stationery and details together herself, but most impressively, she made one very, very important item by hand - you'll just have to read on to find out what...
So how did these two get together originally? "We had been together for 8 years, after "meeting" on MySpace back in 2005. We may have never met in person if it hadn't been for Shawn's good friend, who convinced him to call me after previous calls and messages had gone unanswered. When the Shawn called, I was at a club very close to where he and his friend happened to be driving. So, after about a half hour of driving around trying to figure out where I was and despite not being dressed for the occasion (Shawn was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt), we were finally able to meet in person.
After meeting, we found that, despite coming from different countries with different cultures and speaking different languages, we oddly enough had a lot in common. From music and movies, sports, even politics, both even we were surprised with how much we shared in common. We've become the best of lovers and friends and look forward to being lifelong companions.
For the wedding, Tomomi and Shawn decided to rent a private property in Malibu (like something from a movie really) and create their perfect day. "It's where we wish we could live. And the location embodied the exact vibe we were looking for - simple, classy, casual and fun. It was a beautiful property near the beach and the owners were growing a small wine vineyard. However, despite it being an expensive property, it had a casual and relaxing atmosphere." There they tied the knot under a majestic tree on front of a close circle of friends and family, including of course, Tomomi's father, who had never actually been to America before. And, it was their first time seeing each other in 5 years!
How happy are these two? That smile is just happiness itself.
So I'm guessing right now you're admiring Tomomi's beautiful wedding gown and wondering where she got it? Well ladies, if you want one like this you're going to have to get pretty handy with the sewing machine and needle and thread, because believe it or not, Tomomi made her wedding dress herself! Yes, that's right, this is a one and only, what you might call the ultimate wedding DIY project. It's absolutely beautiful.
Tomomi and Shawn really wanted to infuse their wedding with a sense of fun and a large dose of originality, so every choice and design decision was considered carefully. Taking the beautiful countryside location, with the vineyards, trees and rolling lawns as a backdrop (and of course the eternal California sunshine) they opted for an outdoor reception following the ceremony and added lots of fun contemporary design touches and colour to the decor.
Pops of bright coral pink, hints of yellow and fantastic geometric prints added a real zest to the al fresco dining, with stationery designed especially by the couple themselves bringing real sense of the personal to the day. The flowers too, were sourced by Tomomi and arranged by herself and her friends. DIY divas all round.
"We share an interest in collecting vinyl records, so we tried to incorporate this in to the theme of our wedding. So, the invitations and menus were in the shape of records, one of our wedding favors was a bag with vinyl record print on it, and we even used actual vinyl records as dinner placemats. Also, since we weren't able to bring our cat to the wedding, we used a silhouette of her on our invitations and menus so that she was a part of it in some way."
An unusual one for an Irish wedding, you might have spotted Shawn and Tomomi are seated by themselves at a sweetheart table, dining just the two of them. Quite different to our traditional top table.
Big fan of this cake. It's such a simple design, but so beautifully executed - pompoms and polka dots are our new favourite combo.
In terms of wise words to share for others planning their weddings Tomomi sums up perfectly how we all feel here at One Fab Day - "It's important to keep the "why" in mind when planning for a wedding. It's not about the logistics of the wedding, how much money you spend, the venue, the food or everything going perfectly. It's about making a commitment to the person you love and sharing it with those that love you." In other words it's not about the decor, dress or dancing really (although they are all great fun) so don't worry too much about them. If you feel yourself getting stresssed out, remember that it's all about the ones you love.
After such a beautiful and creative wedding, clearly a labour of love, the happy couple sought out some well-earned rest and relaxation, and decided to head over our side of the world for honeymoon, they're currently planning a romantic trip to Greece.
Huge thanks to Tomomi and Shawn for sharing their beautiful wedding day with us and a big Thank You goes to the talented Jen of Fondly Forever, to see more of her work pop over to fondlyforever.com
The Wedding Details
- Ceremony: Malibu CA (Rental house
- Photography: Fondly Forever Photography
- Wedding Coordinator: Haruna King
- Make Up & Hair: Kaori Komatsu
- Bride's Shoes: Kate Spade
- Groom(smen)’s suits: Topman
- Accessories: Ochoko's Jewelry Box
- Cake: Vanilla Bake Shop
- Wedding Favours : Movie Vinyl
- Catering: Clementine
Flowers: Downtown LA Flower market (Arranged and designed by bride and family)
Wedding Dress: Handmade by the bride (Sewing Pattern from McCall's M6466)
