Grace Lee and Devin Chen may live on the other side of the country, but they are destined to meet. Grace went to New York on a business trip in October 2018, when she met German through a friend's introduction. "We met as a group at the Bowery Hotel and drank some casual drinks and were surprised! A few weeks later, Devin happened to be in Los Angeles and asked me for a second date," Grace explained. "He took me to a small Italian restaurant in Abbot Kinney, Venice, and stared at the beach-the rest is history."

Less than two years later, German knew it was destined. So when the couple were on a weekend vacation at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Laguna Nigel, California, he proposed to him. "He asked this question in our hotel room at 11 AM-incredibly sweet and low-key," Grace recalled.

The mentality of switching to the wedding is not a problem at all for Grace. After all, she is the founder and CEO of Birdy Grey, a brand dedicated to creating stylish and affordable bridesmaid dresses. When planning her special day, she knew she wanted to support other small businesses. “As an Asian American female founder of the bridal industry, it’s important for me to cooperate and support with other female-owned suppliers and AAPI suppliers when possible. From my photographers, planners and flowers The store is waiting for local talent to come to my wedding clothes, paper products and register," she shared.

The couple recruited the So Happi Together team to realize their wedding vision. The first thing on the agenda is to choose the venue. "We live in Southern California and we are arguing between Palm Springs and Santa Barbara, two of our favorite weekend road trips, because we want it to feel like a destination wedding without the guests. Too far," Grace explained. "When our planner showed us Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito, we only knew that we had to get married there. Love at first sight! This is a gorgeous beachfront hotel, fresh and refined, with a spacious lawn and a ballroom with crystal chandeliers. "We Know that our guests will have a great time. I am also very happy that we can return to the hotel in the next few years to celebrate our wedding anniversary. "

The couple finally said "I do" in front of 155 guests at a wedding on November 12, 2021, which captured their vision-"Combination of classic and modern". Read ahead to learn all the details of the beautiful autumn event planned by So Happi Together and filmed by Caroline Tran.

The real wedding video of Grace Lee and Devin Chen

To help their guests settle down in Montecito, the couple DIY their own welcome bag. "If I say that myself, they turned out great! I'm fascinated by the content because I want everything to be personalized, useful (not wasteful) and fit in a suitcase," Grace shared. “I bought a simple jute tote bag on Etsy, filled with our favorite snacks (Hampton Popcorn Co’s chocolate caramel popcorn, Santa Barbara pistachios, salt and vinegar flakes and water) and let them live More comfortable items (Turkish beach towels, mini hand sanitizer and masks)."

Grace has long been a fan of Monique Lhullier and knew she wanted to wear designer dresses. "Maeve was the first dress I tried on-I only knew it was her! I should mention that I tried many clothes after that, but my heart has been hovering on this dress," the bride shared. "Before I went shopping, I saw this dress on Instagram and I was immediately attracted-this is a style I usually like. Most of my wedding planning is done virtually, so try it on IRL Wearing a wedding dress is the first time I feel like a'real'bride'."

What advice does she have for buying clothes? "I didn't realize how heavy some wedding dresses are, so be sure to go around the store a few times to make sure you can bear the weight of this dress," she said. "The one style I tried is 35 pounds, and I can hardly walk!"

For her accessories, Grace put on a Toni Federici Colette veil, sprayed with Swarovski pearls and other meaningful works. The bride shared, "My mother's vintage pearl ring doubles as my'old thing' and'borrowed thing'."

Regarding her beautiful appearance, “I drew inspiration directly from Birdy Grey’s beauty mood board,” Grace explained. "'Easily polished' is an atmosphere-think of fresh, glowing skin, pink lips just kissed, bold eyebrows and thick eyelashes. I want to outline it with an elegant low bun and soft braids My face, keep it classic. I added a blue floral hairpin from Etsy as my "blue thing."

She is also wearing Loeffler Randall camellia flower high heels. "They are very comfortable and fit the atmosphere of our wedding venue," Grace added.

"My personal style is very feminine but minimal, and Maeve is a princess ball gown with large lace floral appliques layered on soft champagne tulle with whispers. What I really like is its simple V-neck With super thin shoulder straps, the low-hanging back gives a fresh, youthful elegance," the bride shared. "I like it because I feel like I'm in it."

Grace mixes petite flowers for her bouquets, such as tweed, petite garden roses, dried bougainvillea, and phalaenopsis tied with blue chiffon ribbons covered in dust.

Devin looks very capable in a black tuxedo customized by B.Spoke with satin lapels. He finished his modeling with a corsage made of blue thistle, misty lemongrass, honey Dijon rose buds, white enamel rose and Adelina Phalaenopsis.

Before the ceremony, the couple saw the connection for the first time and celebrated all their hard work. “I’m planning a wedding while running the company and moving into a new home at the same time,” Grace shared. "2021 is a fulfilling year for us!"

"Of course my bridesmaid is wearing Birdy Grey! In fact, we launched a new taupe long satin bridesmaid dress that complements the neutral tone of the wedding," Grace shared. "My co-founder Monica Ashauser is my bridesmaid, she is wearing our Jay dress (named after her son), and my bridesmaid Jamie is wearing our Monica dress. The satin dress has a strong siren vibe and is designed to drape It's like liquid metal on the body."

German matches his best man, who is wearing his own black tuxedo and black bow tie. Grace added, "Guys, it's so easy!"

The whole wedding is a family affair. "I have three flower girls-all my nieces-they wear Noralee's cutest tulle dresses. Our ring bearers are Devin's nephews, and they wear their own tuxedos," Grace explained. "My little bridesmaid Julia is wearing our champagne ruffled Jane dress."

The couple drove a light blue golf cart with a surfboard on the top and attended their wedding in a stylish way.

We made a beautiful arch with neutral white flowers, which gradually turned into a palette of gray and blue, creating a gradual effect.

The decoration of the ceremony is an amazing reflection of the wedding vision of the couple. "In order to make things never out of date, we chose a neutral palette of white, taupe and cream, and infused it with cool blue and gray tones," the bride shared. "I am obsessed with floral installations and ritual arches with a natural and organic feel. Therefore, we designed a beautiful arch with neutral white flowers, which gradually turned into a palette of gray and blue to create a gradual effect. We In the aisle lined up with cloud-like lines, baby breath, bouquets of thistles and anemones."

Before taking a seat, family and friends can sign on the guestbook. "We ask our guests to mark a place on the earth that they think we should experience next, and sign in our guestbook what we will do and see there," Grace said.

Devin's sister hosted the couple and officially became husband and wife. "The ceremony felt very personal because we wrote our vows," Grace shared. "We use this as an opportunity to express our love and share our story as a couple.

"Walking down the aisle and seeing so many closest friends and family members in one place is a truly unique experience," the bride reflects. "It's special to see faces from all aspects of our lives there to celebrate your love."

In the end, I made a real decision about what I liked and valued, and everything turned out to be perfect!

"Plan the wedding you have always envisioned and fit your budget," Grace suggested to other brides. "Because I work in the bridal industry, there is pressure around me to plan a certain type of wedding. In the end, I made a real decision about what I liked and valued, and everything turned out to be perfect!"

"My favorite part of the decoration is the custom escort card wall with a neon sign that says'The Chens Tie The Knot' by Brite Lite Tribe," Grace shared. "The escort card is attached to the nautical knot keychain, and the pampering as a guest has doubled-this is a microcosm of our life in Newport Beach."

“Rosewood Miramar has an iconic white crystal ballroom decorated with the most gorgeous Baccarat chandeliers. We introduced soft blue and neutral colors to create a bright and airy space,” Grace explained. "There are La Tavola matte blue sheets on the table and Rosewood porcelain on top. I also have a very similar set of tableware at home, which was handed down by my mother-in-law."

"Gray blue, navy blue and blush cards made by Minted Weddings are used as dietary indicators," Grace said. The evening’s menu included hand-drawn burrata salad, charred octopus with giant beans, castelvetrano, prosciutto ragu and romesco, and the main course included salmon, filet mignon or risotto.

"The selection of the menu was very interesting. Honestly, tasting was one of the most enjoyable things I did during the planning process," the bride recalled. "The burnt octopus is an out-of-the-box option, but most of our guests are adventurous diners. It turns out that it is the star on the menu!"

"It is important for us to have a very interesting party centered on the guests," Grace explained. "We want to make sure everyone has fun, so we invested in food, drinks and entertainment. Devon insisted that we need a live band!"

When their 10-member band Downbeat Agency played Ed Sheeran's "Perfect", the couple turned around for the first time on the dance floor.

Later in the evening, the couple cut off their three-layer cake with dried flowers on it. White velvet is the preferred flavor. "All the fluffy advantages of red velvet, no dye," Grace said.

Lively speeches, meaningful moments and lots of fun will continue in the evening. "When the band ended the night with Don't Stop Believin' by Journey, people flocked to the dance floor and stayed till the end," the bride recalled.

Although the plan may involve "tracking all the millions of to-dos", Grace encourages other married people to put aside everything and make the most of this day. “Try to live in the moment and take time to absorb it all at ceremonies and receptions,” she shared. "time flies!"

Bridal dress designer Monique Lhuillier

Hair & Makeup Kelly Zhang

The groom's dress B.Spoke

Floral design precious and blooming floral design

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VIP Table Globe Wendy King

Music Santa Barbara String Quartet; Pessimistic Institution

Cake M Cake Candy 

Sign Wildhouse ink; Brite Lite tribe

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