Our friends Angel and Brandon got married on June 6, and Mio was asked to be a flower girl at their beautiful wedding at Zion Springs Bed & Breakfast in Hamilton, Virginia! It was a laid-back but gorgeous wedding full of lovely DIY details, and was full of fun, just like the couple! Thank you Angel and Brandon for letting us be a part of your big day!
The wedding festivities started with the rehearsal dinner on Friday night. It was Mio’s second time being a flower girl in the span of two weeks!
Angel and I have been friends since middle school, so we’ve known each other for two decades! I couldn’t wait to see her walk down the aisle as a gorgeous bride.
Saturday was the wedding day, and it was a beautifully sunny day, perfect for an outdoor ceremony and reception at the tranquil bed & breakfast venue.Â
Photos from Angel’s and Brandon’s childhoods
Flower girl reporting for duty!
Flower girl and ringbearer
Dan & I waiting for the ceremony to begin
Mio running down as the flower girl. She stopped for a few seconds, dismayed that some flowers fell out of her flower ball, but eventually came down.
Angel being walked down by her father.
It was a gorgeous wedding ceremony!
Mirei the lush. (No worries, bottle was empty.)
There were so many lovely details at the wedding, as you’ll see from the photos… Menu written on the window
Angel’s sister Virginia made this adorable Totoro cake topper out of fondant!
Dessert table!
There were some lawn games that Angel had created herself, which kept the guests busy and entertained throughout the night.
16 month old Mirei on the steps of the bed & breakfast, taking in the scene.
The happy couple listening to the toasts
The cake-cutting
Guests dancing the night away
Mio wasn’t afraid to kick off her heels and join in the dancing!
Enjoying the food, dancing, and libations.
As it got dark, the pathway down the lawn to leave the wedding was lit with candles on either side. It was breathtaking!
Thank you Angel & Brandon for letting us be a part of one of the most memorable days of your lives! It was such a fun and classy celebration, and we were thrilled to be there. 🙂
After spending a week in Northern California, we drove down on Friday, May 22nd for the much-anticipated wedding of our dear friends Megumi & Daniel! The rehearsal dinner was on Friday evening, and the wedding was on Sunday, and we were honored that Megumi and Daniel had asked Mio and I to part of their bridal party — I was so touched that Megumi had asked me to a bridesmaid, and Mio a flower girl in what was to us the wedding of the year! We were all so excited to see them and our mutual friends again since it’s been so long since we were last together, but it was truly extra special to be there by their side as they tied the knot.
We drove down on Friday and got to Glendale in the afternoon, in time for the rehearsal at Vertigo, where the ceremony and reception would be on Sunday. The rehearsal went well, full of heartwarming moments and hugs with friends we had missed so much!
After the wedding rehearsal on Friday
After the ceremony rehearsal, everyone was invited to Daniel’s parents’ beautiful home in Alhambra, where a taco truck catered a delicious rehearsal dinner, along with lots of amazing sides and desserts cooked up by Megumi and her family and friends.
We got to meet Ali and Tim’s adorable son Kanoa for the first time! He’s only a few months older than Mirei, so it was cute watching them play together.
Cuties at the rehearsal dinner in Alhambra.
I loved meeting Megumi’s adorable niece and nephew! Here’s sweet Leila-chan.
The Kaminaga kids! Leila and Julian. 🙂
They loved taking selfies with my camera, so I took a bunch of videos of the adorable kiddos.
On Saturday evening, we had dinner at Granville in downtown Glendale with some of the other bridesmaids and friends from San Francisco/Nakayoshi who were in town for the wedding. So glad we got to spend some extra time with them. 🙂
Dinner at Granville with friends
Mirei cried when Uncle Graig held her, but was pacified when he fed her his fries. lol
“Mama, take a picture of panda!” Mio feeding a sprig of rosemary to the panda doll that accompanied our travels.
Sunday started bright & early for the bridesmaids, as we got breakfast together at the hotel and gathered in Megumi’s suite for makeup and hair.
Getting my hair done as a bridesmaid on the wedding day.
Megumi getting ready!
Sam enjoying some In-N-Out during prep! The bridal party’s got to eat, and these were some pretty satisfying provisions! 😀
The gorgeous bride in her wedding dress.
Isn’t she just breathtaking? *sigh* Megumi was truly stunning!
Selfie with the bride! I don’t recognize myself with all the heavy makeup. lol
With the lovely Maid of Honor, Sam!
Room for the ceremony. Those hanging white flowers were made out of coffee filters and pipe cleaners, and many hours of hard work by the bride and the other bridesmaids (I only helped a little at the end when I came into town). They turned out gorgeous!
The venue Megumi & Daniel chose was so glamorous. Even the bathrooms were gorgeous, with these huge, ceiling-high leaning mirrors!
First look between the bride and groom. ♥
Of course, I had to get it on video, too.
Mio getting ready as the flower girl!
Can’t believe Megumi sewed the flower girl dresses! The inspiration was Carrie Bradshaw.
Shy Mio with beautiful Sam.
The happy couple with the kids in the bridal party. The cutest flower girls and ringbearers 🙂
The bride & groom enjoying some pre-ceremony libations
The wedding cake was gorgeous, with gold ombre and beautiful details. Everything was perfection — not a surprise, considering that it was Megumi’s wedding!
Mio being silly with the photobooth props
Dan arriving with Mirei. He was on babysitting duty during the ceremony, since Mio and I were in the bridal party.
Because I was in the ceremony, and Dan was busy wrangling a cranky Mirei, we unfortunately don’t have any photos from the actual ceremony, but it was beautiful and tearjerking, and so fitting for Megumi & Daniel!
Afterwards, we had fun mingling with friends, and Mio had a ball playing with the photobooth props.
Mustached Mio
Mio showing Megumi’s mom her mustache. lol
Megumi changed into a gorgeous purple kimono for the reception. It went perfectly with her wedding color scheme, and she looked absolutely beautiful in it!
The bride & groom looking amazing in their kimonos
Megumi surprised her parents with the kimono! So sweet ♥
The kimono was gorgeous, even from the back. Look at that obi!
With the stunning bride in her kimono.
Dan made the table numbers for the wedding. The centerpieces came out gorgeous!
During the reception, Megumi surprised Daniel by serenading him with John Legend’s “All of Me” during the slideshow. It was so romantic, and Megumi has such a beautiful voice. 🙂
Cakecutting time! Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Xavier!
Megumi’s bouquet toss!
Mio caught a small part of the bouquet… a single rose head. 🙂
Garter toss!
Daniel kept hilariously pulling out random items (like this rolling pin!) out of Megumi’s dress.
Alas, we couldn’t stay too late into the wedding, as we had to catch a plane very early Monday morning, so we had to say our goodbyes and return to our hotel to pack and get a couple hours of sleep before we had to depart the following morning.
Saying goodbye to aunties Ali and Sam
One last photo with fellow bridesmaids Ali and Sam
One last photo with the happy, beautiful couple before we had to say goodbye.
Congratulations Daniel & Megumi! We were so happy we could be there for your big day. Thank you for letting us be a part of it! ♥
We got some beautiful surprise packages in the mail this week from our dear friend Megumi! There was one small package for Mio, and a larger one addressed to me. We were so excited to open them!
Mio’s package contained an adorable little purple penguin (handmade by My Dear Darling!) and a card with a question…
Mio’s first time being asked to be a flower girl!
I think her face says it all… the answer is a resounding “YES!!!”
The package for Mio was amazing enough, so I couldn’t imagine what could be in the larger package for me…
She sure knows how to pop the question! I feel so honored and excited to have been asked to be a part of this dearest friend’s wedding. Love you Megumi! ♥
We loved all the amazing gifts in the package, and can’t wait until Megumi & Daniel’s big day! Looks like our family is definitely headed to Los Angeles in May for the wedding of the year! 🙂
