Angela & Grant

Occupations Angela is data scientist; Grant is an MBA student

Wedding date July 1, 2023

Number of Attendees 85

Number of Attendants 10

How You Met Angela and Grant both attended Northwestern University and eventually met through a mutual friend.

The Engagement They got engaged in the summer of 2021. Grant had made reservations at an omakase spot that Angela had always wanted to try and had hired a photographer to help capture the moment. Separately, he had also arranged for some of their closest friends to come into town to celebrate the engagement together and decorate their shared apartment—needless to say, when they returned to their apartment from the dinner, Angela was thoroughly surprised. It was the perfect weekend!

What Was Unique and Special About Your Wedding Day Each guest received a welcome box filled with wedding essentials (Advil, Altoid mints, and coconut water for hydration), and some of the bride and groom’s favorite snacks (Taiwanese lychee jelly and hot Cheetos). Custom fans were set out for guests (that featured the couple’s wedding crest)) so that the guests could stay cool. Instead of numbers, the wedding reception tables were denoted by names of some of Angela and Grant’s favorite restaurants throughout the years. Food has always been a huge part of their relationship, and they had curated a list of top restaurants from Evanston, Chicago, Maryland, DC, New York, and Taiwan. On each reception table, the couple included the name of a restaurant, a custom sketch of the restaurant’s exterior (done by the bride), a shared memory the couple had of the restaurant, and some of their most-loved dishes. Another detail that the couple incorporated was a hand-painted tray the bride’s mom made. During the ceremony, one of the groomsmen and the groom’s brother-in-law helped pass out programs from this tray—for the bride, this was particularly special because her mom had brought the tray all the way from Taiwan to be part of their day.

Favorite Details Angela’s favorite wedding detail was the reception table signs. And Grant’s favorite wedding detail was that all the menus and signage, such as the signs for welcoming the guests, oyster bar, signature drink, name cards, table cards, and more were designed by Angela. It’s a reminder of how creative Angela is and one of the things he loves about her. The wedding felt even more uniquely theirs because of how much of Angela’s own work she put in.

Most Unexpected Event On Your Wedding Day The most unexpected event was how grounding that First Look was. We had included it in our schedule because we just wanted to have a moment to ourselves. Prior to the First Look, we had been running around taking care of things, getting prepared with our bridal party and groomsmen, talking to our guests, and coordinating our schedule. It was hard to take a minute and gather ourselves. However, when we finally saw each other, it was a wonderful reminder of why we were here and how we were doing this together. It really set the tone for the rest of the afternoon and evening, being together again.

Piece of Advice The timeline is important, but no more important than you having fun and enjoying the day itself. What you’ll remember most is the moments you had with friends and family, rather than whether your portraits were 10 minutes shorter than what they were supposed to be. It is so hard not to get caught up in wanting everything to go exactly as planned (after all, you spent so long planning it!), but trusting your vendors to help you achieve the overall vision will save you a lot of stress and allow you to be more present.

BEAUTY Artistry by Lexi (makeup); Jasmine Palma Artistry (hair) CAKE Sugar Bakers Cakes CATERING Ken’s Creative Kitchen ENTERTAINMENT Dan Goldman Events FLORAL DESIGN Violet Floral Design Studio GROOM J.Crew HONEYMOON Japan LOCATION Brittland Estates OFFICIANT Ceremony Officiants PHOTOGRAPHER Kyla Jeanette Photography PRINTER Rise & Shine Letterpress RENTALS Pretty Little Wedding Co., Eastern Shore Tents & Events, and BBJ La Tavola STATIONERY @pikaachou, the bride TRANSPORTATION Chesapeake Charter VIDEOGRAPHY Granger Creative WEDDING OUTFITS Anne Barge “Heart & Soul” customized dress with Manolo Blahnik Hangisi pumps, Etsy veil and Loren Hope earrings (ceremony); Selezza London tulle top with a Meshki strapless white slip underneath (cake cutting); Selezza London mini dress, Amazon shoes, and Jennifer Behr earrings (reception) WEDDING PLANNER SRS Events