Real Wedding: Christopher & Kimberly, Sydney NSW
When Christopher and Kimberly decided to video a signature handshake at various landmarks throughout Korea, Kimberly thought it would be a modern postcard-like montage of their travels.
Instead, it was the creative cover story that allowed Chris to capture a picture-perfect proposal that she never saw coming.
Taking cues from the 2023 wedding of content creator Ashleigh Huynh, the couple felt inspired and empowered to fuse traditions from different cultures and religions to create a modern yet meaningful celebration that reflected their love, values and personalities best.
Kimberly’s three elegant bridal looks included a traditional Vietnamese ao dai in red, which was custom-made for her overseas; a strapless, A-line satin ceremony gown she searched through 40 dresses to find; and a beaded fit and flare reception number that oozed contemporary glamour.
The event space at Hyatt Regency, Sydney, was styled with opulent chandeliers, abundant floral arrangements and decorative draping to deliver a sense of storybook grandeur captured artfully by Kyle Ingram.
Scroll on to see how the pair chose to honour the past and reflect the present while toasting their future.
The meeting.
We first met on a Cruise ship in Florida. We were both on family holidays and the cruise ship didn’t have a lot of people our age. I was on the basketball court on the ship and Chris approached me and my sister and asked if we wanted to shoot some hoops. Turns out we were both from Sydney!
The ‘one’.
We met at such a young age I wouldn’t say there was an exact ‘moment’ but we knew we had something amazing. After nine years of dating, we have watched each other grow and have grown together so there was never a doubt in our minds that we’d end up where we are.
The proposal.
I had no idea! I thought we had agreed around 2026 that we would get engaged so he completely fooled me. He proposed in Jeju Island, Korea, where we were going on a friend group trip (with six other people), but little did I know, it was actually for the proposal. We have a handshake that we do and we recorded it at various places along the trip. When we arrived at Jeju, we went on a walk up a mountain and got to a field of yellow flowers, and then, while recording our handshake at this location, Chris got on one knee and proposed.
Planning process.
Honestly it was quite stressful due to the amount of people and logistics involved without a planner. We had lots of spreadsheets, vision boards and most importantly our vendors were a huge help with planning and questions leading up to the day.
Style inspiration.
We loved content creator Ashleigh Huynh’s wedding for the way she was able to honour traditions surrounding culture and religion but still have a modern reception. We wanted the day to feel magical, warm, timeless and have an atmosphere full of love, so every part of the wedding and decision making revolved around the feeling we wanted ourselves and all our guests to feel. For styling, we wanted the room to be warm and magical so we went with chandeliers and many, many candles and with our florals we wanted something timeless but not too simple, so we decided on cream, baby pink, peaches and greenery. Finding inspiration through real weddings was most helpful for us – looking at how other couples put together the wedding.
The ceremony.
The ceremony was beautiful. We had it at St Patrick’s in Mortlake which is a small but glass-filled church meaning there was natural light throughout the venue. We had a few special moments at the church; firstly, I surprised my husband by walking down the aisle to our favourite Korean drama song but an instrumental piano version, and safe to say the tears were flowing! We were also able to pick readings and poems that really represented ‘us’ and we were able to say personalised vows to each other. Finally, the entire church was filled with the people we loved so it felt so special to be surrounded by love everywhere we turned.
The outfits.
My first outfit was a traditional Vietnamese ao dai. This was by far the hardest outfit for the wedding- I felt like the ones I tried on here in Australia didn’t suit me very well and I decided to have a custom-made dress made in Vietnam. This was a stressful process because I never ended up going to Vietnam, so it involved a lot of Facetime calls and talking through images. I wanted a satin based ao dai with beaded detailing and a train and in the end it turned out more perfect than I could imagine.
My ceremony dress was a satin A-line dress with pearl beading at the trim of the bust. I am super indecisive and it took me a long time to find the one. I tried on over 40 dresses (I wouldn’t recommend this). The dress I chose in the end was completely different to what I had imagined myself in. Initially I wanted a lace-fitted dress with sleeves but when I tried on A-line dresses, I just felt like a princess and truly a bride and the satin made me feel so elegant and timeless which is exactly how I wanted to feel on the day.
Finally, my reception dress – I knew after choosing my A-line dress that I wanted a fitted dress with some beading because I loved myself in both styles. I ended up with a fit and flare dress with beading and sparkles throughout and I felt so glamorous and sparkly under the chandeliers.
Chris knew he wanted a classic black tuxedo and he spent a lot of effort crafting the right one. He also wanted all his groomsmen to be in a tuxedo as well. We honestly didn’t know there were so many customisations to a suit but he looked very dashing.
Favourite moment.
It’s so hard to pick one! I’d have to say our vows and our first dance. These were the moments I felt like everyone else was a blur and it was just us.
Meaning of marriage.
It’s a commitment to going through life together. Continuing to love each other but most importantly growing together and learning about each other. We didn’t think it would change much, but we have felt a closer connection more than ever.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Flowers by Yoon Mirae (Piano version)
Reception Entry: Heaven, Dash Berlin
First Dance: Say You Won’t Let Go, James Arthur
Funny stories or near disasters.
I was late to the ceremony because I left my phone somewhere in the Airbnb we were getting ready in and luckily the Airbnb host kept my phone for me and someone picked it up during the day!
Chris was almost late to our reception entrance because he was so nervous! I was calling him to ask where he was but he couldn’t tell me that he was nervous because he was surprising me with a dance!
Planning surprises.
All the small details that you need to think about – we didn’t realise how many of them there are. You need to think about everything because no one else will. I guess it is why people hire wedding planners!
Words of wisdom.
Try your best to enjoy the process, it is such an exciting time. Feeling overwhelmed is extremely normal but in the end remember you are marrying your person and it’s about celebrating you both rather than pleasing everyone coming to the wedding. Take a moment together to soak it all in on the day – it’s probably the only time you’ll have all the people you love in a room. Finally, don’t stress if things don’t go to plan because honestly no one actually knows how your wedding is supposed to be – only you do – so actually,they won’t notice!
CHRISTOPHER & KIMBERLY’S SUPPLIERS:
Ceremony venue: St Patrick’s, Mortlake
Reception venue: Hyatt Regency, Sydney
Officiant: Father Thomas Stevens
Photography: Kyle Ingram
Videography: Paper Cranes
Styling & flowers: J Event Design
Hair: Nhi Dao
Make-up: Kathy Truong Studio
The dress & veil: Sposa Group
Shoes: Jimmy Choo & Harlo
Rings: Diamond Elite
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bec and Bridge
Suits: R & H Custom
Ties: Otaa
Entertainment: Moments & Memories Events (DJ Dumbo)
Transport: HF Wedding Cars
