It is no surprise that today’s featured bride is an artist in her own right, known for including actual people into her installations – as Jihee and David’s wedding day truly was a work of art. Their French winter-cottage wedding was charming, artful and thought provoking. With Tree as the symbol of their union and theme for their wedding, the bride created a tree painting in lieu of a guestbook and guests were asked to impart a thumbprint. And in place of the cake cutting, the couple decided to have a tree planting ceremony instead. I love this couple’s vision and how they perfectly paired it with the most artful visuals and delicious food too!
Jihee + David | January 29, 2011 |Auberge du Pommier, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
The Ceremony
Dave and I wanted a cozy and warm afternoon wedding, with closest family members and friends. Our day was already perfect when we decided to have the ceremony on-site at Auberge du Pommier, the lovely cottage-looking French restaurant.
Seven years ago, Dave composed a beautiful piano piece for my birthday. As this music always made me feel so precious, I chose to walk the aisle with this melody. Walking the aisle was truly magical since I had my dad on my side, saw my man waiting, and felt the place filled up with family and friends. Every single moment was so precious, and I will never forget how happy we were looking into each other’s eyes when we were announced husband and wife.
The Reception
Our reception was perfect with plenty of personal touches (lots of DIY wedding projects!) Also, Auberge du Pommier’s scrumptious French cuisine was more than excellent for the guests to enjoy the reception. Here are some wedding details that made our wedding truly unique:
The Cake: Since our wedding theme was “Tree” we decided to replace cake-cutting ceremony with tree planting. As our life became one in our wedding, this ritual symbolized our union and hope. In the middle of winter, we shopped around different nurseries to find the perfect tree for us to plant on our special day, it wasn’t an easy task but one day, Dave dropped by a nursery and found a perfect tree (Ficus Rubber Tree). The tree is actually a bonsai with beautiful tiny leaves, it was just perfect. During the tree planting ceremony, we both held the trowel in our hands and carefully planted the tree with one scoop of dirt at a time.
The Guestbook: Thumbprint-Wedding-Tree. Guests left thumbprints on a bare tree drawing (that the bride drew in advance). We now have a beautiful tree drawing full of our guests’ thumbprints as precious leaves on the branches.
The Favor: In lieu of traditional wedding favors, we decided to make a donation to a tree planting organization in our guests’ honor. For each guest, I (the bride) made fabric blossoms that were holding a name card, a tree design, and a short description of the favor.
The Macaroon Stands: Prior to the big day, I spent a month to scavenge vintage white plates and bowls to turn them into mini-macaroon stands. I managed to make 21 mini-macaroon stands, which served as part of the centerpiece.
Ducks: For a bit of cultural tradition with a modern twist, a pair of wooden ducks was part of the wedding as they represent marital fidelity and happiness in traditional Korean wedding. During the ceremony, the female duck was served as a ring carrier (the two rings were attached on its neck) instead of a ring pillow, and the pair was part of decorations on our head table during the reception.
Advice to Others:
Enjoy the planning, add a personal touch (make your day really yours), relax for your big day and feel the happiest day of your life.
How Jihee Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Stunning, Pure, Elegant
Why Jihee Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
I wanted our wedding to be as frugal as possible with lots of creativity in it (and still be elegant). I originally planned to get a pre owned dress and recreate, but when I found and tried this dress on, I knew it was already a work of art. It would be so sad to let it go, but if there is another bride who also believes in a frugal yet an elegant wedding, I’d be happy to give her the opportunity to wear this amazing dress and feel so special in it as it did on our wedding day.
