Virginia + Mike | Monique Lhuillier Wedding from Caroline Tran Photography

Virginia + Mike’s San Francisco wedding was a rich multicultural affair complete with three separate wedding ceremonies: a Vietnamese Tea Ceremony, a Korean Paebaek ceremony and a traditional wedding ceremony at the luxe Bentley Reserve.  I love how Virginia’s love of texture meant she could customize her look throughout the day by wearing Monique Lhuillier’s Augustine corset with different skirts for the ceremony and the reception.  Just decadent to have so many beautiful couture pieces to wear…Heavenly skirt offering the ethereal quality of tulle as well as the sleek and elegant feeling of satin from Monique Lhuillier‘s Magical skirt.  So perfect!

Virginia + Mike | September 1, 2013 | San Fransisco, CA | Dress Listing: Monique Lhuillier, ‘Augustine’ Corset and ‘Magical’ Skirt

The Ceremony
When we got engaged, Mike and I knew we wanted to celebrate in San Francisco, the city where we met and the city where we fell in love. Being romantics, we set our date for September 1st, 2013, the weekend of our four-year dating anniversary. Midway through our planning we found out the amazing news that we would be moving to Chicago soon after our big day. We sought out to make our wedding day our final farewell party with all our closest and dearest friends and family. Some of our favorite details: The day of the wedding was a very busy day…we had 3 separate ceremonies. To honor our families, we held the traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony and a Korean paebaek ceremony. As if we hadn’t seen each other enough, we also had a first look – which was surprisingly emotional.

The Reception
Watching our beautiful day unfold (with the help of all our amazing vendors) and being surrounded by so much love made our day a dream come true. We wanted to thank everyone who was able to share our celebration with us but knowing it would be impossible to talk to everyone…we wrote personalized messages to each guest on the back of their menu card. With our move to Chicago imminent, we served Chicago style hot dogs as our midnight snack, making our love story come full circle!

Virginia’s Dress Search
When I started wedding dress shopping, I was really drawn to different textures. I loved tulle but I also loved the elegance of satin. Monique Lhuillier’s skirts really allowed me to wear two completely different styles while keeping continuity with the Augustine corset under both. I felt ethereal in the Monique Lhuillier Heavenly tulle skirt, and it was exactly what I had always imagined walking down the aisle to on my wedding day. Once the ceremony was over, I was able to switch into the sexy and elegant Magical satin trumpet skirt and dance the night away!

How Virginia Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Bridal, Beautiful, Ethereal.

Why Virginia Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
I decided to sell my wedding dress because I know someone else will love my dresses as much as I did! I still love talking to current brides and swapping stories about wedding planning. Seems fitting that I can share my dress vision too!

Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier, ‘Augustine’ Corset and ‘Magical’ Skirt | Photography: Caroline Tran | Ceremony + Reception Venue: Bently Reserve, SF | Event Planning: Dreams on a Dime | Floral Design: Amy Burke Floral Design | Cake: Studio Cake

See all of our Monique Lhuillier wedding dresses for sale…