Amy and Luigi’s love story began on the car-show scene, where Luigi was showcasing his car and Amy was an event model.
As they continued to cross paths at events a friendship developed that soon led to their first date. When one date continued to lead to another they both realized the connection they shared was something special. It wasn’t long before Luigi began planning their proposal, utilizing a “surprise” birthday planned by Amy for himself, as the perfect opportunity to get down on one knee and ask for her hand in marriage. Read all about their love story and ceremony experiences in their elegant modern wedding with a Vietnamese tea ceremony in Laguna Beach, California.
Bride & Groom: Amy & Luigi
Occupations: Private Banker & Cloud Engineer
Wedding Date: 8/17/2019
Wedding Location: Seven-Degrees; Laguna Beach, California
How did you meet? At a car meet in Rowland Heights (like in the fast and furious). I was interested in attending my first car event to see if it was like the movies. I ended up going, being asked to become a car model, and met Luigi through my new car friends. He was always in the car scene. We became friends, later worked at the same car shows (his car was showcased) and I would work the booth and then we started dating. The rest is history!
Tell us about the proposal. I was planning a surprise birthday party for Luigi with some help from his close friend. It turns out he had asked his friends to let me think it was a surprise birthday I was throwing for him, but in actuality, when we arrived at his “surprise birthday” location, he turned the tables on me by dropping on one knee to propose! I was so confused at first. Everyone knew it was a proposal, but I was the only one thinking I was surprising him for his bday. He rented out an entire restaurant to do this!
Describe your wedding attire. My dress was a slim and sexy mermaid with a beautiful bottom that was made of this cool netting, which was super structured at the bottom. Luigi’s suit was a classic suit.
What was the wedding shopping experience like for you? The wedding dress shopping experience at Mariposa Bridal in Anaheim, California was amazing. The showroom was very organized and not overwhelming. I actually saw my dress hanging on the end of a rack all by itself and it caught my eye. It was the first dress that in tried on there and I just knew it was THE ONE! I tried on one more after just for the experience! While I was shopping with a bridesmaid, we were drinking champagne and laughing, so it was a very fun experience!
Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? Absolutely! I am Vietnamese and Luigi is Peruvian. In the Vietnamese culture, it’s important to do a tea ceremony in the morning on the day of the actual wedding. We dress up in the traditional Vietnamese clothing, known as ao dai’s, made of beautiful silky material. We pray, light incense, thank our ancestors and our family, and proceed with the ceremonial gifting of small trinkets from the Groom’s side to the Bride’s side. It was a beautifully exotic experience for Luigi and his family to be a part of, and it really bonded our two families together.
Wedding Party Gifts: Bridesmaids received visa gift cards. Groomsmen received Marvel watches, each getting a marvel watch that matched their personality.
Gifts for Each Other: Luigi gave me a beautiful Tiffany’s necklace!
Ceremony Entrance Song: Danza Kuduro from the fast and furious which was an homage to our car show days when we were dating.
First Dance Song: “Lucky” by Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
What is your best memory from your wedding? Laughing and dancing together with all our family and friends on the dance floor.
What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? Just have fun, try not to stress about the small stuff. No one cares about the small stuff you might be worried about. Do things your style.
Vendors:
Photography: D Park Photography
Makeup: Uyen Vu
Hair: Ellie Pham
Flowers: Boulevard Florist
Cake: Penelope’s Perfections
Dress: Mariposa Bridal
Alterations/ On-Site Steaming & Dressing of Bride: Sew Cal Pros
Venue/Catering: Seven-Degrees
Photobooth: Viral Booth OC
DJ: DJ Mojoe
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