Mary & Paul ~ A Philadelphia Love Story in Sacramento

Wriiten by Allison Hopkins for Très Fabu Event Planning and Design


"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.  When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."  ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Paul & Mary Luu reside in Sacramento, California. For their chosen professions, Paul is an Anesthesiologist and Mary is a Clinical Pharmacist. They both love to travel, experience different cultures, and try new foods. 

How They Met 

Mary and Paul met through a mutual friend when they were both living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for school. They did not date at the time, but kept in touch throughout the years.  They didn't start dating until four years later, when he was in his final year of anesthesia residency in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and she had already moved back to California. They had a long distance relationship until he graduated from residency and moved back to California.

The Engagement

For their one-year anniversary of dating, Paul took Mary to Hawaii. She didn't really suspect anything until the day he was going to propose. She had gotten herself a fun costume jewelry ring from the Chanel boutique as a souvenir of their trip, while shopping earlier that day. When she showed it to him he said, "That's not a ring!" He said it a few more times, and that's when she got a tiny bit suspicious. He didn't propose at dinner though, so then she forgot about it.

After dinner that night they went for a walk on the beach. He picked a spot in the sand to sit down and watch the ocean in the moonlight. He then asked if he could see the ring that she had bought that day, because he wanted to get a better look at it. After looking at it again he said, "That's not a ring....(long pause)…THIS is a ring!" He then pulled out a box with the engagement ring, and asked Mary if she would marry him! It truly WAS a ring, and she quickly took off the Chanel ring so that he could put the new engagement ring onto her finger. He proposed to Mary with a beautiful 2.5-carat center stone on a platinum band. He then explained all of the research that he had put into choosing the perfect ring, regarding clarity, cut, color, table depth ratio, culet, and all of these things about a diamond that she had never even heard of before. She was extremely impressed.

 

The Wedding 

Their wedding was on December 18, 2010 in Sacramento, California. They had a traditional Vietnamese ceremony in the morning, where the groom's side of the family comes to the bride’s house. His side of the family lined up in a procession in front of her house before coming in, and then presented red trays of gifts that contained jewelry for the bride and wine, tea, fruits, and cookies for her family. Over 100 of their "closest" family members, on both her side and Paul's side, came to her house for the ceremony. It is customary for the groom's side to then bring the bride back to the groom's house, but since his house was far away, they brought the ceremony to the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento, and that represented the groom's house. The ceremony was held in the Capitol Room, which overlooked the California State Capitol. They had a tea ceremony and then had a wedding lunch. The wedding reception in the evening was held at the Asian Pearl restaurant. Their guests were treated to a 10-course dinner, open bar, and entertainment by Mary’s favorite famous Vietnamese singer, Y Lan. Mary’s mom flew Y Lan and her entourage up from southern California to perform at the reception.

Interesting Tidbits: 

For their Honeymoon, Mary and Paul went to: Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Malta. 

Wedding Day Shoes: Christian Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent. Mary bought her blue Louboutin wedding shoes months before even picking out her wedding dress! When she saw this pair in blue, she absolutely knew that those would be her "something blue.” 

 

Wedding Gown: Demetrios  

 Vietnamese Wedding Dress (ao dai): custom-made by Thai Nguyen Couture

Engagement Ring and Wedding Band: Michael M.


Professional Event Vendor Team:

Event Design; Planning & Production: Debra Michelle Hiebèrt & Très Fabu Event Planning and Design
Wedding Reception Venue: The Asian Pearl
Wedding Tea Ceremony I: The Nguyen Family Residence - Riverlake
Wedding Tea Ceremony II: The Hyatt Hotel - Sacramento
Linens: Mimi & Company
Floral Design: Floral Artistry
Pipe/Drape: Classic Party Rentals
Lighting: BP Productions and Classic Party Rentals
Entertainment/Band: Y Lan from Southern California
Photography: David Kim Photography
Event Paperie: Yen Nguyen Designs
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Wedding Gown: Demetrios
Shoes: Christian Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent
Wedding Cake: Divine Desserts