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In the Moment: Whimsical Touches And An Ode To Fun Create A Memorable Wedding Day At The Ebell Of Long Beach

Karena Phan

Annie and Jeff met in 2013 when they were traveling to Japan for different work trips. Twenty-four hours later, they were in a karaoke booth in the heart of Shibuya, Japan, singing at the top of their lungs like they had known each other their entire lives. And four years later, they married at Ebell Long Beach, a historic venue with Spanish Revival architecture. The couple had one motto while planning the wedding: “If we’re not having fun doing it, then don’t.” Instead of traditional bridesmaid dresses, Annie assigned a color scheme and asked the bridesmaids to pick their own dresses to highlight their personalities. Design elements inspired by Annie and Jeff’s relationship were sprinkled throughout the night, such as origami cranes adorning a doorway, a cootie-catcher wedding program that shared details about the couple, and desserts from places where they were born, lived or had met (caramels from Michigan, mochi from Japan, cookies from San Francisco and an ice cream cake from Milk in LA). The Haiku Guys and Gals wowed the guests with a unique wedding favor and guest book by creating customized haikus for each guest and helped them create a haiku to leave for the bride and groom. The family and friends danced the night away with a college band, Night Shift, which got every person on their feet. “Don’t discount the power of positive energy,” advises Annie. “No matter how beautiful the flowers.”

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