Fairy Tales Do Come True
As a child, Monica Nguyen loved fairy tales and princesses. And when Ken Thomas popped the question, Monica envisioned a celestial fairy tale wedding theme. When they married on June 10, 2017, they wrote their own romantic story.
The wedding day started early in that morning with a Vietnamese Tea Ceremony in the home of Monica's mother. Elders no longer with the family were honored at this ceremony with a table displaying their photographs. Monica and Ken wore traditional yellow and blue ceremonial garb. Then it was off to Ken's church in Clifton for a traditional Catholic ceremony, with the bride in her first wedding gown of the day and the groom in a classic tuxedo.
After the second ceremony and a round of formal pictures, the couple, bridal party and guests traveled to Morais Vineyards in Bealton. Before making their reception entrance, Monica and Ken enjoyed a very special ride in a Cinderella coach pulled by a pair of white horses from Shenandoah Carriage. While guests enjoyed the cocktail hour, Monica and Ken used the time for photos in the wine cellar. Instead of a traditional guest book, friends and family signed bottles of wine.
The reception showcased all the details of a celestial fair tale wedding. Dominion Wedding Entertainment added a starry night sky effect to the ballroom's ceiling and the tables bore names of constellations. The centerpieces and decorations took their cue from Monica's favorite Disney Fairy Tale "Beauty and the Beast" - she even wore a tiara in honor of her favorite princess Belle. To carry on with the celestial them, the cake was adorned with celestial images and topped with a crescent moon circling the storybook phrase, "Love you to the moon and back."
Even Ken got into the spirit of the theme. In the movie "It's a Wonderful Life," Jimmy Stewart says, "If you want the moon, I'll give you the moon ..." and it was a little joke between the couple. With his dad, Ken built a crescent moon "seat" as a labor of love for his bride. It made for great photo ops (and it's available for rent - just contact VP Consulting).
Music and dances were also personal touches important to Monica and Ken. The string quartet was comprised of high school musicians who were friends of Monica's sister. The couple took to the floor in a choreographed first dance after taking lessons from a friend who runs a studio and fitness center (#KatCanDance). Monica and her sister also took to the floor for a fun-filled improvisation to the theme of Kung Fu Panda (both ladies loved animated movies as children).
To round out the entertainment, the couple played the Shoe Game. Monica and Ken saw this game at a wedding they attended and thought it would be fun to share aspects of their personalities with their guests. (If you aren't familiar with the Shoe Game, check out this link to Bridal Guide for how to play.)
During the course of the evening, Monica and Ken changed into beautiful red Vietnamese attire for more photos and then Monica changed into her second white wedding gown of the day for some final photos and departure. Stan Pe Films caught all of the action (and attire) of the day with photos and video.
When asked if the couple felt like there was too much to fit into one day, Monica said, " It's only one day and we wanted to maximize the moment. Maybe it was a lot of pictures, but we wanted them and we got them. We wanted to really be proud that we got there to that moment and got married, so the pictures were our memories. It takes lots of planning and the right vendors you can trust. And when everything is pulled off, just remember to take some time and soak it all in".
