Le-Quyen and Dustin met at a local dive bar when Le-Quyen introduced herself to Dustin as he was talking to a mutual friend. They ended up knowing a lot of the same people, so after bumping into one another on several other occasions, Dustin finally asked Le-Quyen out on a proper first date.

Dustin is a self-proclaimed car guy, so when he and Le-Quyen ever find a free moment, they go for a drive in his Porsche 911. When they found themselves free on the first clear day following a long run of storms, they decided to drive along Garden Highway. Dustin set up his Go-Pro for the drive, which looking back, Le-Quyen says should have been a clue something was up since it was out of the ordinary. On the way home, they stopped so Le-Quyen could take some pictures for a photo album she was working on. After taking pictures, she got back in the car while Dustin started walking around the car mentioning how dirty it was and eventually knelt down in front of it. Le-Quyen got out to see what he was doing and noticed he was holding something shiny in his hand. In her mind, it was something car related, so it took some time to register that he was actually proposing. “I asked him, ‘What is it? What happened?’ And he responded, ‘No, will you marry me?’ To which I said, ‘Are you serious?’ He said “Yes,’  and my response was ‘You know I will.’”

The couple did not waste much time before starting the planning process. They dove in headfirst, despite not really knowing all that goes into a wedding. Le-Quyen says, “I started going to a lot of bridal events and that actually made the planning process easier. The events gave me ideas for things I wanted to do and helped me figure out decorations or themes that I did or did not like.”

The couple’s big day was held at Vizcaya Sacramento where the focus was on elegance and fun. They had a thumbprint guestbook, a Polaroid selfie station and games during the social hour. The most unique aspect of the wedding, however, was the party favors. They wanted to incorporate favors that were significant to them, and could be truly enjoyed by their guests. So instead of one favor, they had four, including Porsche Hot Wheels, chocolates, succulents and wine charms, and each guest was given the favor they would most appreciate.

Although Le-Quyen and Dustin basked in the beauty they created for the big day, it was the little moments that they truly cherished. For Dustin, aside from watching Le-Quyen walk down the aisle to become his wife, it was looking around at all their friends and family together in one place. For Le-Quyen, it was the moment she walked down the aisle with her dad and saw Dustin waiting for her. She thought, “This is it. We’re getting married.”

— Kelley Saia