Tell us about your engagement.
In 2022, on a backpacking trip surrounded by several dear friends and gorgeous nature, Aaron orchestrated quite the proposal. He led Mia on a sunset hike and popped the question at the top of a cliff with a couple friends hiding in the bushes to snap photos. When Aaron and Mia returned to camp, other friends had decorated the campsite with decorations they had carried the six miles into the campsite, and everyone celebrated with a toast.
#WeddingGoals
Our wedding was community-powered. Many of the folks who played vendor roles are our dear friends who generously offered their exceptional creativity, talent, and competence to help our dreams come true. Friends played an enormous role in pulling off each of the weekend’s elements. So much so that we lovingly called it a “co-op wedding!” That element was core to the spirit of our wedding, and we feel so grateful to have been able to involve our community in so many aspects of the weekend.
Memorable Moment
During the reception, we gave a short welcome speech and at the end of it we asked folks to look under their plates. Each guest found a handwritten “note of gratitude” expressing thanks for some way they enrich our lives or have shown up for us. It took us weeks to write all the notes, and our planner, Sara, can attest to the fact that it was not logistically easy to pull that off! But it was 100% worth it.
Favorite Moment
Our first dance was one of the most memorable moments of the weekend. It bloomed from a really fun creative process we got to enjoy together. We collaborated to decide on the music and develop the choreography, and then spent about a month rehearsing almost every day. Since Aaron is a DJ / music producer and Mia is a dancer / artistic director, it was a beautiful opportunity to witness each other’s gifts and work together to bring our vision to life. In spite of the fact that we were both totally losing it with nerves and excitement, somehow the run of the dance during our reception was the best take we had! Muscle memory kicked in and it went off without a hitch. The first dance flowed into a reunion performance featuring Mia’s dance crew from college (choreographed by our friend, Megan Faulk), and then a flash mob with 40 friends (organized by our friend Christine Chung). Our guests loved it.
Special Dances:
First Dance:
Custom mix by TECH BROTHER (the Groom) featuring At Your Best (You Are Love) cover by Frank Ocean, Marijuana by Chrome Sparks, What You Won’t Do For Love by Bobby Caldwell, Just the Two of Us by Grover Washington Jr., (Richie Rozex remix
Father/Daughter Dance: Tekere by Salif Keita
Mother/Son Dance: I Just Called to Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder
Cake Cutting Dance: Cut It by Young Dolph
Special Dance: Bride & friends performed to Crazy in Love by Beyoncé – Choreography by Megan Faulk (dear friend); Flash Mob to Walk It Out by Unk (Daily Bread remix) – choreography from the movie After Yang
#VendorRaves
Our planner, Sara with Rainbow Weddings & Events, was infinitely patient and had such a wealth of connections to a talented and diverse set of vendors. We truly could not have done it without her!
Looking back, what do you think your guests will remember most about your wedding?
One of our biggest motivations for throwing a wedding was to have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of gathering all of our most cherished people in one room together. That felt like such an extraordinary gift, and it felt really important to use that rare situation to express our overflowing gratitude for the friends and family we have in our life. We feel like the luckiest people in the world, and wanted everyone in the room to feel honored and recognized for the way that they contribute to that. During the reception, we gave a short welcome speech and at the end of it we asked folks to look under their plates. Each guest found a handwritten “note of gratitude” expressing thanks for some way that individual enriches our lives or has shown up for us. It took us weeks to write all the notes and our planner Sara can attest to the fact that it was NOT logistically easy to pull that off! But it was 100% worth it; we think that moment will really stick with folks.
