A Romantic Garden-Inspired Wedding at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida

Within nine months, Joyce Kim (26 and a director of youth ministry, wedding planner and owner of Joyce & Ko Events) and Jae Ko (31 and a wealth management advisor at Peller & Company, LLC) met at Remnant Presbyterian Church in New York City and were engaged. Huddling under an umbrella to keep out of the rain, he took Joyce on a surprise blindfolded walk through Battery Park. “After a couple of minutes, he told me to take off the blindfold and I opened my eyes to see him down on one knee,” she says. In two out of the nine months to come, the couple planned a romantic wedding in Jae’s hometown of Wellington, Florida. They originally hired a wedding planner but, after an issue, were forced to plan the celebration on their own, two months before their wedding date. “I wanted everything to feel fresh and romantic, all while exuding intimacy from a secret garden,” says Joyce. They accomplished this with the help of ivory, blush, gold and natural brown hues as well as lush greenery spread throughout the wedding. On the day of the wedding, the couple used a day-of-coordinator. Their ceremony was filled with personal touches. Images of Joyce and Jae’s family members were placed along each pew as Joyce’s father presided over the ceremony. After Joyce and Jae said “I do,” the couple and their guests met at the International Polo Club Palm Beach for a custom reception designed by the pair. “In order to create our exact vision of a secret garden, the patio covered by two tents became our blank canvas,” says Joyce. A canopy of grape vintes and eucalyptus lined the tents as each cherry wood table was met with either rosette detailed linens or lace chiavari chair covers. Lush arrangements of roses, ranunculus, garden roses, peonies and lavender in the couple’s wedding colors became the focus of each round or family-style table. Adding to the secret-garden atmosphere, Joyce and Jae complemented each place setting with different silver chargers and vintage style silverware. “We were so blessed to have our wedding turn out to be such a huge success. It also officially gave me the final push to start my very own event planning & design brand!” says Joyce.