This Yellow-and-Blue Wedding in San Marcos, California, Drew Inspiration From Birds and Honey
Ada Ng (26, a medical school student) and Kevin Wang (27, a software engineer) met way back in high school, so it’s no surprise that they share quite a few inside jokes. And what better way to plan a wedding that authentically represents a relationship than to use humorous memories as inspiration
Ada shares that her wedding planner’s attention to detail was one of her favorite parts about the entire celebration. “The team took details from our relationship and incorporated so much meaning into the decor,” she says. “The honey, the ‘late-night snackies’ and the birds dotting the tables were all references to jokes I share with Kevin. It was such a treat.”
To inform the SoCal event, Ada and Kevin dreamt up an overarching Amalfi–meets–San Diego color palette. “I’ve loved the bougainvillea, lemons and chinoiserie contrast since I was young, but as time went on, my tastes evolved into a more classic summery color palette,” Ada says. Thus, she and Kev- in chose a cheerful scheme for their June 25, 2022, wedding at Chez Balliet in San Marcos, California.
The most prominent inside joke of the event was the nod to “late-night snackies,” which is how the couple refers to their ob- session with midnight bites. Kevin appreciates Ada’s love of discovering new eats. “She is always so excited and eager to try everything and enthusiastic about showing me things that I haven’t tried,” he says. “Her energy makes me so happy. Early on, I found that I really enjoy watching her eat. She just looks so delighted to dig in, whether it’s a new dish or an old favorite.” When they lived together in New York after college, they had access to many different foods—especially sweets. On one particularly memorable night, they were out to dinner and picked up a slice of cake for dessert afterward. “See- ing Ada munch on this rich, moist chocolate cake with unbridled excitement was how a favorite tradition of mine, ‘late-night snack- ies,’ started,” Kevin remembers.
Even Kevin’s self-penned vows touched on their mutual love of food. “I feel like our relationship has been built around shared food experiences and knew I wanted to incorporate this into the wedding,” he said. “In my vows, I put in some references to ‘late-night snackies’ and how Ada helped me discover ‘pizza that’s better than Costco pizza.’ Ada has turned me into quite a pizza snob now.”
Of course, if you’re going to talk about food during the wedding ceremony, a delicious menu better follow at the reception. Ada and Kevin’s selections didn’t disappoint. They opted for numerous food stations so they didn’t have to limit their menu to one cuisine or experience. Kevin explains that they wanted things to be “a little more interactive, so guests could explore multiple stations and pick whatever they liked.” The wedding’s six stations included a pizza truck (a must given it’s Kevin’s favorite food); roast chicken; lobster thermidor; a raw bar with oysters and local crudo; a garden bar with fresh veggies and dips; and black-garlic ravioli. To top it off, there was an open bar with beer, wine and cocktails, and a boba bar serving three flavors of bubble tea.
The snack concept extended to the dessert lineup. The couple commissioned a bakery-like vignette that included display cases reminiscent of a patisserie. On offer were Basque cheesecakes and lemon-blueberry cake. “I’m so glad we were able to incorporate ‘late-night snackies’ into the presentation for the dessert station,” says Kevin.
It would be only natural to think, “Cool, with all these nighttime treat ideas, the honey escort cards must also be a nod to a snack Ada and Kevin love.” Surprisingly, this is the one edible part of the day that actually paid homage to a different memory the couple shares. “We had honey jars with our guests’ names and table numbers calligraphed onto them to double as a favor and as an interactive seating chart. It was a sweet (pun intended) way to refer to our newly married nicknames for each other,” explains the couple. While “honey” is a common term of endearment, Ada and Kevin’s use of it is especially meaningful.
Ada lightheartedly explains that “Kevin and I fancied ourselves a serious and mature couple when we started dating at the ripe old age of 14. While workshopping nicknames for each other, we decided against ‘baby’ and ‘sweetheart’ because they were too cheesy, but we ended up calling each other ‘bb’ ironically until it accidentally stuck.” On their quest to find the perfect pet name, Ada and Kevin talked about “honey,” but Kevin was adamant that he wanted to save that nickname for when they were married. “I was quite taken with Kevin’s confidence—that’s the first time I thought he could be the one. Fast-forward several years and we now get to call each other ‘honey!’”
The nods to the couple’s relationship continued with a bird motif woven through- out the wedding. Beyond calling each other “bb” (and now “honey”), the duo like to joke about who is more birdlike in their mannerisms. The avian references began in college when Ada called Kevin a “silly goose,” and snowballed from there. Kevin, who reiterates he is “clearly not a bird,” went on to tease Ada about being peckish. Now, years later, they say they’re both swans since the species notably mates for life.
On a more serious note, the couple’s wed- ding was also the perfect time to honor family. As such, Ada and Kevin meaningfully included their family and heritage into the event.
“It was important to both of us that we honor our Chinese heritage and give thanks to the people who helped raise us,” explains the couple. “We held a tea ceremony on the morning of the wedding with our family, close friends and wedding party.”
Ada shares that the tea ceremony was a highlight for her as it was a wedding element she’d dreamed of since she was young. Ada’s parents hosted the event, which was “buzzing with our many family members,” says Ada. “We started with some fun gate-crashing games to test Kevin’s mettle before he was allowed to enter the house to see me.” Afterward, the main tea ceremony took place. Ada and Kevin used this time to express their gratitude to their families for all the support they’d received. “Seeing everyone coming together in one space to celebrate us was humbling to witness.”
Family also played a key role in the wedding moment that both Ada and Kevin found the most memorable: the speeches.
“My father-in-law’s speech made me tear up because of the unwavering support and love in his words,” Ada says. “I remember gripping Kevin’s hand tightly when I saw him tear up as well. It struck me then that Kev- in and I had so many people who came to support and celebrate us. I was definitely feeling the love.”
Kevin adds that he enjoyed the speeches by his sister-in-law and father. He was initially wary when his dad told him that the speech would be 10 minutes long, but the heartfelt toast was anything but protracted. “I saw his hand tremble from being nervous, but he spoke so well,” Kevin says. “I really liked how his speech showed his excitement and acceptance of Ada. It meant a lot to me because I used to be nervous about how he felt about Ada when we started dating in high school. He’s been very supportive of our relationship for a long time now, but it brought me to tears to hear him that day, speaking to Ada and me, voicing his love for both of us in front of all of our family and friends.”