My search for nontraditional and unique weddings in the Washington, DC area is endless. Which is why, when I find weddings like Melany & Jun’s (courtesy of Melanie Yu Photography), I am reassured that my goal is attainable and there ARE offbeat couples in this traditional city – I just need to keep searching!
Melany & Jun’s Korean/Taekwondo wedding is AWESOME. Thanks to Melany, I get to share ALL the details too! The laid-back bridal hairstyle, the awesome dress (and even more awesome necklace Melany donned), the non-matching groomsmen attire, and my favorite: their offbeat & nontraditional “first dance”.
Melany shares…
Picking the Grand Atrium for our reception was a no brainer. They were, by far, the most cost effective venue – which provided catering, decorations, an open bar, and DJ services all inclusive! There were no hidden charges – the open bar and bartender was an EXTREMELY CHEAP flat rate for 4.5 hours. There was no corking fee if we decided to bring additional/specialty alcohol; no service fee to cut and serve our custom wedding cake (they offer a variety of cakes within house, as well); etc. Our DJ’s had a great voice and was very easy to work with as I was trying to pick and plan the reception agenda. I’ve also heard from a number of people that they loved the 2-level floorplan. It was certainly unique to have a bar/lounge feel on the main floor – complete with a fireplace and leather lounge chairs – and a separate dining level upstairs that overlooked the dance floor below.
My original wedding dress was an unconventional one I picked up on a whim from Nordstrom. It was an empire waistline gown by Sue Wong, crystal band below the chest, then a full-length skirt covered in white feathers. It was very pretty, but the more and more I thought about it, I really wanted to have a more “traditional” dress for wedding photos. I couldn’t fathom spending an uber crazy amount of money on a dress I’d only wear once (plus the fact I had already bought and altered the Sue Wong gown), so I scoped out dresses on preownedweddingdresses.com. I fell in love with one, prayed that it would fit, and went for it. It was perfect & very “me”.
The blusher veil was purchased back when I thought I was going to wear the Sue Wong dress, so I kind of bought it to match that. The big white flower and feather accent matched the feathers on the original gown pop, but I liked it so much that I didn’t want to buy a different one. Luckily, the “new” dress was quirky enough to compliment the veil and the overall look when I put everything together became eclectic, which is sort of how I define my fashion sense.
The necklace I picked up from Urban Outfitters one day. I wanted a statement necklace because everything else was so white (I NEVER wear white – with the exception of my taekwondo uniform). I looked at some necklaces at Swarovski, but everything I found would make the overall look too “pretty” or too “wedding”. I liked the Urban necklace because it was funky. The earrings I wore were from college days. It was just by coincidence that I had something already laying around that matched the necklace.
My fishtail hair was something I picked literally 5 hours before my salon appointment. haha. I didn’t really care much about my hair. I didn’t even die it to cover the grays…
I love how cool & confident Melany looks right before the “first look”.
I am obsessing over Melany’s bright blue fingernails too! OMG LOVE this!
To see more from this awesome offbeat wedding – please click inside!
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