Pulling together last-minute plans, Mian and Nicole married in an intimate beach wedding in California, brought together with plenty of DIY projects.
THE PROPOSAL
I proposed after we had been dating for two years. We both had talked about it, so I was pretty confident it’d be a ‘yes.’ Plans changed multiple times because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I originally wanted to have a getaway proposal. But, I made it work, and we got engaged at a beautiful hotel in Los Angeles, CA. I walked Mian out to the roof and told her there was something crazy out there that she had to see.
I had some close friends and chosen family go out and spread a pathway of roses and hide somewhere to take pictures of the proposal. Mian was definitely surprised, cried first (to the point of me not hearing her yes), and then told me yes! Mian surprised me and proposed two months later during a trip to Sedona, AZ. She had me go to the car to grab something and when I came back, she told me that my best friend (who had traveled with us) was inside throwing up to delay me entering the room. This had the opposite effect because I wanted to check on my friend, who finally let me in. Mian proposed to me on the balcony of our hotel with roses all around. I was super excited because I didn’t see an additional proposal coming.
LAST MINUTE WEDDING PLANNING
There were so many things that happened last minute because of the busyness of our school and work schedules. We almost decided to forego all of our tiny plans and get the marriage license signed and call it a day. But, we decided to move forward with our plans after all and got it all done, although it was a bit stressful.
The wedding arch we had hoped to build didn’t work out, so Nicole created one the night before the wedding. We totally forgot to book a makeup artist, but it worked out. Mian managed to secure one just in time, we got our dress less than a week before the ceremony, and both found dresses that we felt matched our styles, and Nicole’s best friend picked up our wedding cake once we realized we wouldn’t be able to get to the cakery in time. Even with all the stress, we made it work and were so proud of ourselves for somehow making it happen.
THE WEDDING DAY
We got married in July 2021 at El Matador State Beach in Malibu, CA, with a tiny group of friends there as helping hands and witnesses. It was a super DIY wedding, and we tried to keep everything very small. We stayed up pretty late the night before making our bouquets, and Mian also had to work ahead on some homework assignments because we wanted a work-free honeymoon.
We got our makeup done at the hotel on the wedding day, took photos of our preparation, and did our first looks. We were a bit behind schedule but finally made it to the beach about an hour after initially planned. As we walked down to the site, we received so many well wishes from strangers. So there was a lot of positive energy throughout the whole process.
During the ceremony, we exchanged our vows, acknowledged our ancestors, and participated in a water blessing to say goodbye to the past and welcome new beginnings. We signed our wedding license directly after the ceremony and had our first meal as newlyweds at a nearby restaurant with the friends who were in attendance.
We left for our honeymoon the next day in Tulum, Mexico, and thoroughly enjoyed our visit!
ADVICE FOR PEOPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING
We’d say focus on the things that are important to you. We cut out a lot and had some things we did not want to compromise on, such as having a photographer and specific flowers in our bouquets to honor Mian’s mother, who had passed away due to COVID complications. We were also intentional about the details, such as using LGBTQ+ affirming vendors as we prepared.
Photography & Cinematography by Kenzie Kate Photo
Cake Mwokaji Cakery
Engagement & Wedding Rings Automic Gold
Makeup Black Diamond
