A Purple Intimate Elopement at Brooklyn City Hall: Bella + Liang
/Photos by DAG Images. Words by Liang.
Number of Wedding Guests:
Four — Us, the officiant, and our photographer
Wedding Date:
8/8/2018
How did you meet?
Technically speaking, Bella and I met on Facebook. Funny story, actually, because before that we attended the same Jr. High School but probably only interacted once, if at all. To be honest, I’m not sure anymore if I imagined an interaction or if it actually happened.
I reached out to Bella to find out whether or not she actually knew who I was and we basically hit it off from there. We spoke every single day and since I was away at school in North Carolina at the time, the bulk of our courting phase (about two years) was via ooVoo and Skype. I visited maybe five or six times before I decided to transfer schools and move back to NYC.
Tell us about the proposal!
Bella proposed on HER birthday because she can’t take a break from being awesome, not even to celebrate the day she was born! We’d gone out to a local Jazz club to celebrate her birthday and when we got back the entire living room was decorated with yellow rose petals, photos, and yellow balloons. Yellow is my favorite color. We’d just moved into our first apartment together a few months prior, so we didn’t have any furniture yet. For a while, I was completely speechless (that’s rare) because I was trying to process how she’d pulled this off while I was talking to her all day. She used photos from our first months together AND wrote the dates in. She even had screenshots of our very first conversations. Everything was so well thought out and incredible, absolutely one of the happiest days of my life.
Bella's thoughts on the proposal: I actually thought about how I would propose for a while. I chose my birthday because I knew Liang wouldn’t be thinking about it. It was my birthday so although we were getting pampered, I knew it would be the furthest thing from her mind because she was focused on me. Originally, I’d planned to do it the day before, but since she was at work and I was off I had the day to put everything together. It worked out so well. Since I picked her up from work and we went out directly after she couldn’t have seen inside before I was ready for her to. It was perfect.
What did you wear? Were any of the accessories or jewelry significant? Were you conflicted about wearing or not wearing certain things?
I wore a jeweled strapless lavender high-low mermaid dress with a jeweled sheer capelet and jeweled shoes. I was 100% sure I didn’t want to wear white, so I chose lavender because it promotes peace, majesty, femininity, youth and vitality. My headpiece and earrings did an amazing job at keeping my sparkle consistent from head to toe.
Bella wore a Custom Arjona Collection off-white two piece with a purple and boysenberry damask bow tie and coordinating Franco Sarto loafer. Hair and makeup was by me.
What special elements did you include in your wedding day?
We included our photographer and very dear friend, Debbie, in our wedding day. She was our only witness. Our wedding date, 8.8.18, was also symbolic. Eight is our favorite number, it’s included in both our birthdays. It is the largest feminine number in numerology and also, ironically, resembles the infinity sign.
What was totally worth the time or money invested in it?
The Photos! Debbie was amazing at letting us know exactly where we needed to be and what we needed to do to get amazing shots. We appreciate her so much! Definitely invest in a great photographer that you have amazing chemistry with and that your trust.
What is your best planning advice for other couples?
Don’t stress, hire a planner.
If you DIY, make sure it’s catered to you not anyone else.
Remember why you’re getting married. Guests are great, but it isn’t about them. Don’t let others project their expectations on to you about YOUR nuptials.
Vendors
Photographer | DAG IMAGES
Celebration/Reception | Andy Fortune
Florist | My Lovely Stems
Clothing
Dress and Romper | Nathaniel White
Gown | Anita Rivers
Suits | Alexis Arjona
DAG IMAGES
My name is Debbie. I am a Wedding and Portrait Photographer who happens to also be a romantic at heart. I’ve been a photographer for over 10 years and specializing in weddings for 5 of those years. In addition to being a photographer, I’m also a content creator and avid traveler. When I’m not working on a gorgeous wedding or writing a new blog post, I’m stuffing my face with food while reading an interesting book. My work has been featured on NBC News, Vanity Fair, Teen Vogue, The Cut, Refinery29, BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, DapperQ, to name a few.