A wedding planner's butterfly-themed wedding in Carmel Valley

This butterfly-themed wedding has our hearts all a-flutter today. Leah Hwung, of Two Perfect Events, married her love Justin, in this light and happy wedding in beautiful Carmel Valley.

The butterfly is a symbol of metamorphosis: a journey of struggle and triumph that is relatable to life, love, and sometimes ourselves. The end result, full of beauty and awe, is a transformation worthy of every moment leading up to completion. Such can be said about the stories of two who become one. Unions of families and love culminate in a wedding where families and love are transformed. This is the story of a wedding planner who loves bringing all of this together, and now shares what it’s like to experience it all from the front seat.

The ephemeral nature of butterflies reminded Leah of the cosmic nature of life and love, and how special it is for them to have found each other. In a coincidence of seeming cosmic poetry, Justin gifted Leah a framed art piece with butterflies in the beginning of their relationship, unbeknownst to their significance.

butterfly themed wedding in Carmel Valley

All of the details were designed and created in-house by Two Perfect Events. The invitation featured artwork of Mikan, Leah & Justin’s dog, with a butterfly on his nose. All of the paper goods received the same attention to detail: butterflies adorned their escort card display, the table numbers and place cards were folded origami. Inside the place cards held hand-painted, hand-assembled butterfly pins. Oversized butterflies on branches were created as bridesmaids’ bouquets. The bride’s own bouquet was a butterfly and bunny tail grass bouquet, also handmade using vellum paper and gold colored wires. Hand-embroidered butterflies created by Rarogart were given to the wedding party to wear as boutonnières and corsages and doubled as keepsakes.

They honored their Taiwanese culture by doing door games and a tea ceremony. Traditionally, the groom goes to the bride’s family home to pick up his bride. But first he must pass a series of tests to prove he is worthy. With a little help from his groomsmen, Justin was able to reenact his proposal and write his declaration of love. After, Leah and Justin changed into traditional Taiwanese wedding outfits and then performed the tea ceremony to express their gratitude to their parents.

The ceremony was set under a giant oak tree, something both Leah and Justin envisioned when searching for a venue. A larger-than-life, rainbow yarn art installation by Two Perfect Events was created to frame their ceremony. Clear, modern ghost chairs were set in a U-shape so guests could encircle the couple and support them in their milestone. Large, hand-painted butterflies adorned the chairs as if they had just landed while fluttering by.

Bubbles and butterflies.. what could be happier?!

“Our advice to future brides would be to not be afraid of creating a wedding that truly represents who they are and to think outside of the box. With the right vendors, anything is possible! It can be hard to see the vision or make decisions and a planner can do a lot to help. Even as a wedding planner, this all couldn’t have been possible without the help of her team!”