Dual Ceremonies & a Love Story | Crystal | Longview Gardens New Orleans

Crystal’s wedding was an early start time for us since she had 2 ceremonies to celebrate, we are thankful for our friends at Uncommon Camillia for organizing the day, the first event at one of my fav locations Longview House and Gardens with a reception following at Capulet. Gabrielle Hail did a lovely job capturing the beautiful ceremonies and we are delighted to share Tone Productions video of the day.

Crystal wore 2 beauty looks for her day and opted for our look change option. I want brides to always feel and look their best so when it can to the second look, after hours in the NOLA heat, we did a complete look removal and re-application.

Temptu PRO foundation came in clutch for the looks and to battle heat, humidity and oily skin.

Crystal and Hieu happened to live in the same dorm one year as undergraduates at Stanford. It was a dorm called East House, which was for people interested in East Asian languages and cultures. They met and became friends there, indulging in their common interests: music, video games, and anime. One of their earliest “friend dates” was going to a concert by a band they both loved, Mae. But they did not actually start dating at that time. Crystal thought that Hieu was popular but not serious about school, since he could always be found in the lounge goofing off with others, while Hieu thought that Crystal was dedicated and hard working, since she mostly stayed confined to the library or her room studying.

Two years later, Crystal had arranged a summer program at Stanford. However, suffering from chronic absent-mindedness, as she was boarding the plane she realized she would have nowhere to go upon landing since she had forgotten to arrange housing. She looked through her contact list and decided to call Hieu, who she knew she could always depend on to help out a friend. She asked if she could stay on his couch for a few days while she figured out housing. Hieu’s lease was ending and he actually also needed to find summer housing, so they decided to find a place together for a couple months. The only place available was in a “Dead House,” a large off campus house occupied by Stanford students, sleeping on mattresses on the floor in a hallway. They quickly deepened their friendship by doing house chores and spending their free time together. By the end of the summer they had grown attached to each other and realized there was something special about their relationship. Since then, they have traversed the country together, living in Philadelphia, New York, and now New Orleans.

The Proposal

Crystal had always wanted to go to Santa Barbara because one of her favorite shows, Psych, was set there. She loved the Spanish architecture and laid-back beach town vibes. Even though Crystal and Hieu had been traveling together for over 10 years, they had never visited Santa Barbara together before. So, they made plans to spend a romantic long weekend there. However, while researching their itinerary, Crystal was disappointed to learn that Psych was not actually filmed there.

Nonetheless, Crystal and Hieu had a wonderful time that weekend. They stayed at a hotel called Palihouse, which had a cozy courtyard filled with umbrellas next to a small fountain. Their wedding ceremony design actually draws inspiration from this hotel and courtyard! During their stay, they visited the historic Mission Santa Barbara, hiked along the beach, and took a boat ride to the Channel Islands National Park accompanied by dolphins. They sampled the delicious cuisine, craft brews, and wines that the Santa Barbara region is famous for. Hieu made plans and attempted to propose at multiple points during the weekend, but each time was foiled for one reason or another.

On the last day on the way to the airport, Hieu took Crystal to the top of a hill overlooking the entire town. He was nervous, because he knew this was his last chance to pop the question for a long time. After 12 years of dating, Hieu got down on one knee and asked Crystal to marry him. And she said yes!