Maibelle is dear to our hearts for obvious reasons. If you’ve been following our Asian Site, you’ve probably seen some of her creative posts as the CCO of Pinkoi, one of the largest online marketplace in Asia. Maibelle’s talent and creativity know no boundaries, and she has infused her awesomeness into her very own wedding day!
Maibelle & Wayne are both designers / artists by trade, so it’s no surprise that their wedding was chock-full of fun with tons of neat personal details, all designed by themselves. Pair a beautiful DIY wedding with a breathtaking setting like Hawaii, the result is unabashed magic and smiles miles wide! It’s the kind of wedding story that you don’t want to miss a moment of, from the fun love story, honest sharing of wedding planning experience, to the gorgeous images captured perfectly by our favorite Allen Fu Photography. Join us for all the pretty!
I married my best friend!
From the Bride (Maibelle): We met through the Internet in the winter of 2004. At that time I was busy adapting to my new life in New York, while Wayne had just moved from L.A. back to San Francisco Bay Area, where he grew up. When we first got to know each other, he challenged me with a question: “do you know how far is the distance between San Francisco and New York?” And I took the challenge by actually trying to search up for the right answer. He certainly left an unforgettable first impression.
We became good friends after that and could chat about everything from design, art, life, politics, toys, faith, to any other subject matter that we thought of. We enjoyed talking to each other and realized that we had many thoughts and beliefs in common.
In Spring of 2015, I visited him in San Francisco. That was our first face-to-face encounter, and guess what? It was love at first sight! When I returned to New York to continue my studies, we started a long-distance relationship.
Our personalities are very different. Wayne is very laid-back, energetic, optimistic, and friendly; I’m more serious and alert, but we became the perfect match! We are each other’s best friend and we could talk about absolutely anything and everything. Even when we have conflicts, we could manage to solve them quickly by using our unique “draw a strategic diagram” way to figure things out.
Now we own an art studio together, which developed a new “partnership” between us, more than just friends, lovers, and family. It’s great to pour out your passion on a common goal and experience growth together.
Picking the venue
Maibelle: When we started planning for the wedding, I was traveling between Taipei and Silicon Valley for work (Pinkoi), and Wayne was still staying in San Francisco. We figured that we could pick somewhere in between so it’s not too far for our family and friends to travel. We both love the blue sky and shoreline views, so we decided Hawaii would be the ideal location for our special day.
Get things organized
Maibelle: We organized the wedding all by ourselves. Planning a rustic DIY wedding was a lot of fun but also quite a challenge, especially when you are planning a wedding abroad. We had to pay attention to the details and make sure that we communicated with our vendors very well.
Advice for other couples – trust in teamwork!
Maibelle: Planning a wedding is like organizing a group project in many ways, teamwork is very important! Please don’t be afraid to ask your bridesmaids or friends and family to help! When I first started planning, I tried not to “bother” anyone else by doing it all by myself, and I ended up feeling a little overwhelmed. As time flew by, Wayne couldn’t stand my frustration and decided to help out more, but it was still like a crazy battlefield in the last few days before the wedding. Luckily the results turned out very well. My advice to brides-to-be: it’s all about teamwork, get as much help as you can, don’t stress yourself out!
Wedding design general information
Budget: around US $30,000
Number of guests: approximately 60
Color palette: blue, mint, pink
Most memorable moment: When we shared our vows and stories. It was so touching to see each other’s sincere expression and think of how fortunate we are that we get to experience more good times together in the future.
Favorite wedding design details
Maibelle: The process of designing and making our own invitation was an unforgettable experience. I still remember us discussing what kind of elements we wanted to include, and Wayne drawing out cartoon character sketches to represent us (and we were laughing at the unrealistically skinny waist he drew). Then we sat in our backyard trying to test-fold triangular boxes in different sizes. When the designs were finally printed we took countless photos in excitement, and spent many nights handmaking the mini flags. All those were precious times we spent together to create something that was truly ours.
Thoughts from the photographer
Allen Fu Photography: Wayne and Mai’s wedding was one of the most fun weddings I have ever photographed, not only because it was in the beautiful island of Hawaii, but the amount of thoughts and details they put into the wedding made it one of a kind.
Wayne and Mai are both incredibly talented artists, everything you see from the little houses on the table, the giant dinosaur balloons and the personal touch of their cocktail bar. It gave me such a joy knowing I was able to capture all those thoughts and details for them.
Allen Fu Photography: What really made the wedding fun were the people they had at the wedding. Just when they opened the dance floor, it started to rain! It went from light shower to pouring in about 15 mins, oh yeah, and the only thing that was covering the dance floor was two strings of lights! I thought people would have waited for the rain to stop but I was wrong, one by one, people started dancing in the rain, and I also found myself shooting in the rain with them! I felt that was the best moment of the whole wedding when Wayne and Mai were surrounded by the people who love them and was there to celebrate with them even if it meant getting soaked dancing in the rain!
About Allen Fu Photography
Hi my name is Allen, I am not really good with words but what I am good at is telling a story through my cameras. Growing up in three different countries, Taiwan, New Zealand and USA, had helped me see and understand things in different cultures which can translate into my work. I love photography, I love how I am able to tell stories through photography. I love natural, unpretentious, honest and lifestyle moments. If you are like me, I hope you will like my work as well!
Find the photographer:
Allen Fu Photography Website | Facebook
Other Vendors:
Venue: Loulu Palm Estate, Hawaii | Wedding Dress: Sally F.Li | Wedding Planner: Tofufu Studio | Bridesmaid Dresses: Little Borrowed Dress | Day-of Coordinator: Let’s Do This! | Floral Design: Passion Roots | Bar: Greg & Dricka | Hair and Makeup: Whik’d
