Joan & Byungseok // McMinnville, OR

Filming Joan and Byungseok’s wedding at Maysara Winery and Momtazi Vineyard in McMinnville, OR was such a special and unique experience.

Both hailing from South Korea, we had the chance to experience some South Korean wedding traditions and customs.  The mother and father of the bride and the mother of the groom wore a traditional hanbok-the national dress/outfit of Korea.  In addition, both of the mothers walked together down the aisle, hand in hand, and when they got to the front, they lit two candles representing the beginning of the ceremony but also the union.  At the end of the ceremony, Joan and Byungseok lit the last candle closing the ceremony but also uniting the two families.  We love how they took elements of traditional South Korean weddings but also made it modern: respecting and paying homage to their heritage while celebrating the present.

The ceremony and reception at Maysara Winery and Momtazi Vineyard were actually in Maysara’s winery facing out towards the vineyards.  It was an absolutely stunning venue and because the massive arched doors were open, the natural lighting was insane.  They even had a light pointed at one of the walls with a gobo of their initials and the date on it.  A light wooden arbor with dusty pink, white, and green floral arrangements on the corners stood at the center of the doors creating the perfect alter.  The reception was in the heart of the winery surrounded by massive oak wine barrels.  

Halfway through the reception, we led the bride and groom out separately to do the interview portion and it was probably the most memorable part of the day.  They had such deep love for each other and alone, they were really able to express it.  It was during that time that as Byungseok was talking about Joan, he really let his walls come down.  He grew emotional as he reminisced over the gravity of the day and their relationship.  It was one of those moments where we were like, this is why we do what we do.  To provide a space for couples to express and vocalize all of their emotions towards their significant other. 

We hope that their short film shows you just how beautiful their day was at Maysara Winery.

Venue: @maysarawinery

Photographer: @weddingphotohouse