While many brides plan their weddings with little input from their fiancés, such was not the case for Emeline Soratorio. She and her fiancé, Ron Noda, are both professional event planners! In fact, Ron saw the celebration as an opportunity to finally turn his vision of the perfect wedding into reality. “I’ve been to a lot of weddings and have always wondered why [some] things were done [a certain] way,” he explains. “This was my chance to design as I saw fit.” The couple, who first met as coworkers in 2007, collaborated over the course of a year to plan the cherry blossom-inspired nuptials in their hometown of Long Beach. 

Ron and Emeline’s home church served as a poignant ceremony venue, as it was here that Ron received his sacraments. The aisle was dotted with vases containing cherry blossom branches and topped with full arrangements of hydrangeas, lilies, and roses in shades of pink. Bridesmaids were dressed in black frocks, accented with bright magenta sashes, and carried bouquets of fuchsia Gerber daisies. The bride joined her beloved at the altar wearing a classic A-line gown featuring intricate beading and embroidery on the bodice and skirt. Emeline will never forget how it felt to walk down the aisle with her eldest son, and seeing the way both of her sons embraced Ron during the ceremony. “Ron treats my boys just like they were his own and it definitely showed at the wedding,” she says.

The celebration continued at a Long Beach hotel the couple chose for its proximity to the ocean. Following the cherry blossom theme, tables covered with black tablecloths were adorned with one of three centerpieces: a bundle of black branches studded with pink flowers and crystals; tall arrangements of fuchsia blooms; and a cluster of three cylindrical vases filled with submerged blooms and floating tea lights. The evening’s entertainment included a DJ and a surprise hula performance by Emeline. 

Ron found that small details, like having a limo big enough to accommodate the bridal party’s significant others and hiring a live band for the cocktail hour, allowed their event to truly shine. By incorporating all of their dream features for the perfect wedding into their big day, Emeline knows that she and Ron will look back with no regrets. “Everything was perfect, just the way we wanted it,” she beams.