A Chic Studio Engagement Session with a Romantic Korean Notes

From the Bride, Gina: ‘‘Michael and I were engaged in Paris in late 2019 just before we moved from Los Angeles to Seattle. We spent two subsequent weeks traveling the Burgundy wine region and The French Riviera by train. We only announced our engagement to family and close friends until we returned home from France. For two weeks, we were a continent away from the celebration awaiting us at home, and we indulged in the intimacy of our engaged days together. It feels like ages ago - and we think so fondly of that sweet, quiet time together in charming ancient villages, vineyards during harvest, and sunbaked beaches; it truly felt like time stood still for us. We wanted to bring that timeless inspiration to our shoot. Through classic white and blush floral arrangements, delicate silk and lace details, a French tulle veil, and candlelight we transformed a blank slate studio into a romantic escape just minutes from our Seattle home. Like many engaged couples in 2020, we chose to postpone our wedding - we had grand plans to celebrate with family and friends in Napa Valley. Between COVID-19 and the Glass Fire that ravaged Napa Valley, our wedding day felt further and further away as 2020 drew to a close. To celebrate our original wedding date, we got out of our sweatpants and styled a chic, classic session that included our dog, Tubby. I wore a chic little white dress by Amsale and veil by Toni Federici adorned with cherry blossom details (a flower very special to the women in my family), Bella Belle heels with tulle bows, and changed into a Korean hanbok. Michael wore a Hugo Boss suit detailed with sleek navy blue stitching. It gave us something to look forward to, and the experience was a reminder that we just need each other at the end of it all. Our wedding will be a wonderful day, but we choose to cherish all the time that we have together - whether it’s hidden away in French villages or at home cooking new recipes and lounging in stretchy pants. We are both children of immigrants. His parents emigrated from Taiwan and Hong Kong, and my parents from South Korea. My parents gifted me a custom Korean Hanbok dress in pale blush and lavender adorned with a grape “norigae” (embroidered tassel) in honor of our love of wine and our Napa Valley wedding plans. The floral arrangements were a labor of love. My mom was a floral designer in Korea, and she helped me plan and design our own DIY floral arrangements and bouquets for the shoot (all over FaceTime from 1,000 miles away in LA). I spent hours learning floral design techniques online and our entire apartment was bursting with flowers from all over the world the week leading up to our shoot. Our photographer Mary Pastuh is a dream and a master of light. She captured our love so beautifully and we had so much fun during our shoot. We were fortunate enough to have a rare sunny Seattle winter day because it gave us plenty of stunning light, but we were thrilled with our decision to go with a studio setting. Mary is a film photographer at heart, and this was one of her last photo shoots before Fuji discontinued the widely loved film stock, Fuji Pro 400H. While 2020 was a challenging, unpredictable year - this shoot was a way for us to celebrate and create images of a year that we will never soon”

Photographer: Mary Pastuh Photography | Film Lab: PhotoVision | Stylist / Planner: Gina Choi | Floral Designer: Gina Choi | Dress Designer: Amsale & Leehwa Wedding (Hanbok) | Veil: Toni Federici | Venue: Studio Bish | Hair & Make-up Artist: Christy Makeup & Hair | Shoes: Bella Belle Shoes