[seven-degrees], LAGUNA BEACH, CA

    Jemie and Jeff met at a restaurant in Hermosa Beach where Jeff was playing drums with the band. Jeff approached “the most beautiful girl“ he had ever seen and he asked her opinion of the band. Not knowing that he was the drummer, she said she was unimpressed!
After dating for a year, the couple realized the timing was wrong. She had a hectic school schedule, and he was headed off to medical school. So, for two years, they went their separate ways. But they reconnected. “We found ourselves thinking about each other daily,” Jemie says. “It was obvious we were still in love.”

    Three months later, Jeff proposed. While they were sailing off Marina Del Rey, Jemie became seasick and had to lie down. With the tiller under his arm, Jeff kneeled and began making comparisons between marriage and the sea: “It’s spectacular, wonderful, yet it can become rough and tumultuous at times, and it’s full of endless changes.” Jemie, though still nauseated, sat up and said yes.

    The couple selected the art gallery/event space [seven-degrees] as their wedding venue, and chose to incorporate Jemies’s Chinese heritage into their Western ceremony. White lanterns were hung throughout, white rose petals lined the aisle, and two white floral arrangements created the altar where Jemie and Jeff took their vows.
    Jemie, a salsa dancer, wore a custom-made Pronovias gown with a Spanish influence at the ceremony. “I wanted the dress to move and flow to reflect that type of dancing: graceful, elegant, and romantic.”
    The couple’s love for diving was reflected in their theme for the reception: “Submerged Underwater.” “We wanted to bring the ocean to life for our guests as we celebrated our union.” Seascapes with fish and coral were projected on mega-monitors, wave patterns were projected on the walls, the head table was decorated with turquoise and cobalt glass rock, and hanging glass ornaments simulated bubbles. For the reception, Jemie changed into a Chinese Chi Pao dress which, in keeping with the ocean theme, was custom-made by Helen’s Chi Pao in  blue instead of the traditional red.
    The music, classical during the ceremony, was performed by guitarist Eric Harper, who then played everything from the Beatles to Flamenco for the reception. The guests dined on Asian lacquered salmon with ginger Szechuan pepper butter and slow-roasted Zinfandel-braised beef.

    Jemie and Jeff spent the following week honeymooning in Mazatlan, Mexico.