Real Wedding: Laura Schneider & Mike Hsu

May 19, 2018
Boston Public Library
Boston, Massachusetts

Photo by Person + Killian Photography

THE STORY

Laura Schneider and Mike Hsu almost never became Laura and Mike. In October 2012, they were both living and going to school in Pittsburgh when they were invited to a birthday party by a mutual friend. Laura, now a lawyer, had midterms coming up and planned to stay home to study instead. “I wasn’t even going to go, and then my friends were like, ‘You have to come!’” Laura recalls. “I decided I’d just go for a little bit, but then ended up staying the entire night.” After the pair met at the party, they added each other on Facebook and went out on their first date a week later.

On that first date, they talked about the number one place they each dreamed of traveling. For Laura, that place was Maui. Four years later, Mike suggested they take a trip there. Before they left for their trip, Mike packed four signs in his suitcase, each displaying one of four words: “Will,” “you,” “marry,” and “me?”. Throughout their trip, Mike slyly took photos of himself holding up each of the signs behind Laura’s back (once while they were scuba diving). “I had no idea,” Laura says. He proposed by showing her the photos on an iPad before getting down on one knee holding the “me?” sign. “The funniest part was he’d only had a sign reading ‘yes’ made,” Laura laughs.

The couple started planning their wedding while living in Boston, where Mike—a physician—was finishing up a residency at Boston Medical Center before the couple moved to Los Angeles in summer 2018. “We knew our wedding was going to be our last big hurrah in Boston, so we wanted a place that would be really fun and easy for us to plan,” Laura says. That place was the Boston Public Library, the only venue the couple visited. “We loved that it’s a really easy one-stop-shop venue, plus both of us have spent our whole lives in libraries, so it only seemed fitting that we’d have our wedding in one,” Laura explains.

With their venue chosen, the bride and groom tasked their vendors with bringing to life a “modern and romantic” look for their special day. With dramatic lighting, abundant orchids, and a soft color palette, they created a classic look with an elegant garden-party twist. “One of the best things about our wedding was the people we worked with,” Laura says, “Even when things went wrong, it didn’t matter. We could just relax, enjoy the day, and not sweat the small stuff.”

THE DETAILS

Photo by Person + Killian Photography

Met with pouring rain and chilly temperatures on their wedding day, the couple moved their ceremony inside rather than hosting it in the library courtyard. “No one even noticed a lot of the small details that changed though,” Mike says, “The day was still just as good.”

Photo by Person + Killian Photography

Laura’s Ines Di Santo gown, which she found at L’élite Bridal Boutique while shopping with her mother, was the second of seven dresses she tried on. “I knew what I wanted: something fitted with lace detailing,” she says.

Photo by Person + Killian Photography

The couple dressed up their ceremony space with cherry blossoms, orchids, peonies, and roses. “I loved how the cherry blossoms had kind of a firework-like, celebratory look. They made it feel very grand,” Laura says.

Photo by Person + Killian Photography

Laura’s close family friend, Steve, officiated the couple’s ceremony. “My dad passed away when I was younger so having one of his best friends officiate made him feel like more of a presence,” she says.

Photo by Person + Killian Photography

“Orchids are one of my favorite flowers, so I told my florist I wanted tons of orchids throughout,” the bride says.

Photo by Person + Killian Photography

The reception took place in the library’s vaulted Guastavino Room, which florist David DiCicco filled with ample blooms.

Photo by Person + Killian Photography

In addition to their wedding cake, the couple’s reception featured a dessert bar with berry tartlets, doughnuts, chocolate-covered strawberries, and more. “My top wedding-planning priority was dessert. I wanted there to be something for everybody,” Laura says.

Photo by Person + Killian Photography

“Our party was a blast,” Laura says. “It was important for us to throw a fun reception for our friends and family, and that’s just what we gave them.”

THE FILE
Bride’s Dress Ines Di Santo, L’élite Bridal Boutique
Cake Konditor Meister
Caterer The Catered Affair
DJ C-Zone Entertainment
Flowers Marc Hall Design
Hair Lindsay Griffin + Co.
Lighting Suzanne B. Lowell Lighting Design
Makeup Amanda Stowell, DW Beauty
Photographer Person + Killian Photography
String Quartet Anima
Videographer StopGoLove

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