"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
This well celebrated scripture at wedding ceremonies is very close to my heart. Not only was it read on my own wedding day, it is also a guideline for my husband and I as we grow deeper in our marriage. It defines what love truly means to us, inspires us to embark on our journey of entrepreneurship, and later became the theme of our Valentines Event ––– The Love Is Gallery.
Lumière was started with the purpose to celebrating love of fashion/culture, and at the same time encouraging today's couples on investing in their marriage. Our ultimate goal is to give engaged and married couples the opportunity to enrich their relationship through knowledge-filled workshop/event.
We are barely 1 year old and definitely did not foresee our small team being ready to put together an event that we always wanted for our beloved couples. Little did I know a tea date with Caroline of Pursue Love Design Co on January 14 became the starting point of a dream come true.
The divine meeting began with us sharing our heart behind our companies, and how we both have the same burden to encouraging couples. It was "divine" because we experienced the heavenly presence in our conversation. There were many "light bulb moment" that our minds were overflowing with God's idea and vision. That is when we knew we were meant to produce an event on the coming Valentines Day. Even though we merely had exactly 1 month from February 14, we were going for it!
When God moves, we move. We were excited God led us to Michelle and her husband Kelly from Creative Marriages --- a collection of photos and interviews of 10 real married couples. We had the amazing art direction and contribution of Lucia Pador of Utterly Engaged to help us in the creative process. It was a perfect team, orchestrated by Him.
The theme of the event was based on the scripture 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Our goal with this Love Is Gallery was to feature ten married couples from Creative Marriages sessions - ranging from one to 65 years of marriage. It would reflect how His love is seen and heard through the real life love stories of these married couples in each photographic piece. Each of them sharing a piece of wisdom, reflecting a part of the scripture and an audio recording of them saying this wisdom while the photo is illuminated.
Just as Caroline says ———
With gratitude, we were blessed to work with the most amazing hearts on this event. The support from our friends, family, loved ones and community was truly overwhelming. It was truly a tangible evidence of God's love and work. The event was for each of us, to remind us of how extremely loved we are. His love so lavish, it required a display of beautiful couples in love, jazz, sweets, amazing testimonies and decor to show how He orchestrates the most romantic gestures to show His love - truly a Valentine's day wooing. The ultimate mission was accomplished through this beautiful gallery, that God’s love was revealed in the beauty of marriage, through the love story of real life couples. And His love was truly revealed that Valentine's Night - in all its glory and romance.
The Amazing Team:
Michelle Kelly Photography
Pursue Love Design Company
Lumière Couture Bridal
Utterly Engaged
Special thanks to:
Spoken word performance: Antonio PazOne Appling of The Nest
Video feature: Paul and Kelley Gilster of 618 Studios
Live jazz: Dolly Birds
Iced coffee bar: Portola Coffee Lab
Glassware: Cherished Rentals
Drink stirrers: Delovely Details
Sweets and treats: Merely Sweets
Floral pop up shop: Milieu Florals by Hannah Koo
Vintage rental: Etablir Shop
Calligraphy: Chasing Linen
Music, sound and lighting: Dlux Entertainment
Photobooth: Picture Taking Machine
Event photography: Michelle Kim Photography and James Giovanni Pan of Lumiere Imagery
#TheLoveIsGallery #CreativeMarriages #MyLifeInLove #CelebrateLove #LumiereCoutureBridal #LumiereImagery