Riggers Loft Wedding

Maly and Vet held a Riggers Loft wedding in Richmond, California, choosing this winery setting for its rustic look, open space (enough to host two different ceremonies), and great location overlooking San Francisco. Originally, they intended on having 200 people, but it ballooned to an additional 100+ because of the many friends and family that were added within the last few months leading up to the wedding! Needless to say, the extra people made the festivities that much more lively and added to the party atmosphere that occurred later that evening. But first…a little background 🙂

It was my first Lao wedding (and Riggers Loft wedding) and I was excited to be introduced to the new traditions that are specific to Lao culture. One of the more entertaining things about this celebration was the gathering and drinking of Lao Lao, a popular (and strong!) drink used to celebrate special occasions, by mostly the aunts and uncles. I took one sip when offered by one of the Aunties, and it was a strong yet sweet alcoholic mix! I can see why it is popular! 😀 

Blending their cultures and lives together, they wanted to have an American ceremony as well as a Lao ceremony. having the American portion first outdoors then immediately going inside to hold the Lao one. I have been exposed to similar back-to-back ceremonies before and it is always great when Couples are able to acknowledge their roots in their own preferred ways. One of the more interesting moments of the Lao ceremony involved a wrist tying tradition in which family and friends would tie a simple knot around the Bride and Grooms’ wrists while giving them a personal blessing and marriage advice. During this portion, I was touched to see the symbolism of unity from both sides of the Bride and Groom whereas they remained in physical contact to them with a gentle hand on the shoulder or a subtle touch of the elbow. It was a very impressionable part of the day that I really noticed and respected.

Riggers Loft weddings allow couples to bring their own drinks into the venue, but despite bringing an excessive amount of beer and alcohol in relation to the attendance, the guests ended up drinking through all their wine, alcohol, and half of the beer! Needless to say, their friends and family enjoyed themselves and, as you can tell in the photos, provided some amazing photo opportunities that they may or may not regret! 😀

It was an amazing opportunity to experience this new culture and hang out with this fun and rowdy group!

Venue : Riggers Loft
Florist : Sunbeam Arcilla
Hair : Lynn Do