Sara Jin, an IT manager at Leidos, was living in Texas in the summer of 2012 when a work trip brought her up to Maryland for a conference. The conference happened to fall on the same date as an old friend’s birthday party, so she decided to attend. When Jonathan Kim, a physical therapist, walked into the party, the first thing he saw was a beautiful girl doing “the wobble” dance. “She was loving, warm-hearted, pretty, and out of my league,” recalls Jonathan. As the two talked and got to know one another, they realized they had mutual friends in common. In fact, they’d even gone to the same middle school. After the trip ended, Sara had to return home to Texas, but she still thought of Jonathan.
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When a happy coincidence brought her back to Maryland permanently just one month later, Jonathan reached out to Sara to ask her on a first date, and the two spent an evening talking about life, their dreams, and God over Thai food at Charm Thai, followed by ice cream at Moorenko’s in downtown Silver Spring. They were quickly smitten with one another.
Two years later, Jonathan proposed by staging an elaborate all-day scavenger hunt. He hired a camera crew to follow Sara around for the day and set up five clues for her to figure out. During one of the clues, one of Sara’s closest friends was waiting at the clue location, and joined in for the rest of the hunt. The very last clue referenced a wintery date in which they had visited the Christmas light show at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. When Sara arrived at the gardens she saw Jonathan standing at the end of a long walkway leading to a gazebo filled with lights and strung with balloons. When she got to the end of the walkway, Jonathan launched into a prepared speech and proposal, but he was so nervous that when he finally got down on one knee, he forgot to take out the ring!
“Will you marry me?” he asked.
“Yes!” said Sara, immediately followed by, “But where is the ring?!”
Afterwards, the newly-engaged couple headed to—where else?—Charm Thai, where friends and family were waiting to celebrate. Jonathan had rented out the entire restaurant to surprise Sara. They ended the night in bliss surrounded by all the friends and family who had supported them over the years.
For their wedding, Sara and Jonathan planned a summer union at Glen Allen Farm in Frederick, Maryland. The couple wed outdoors beside a stunning lake, and Sara’s bridesmaids dressed in ethereal pale pastel dresses in alternating shades of blue and pink. During the ceremony, rather than have a unity candle, the couple went with a unity plant. The mother’s of the bride and groom brought forth soil from their respective homes to nurture the plant, and Jonathan and Sara watered it together. When they entered the reception, the DJ played “the wobble” song that Jonathan had first seen Sara dancing to years prior.
The weather leading up to their wedding that week had called for heavy showers, but the couple had prayed for no rain and plenty of sunshine, and that’s exactly what they got—it was the hottest day of the year! Luckily, they had traded in guest takeaway gifts for an ice cream truck. Each guest turned in their escort card for ice cream in novelty flavors from Jump’N Jeff’s, with fun flavors like coconut banana, spearmint, and tutti frutti. They also had other treats, including a white cake with raspberry filling and red velvet cupcakes.
After the wedding, Jonathan and Sara planned an adventurous honeymoon that took them to Denver and Austin, Texas: both places they had never visited together. They scheduled outdoorsy expeditions like rock climbing, ziplining, and hiking in Denver, then “shopped and ate their hearts out” in Austin.
THE DETAILS
Photographer: Anny Photography
Event Coordinator: Irene Kim (Sara’s and Jonathan’s sister-in- law) | Venue: Glen Ellen Farm | Florist: Scentsational Florals | Invitations: Vistaprint | Caterers: P.I.G.S. (Pork is Good Stuff) | Cake: Cakes by Diane | Hair Dresser: Styled by Anna Fazio | Makeup Artist: Susan Lim Makeup Artist | Bride’s Gown: Wtoo via Betsy Robinson’s Bridal Collection | Groom’s Tux: Stark Suits | Transportation: On The Town Limousines, Inc | Videographer: Wise Films | Music/Entertainment: DJ Chau Nguyen | Photo Booth: District Photo Booths | Rentals: Grand Rental | Calligraphy for Wedding Signage: Michelle Kim | Alcohol: Something Brewed Beer and Lakefront Fine Wine and Spirits | Cake Topper: Le Rustic Chic (Etsy shop) | Wedding Program Design: Honey & Roses Press (Etsy shop) | Ice Cream Truck: Jump’n Jeff’s
Hayley is an Associate Editor at Washingtonian Weddings. Previously she was the the Style Editor at The Local Palate, a Southern food culture magazine based out of Charleston, South Carolina. You can follow her on instagram @wandertaste.
