When Hanna Kim and Eugene Bang matched on Hinge in October of 2018 and met up in LA’s Little Tokyo, neither expected anything serious. “We thought we were complete opposites but still had chemistry," Eugene says. “That turned out to create a special balance which made us a stronger unit. Sometimes opposites do attract!”
In June of 2023, shortly after Hanna moved to Brooklyn, New York, Eugene popped the question during a quiet morning at home with their dog, Hodori. He planned to propose at Williamsburg's Domino Park, but Hanna found out about his grand plans the night before. “It completely threw me off, and I debated the whole morning whether I should go through with the proposal that day,” he says. “In the end, I decided it was more important to propose than to hold off for a more apt moment.”
During their time living in Los Angeles, Hanna and Eugene loved taking trips to Palm Springs, California, so it was no surprise they chose Parker Palm Springs as the backdrop for their November 22, 2024, wedding. “On our first trip, we stopped by the Parker for breakfast at Norma’s,” Eugene explains. “We instantly fell in love with the property—the personality, interior design, landscaping, staff.” They invited 125 guests to join them for their ceremony on the croquet lawn, cocktails among palm trees, an al fresco dinner in the garden, and dancing in the ballroom. They hired Wedding by Eunice to enhance the Palm Springs backdrop with colorful décor and lots of touches that reflected their personalities. Continue reading to see how Matthew David Studio captured the vibrant details and joyful celebration on Hanna and Eugene’s wedding day.
When Hanna visited Sarah Seven's Los Angeles boutique, she fell in love with the very first dress she tried on. The strapless fit-and-flare gown, made from white crepe, featured a draped tulle empire line bust and a subtle side slit. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” she says. “I think the combination of how it made me feel and the reassurance from my close friends helped me decide that it was the dress!”
She styled her look with drop earrings from Nadri and satin pumps from Badgley Mischka. “My absolute favorite accessory, though, was my veil,” Hanna explains. “It was also from Sarah Seven, and it made me feel incredibly beautiful.” She wore her hair half-up, half-down and prepped her skin with Tretinoin leading up to the big day to help her accomplish a natural glow and sun-kissed makeup look.
The bride also spritzed on Crown Affair’s Signature Scent hair perfume, a gift she received at her bridal shower, as the finishing touch.
Eugene spent the morning of his wedding day playing tennis with friends before changing into his classic black tuxedo from Divij Bespoke. “There’s something so elegant about a well-fitting black tuxedo,” he says. He splurged on a pair of patent leather oxfords from Crockett and Jones to complete his wedding day look. “The shoes are beautiful and one of the first things I notice when I look back at the photos,” he says, “I have no regrets!”
He chose “Hwyl” by Aesop as his wedding day fragrance. Eugene’s boutonnière featured white orchids, blush florals, and berry accents.
The groom knew he would get emotional seeing his bride for the first time on the wedding day, so both Hanna and Eugene were on board with the idea of a pre-ceremony first look. “When we did our first look, I tried hard not to let the emotions out,” he says. “The moment I saw her it was impossible not to.”
Hanna wanted her bridesmaids to feel confident on the wedding day, and she also wanted each woman to invest in a look they'd be willing to wear again. Instead of dictating what they had to wear, she asked her attendants to choose any dress they loved in a warm, nature-inspired color palette that fit their personal style. They chose a vibrant mix of champagne, burnt sienna, lime, fuchsia, and marigold dresses. “I was a bit nervous because I didn’t know if the colors would work, but each looked unique but perfectly cohesive,” Hanna says.
The bridesmaids held minimalist bouquets of white blooms with delicate textures for an airy look, while Hanna’s bridal bouquet blended soft pastel florals with earthy greenery, featuring delicate orchids, calla lilies, and cascading amaranthus.
Hanna’s mom and stepmom and Eugene’s mom all wore traditional Korean hanboks to the wedding. The mother of the bride wore pink while the mother of the groom wore blue, and each important woman finished her look with Norigae, a traditional handmade ornament.
"We collaborated with several local Korean-owned businesses, which was very meaningful to us,” Hanna says. “It was important that the vendors we chose shared our vision for the wedding and helped bring it to life in a way that felt authentic, fun, and personal.”
The couple’s ceremony took place on the venue's lush croquet lawn, which is naturally surrounded by olive and citrus trees. It was important to Hanna and Eugene that the natural landscape take center stage during their vows, so they chose asymmetrical floral sculptures with hydrangeas, gloriosa lilies, amaranthus, and foliage to flank the altar.
Refreshing welcome beverages were displayed at the ceremony’s entrance with a California license plate that read “tie the knot."
When the ceremony began, the bridal party walked down the aisle to “Open” by Rhye, one of Hanna’s favorite songs. Then, the groomsmen had fun walking down the aisle to Sade’s “Smooth Operator." Hanna made her entrance with her biological father by her side to the tune of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence." “The emotion conveyed in Ryuichi Sakamoto’s soft piano gets us tearing up every time,” Hanna explains.
The couple’s ring bearer, their 13-year-old dog, Hodori, dressed in a black tuxedo and walked down the aisle with their dear friend, Hiren. “It was a deeply special moment, as Hodori has been by my side for over a decade, sharing in all of life’s milestones,” says the bride. “Having him walk down the aisle was a beautiful tribute to the bond we share.”
The ceremony was officiated by the couple’s friend, Jimmy, and Hanna and Eugene exchanged personal vows in front of their loved ones. “I felt so seen and loved by Eugene when he read his vows,” Hanna remembers. “Every now and then I go back and read our vows and it takes me back to that moment in front of the altar.”
Guests moved to the garden for the couple’s reception, where linen-draped tables were set up underneath string lights. The tables were decorated with candles in glass hurricanes and centerpiece arrangements featuring ranunculus (Hanna’s favorite flower), dahlias, gerbera daisies, and flowing amaranthus.
The ceremony florals were also repurposed to create end caps at each table. The couple’s florist, Still Carnations, added green grapes, persimmons, and calamansi limes to each centerpiece as a nod to Hanna’s history in the produce industry. “Eugene often jokes calling me 'farm girl' because I can name any exotic fruit that we come across at the market,” Hanna jokes.
Guests enjoy two signature drinks, which were named after Hanna and Eugene's dog, Hodori, including a dirty gin martini and a spicy passion fruit margarita. Indulgent hors d’oeuvres like lamb lollipops, oysters rockefeller, caviar on brioche, and crab sliders were also on offer during cocktail hour.
For dinner, the couple opted to serve elevated staples that would please a crowd, including heirloom tomato burrata, citrus barbecue duck confit, and braised short ribs.
A heart-shaped, vintage-inspired wedding cake—which was topped with a playful gnome cake topper—was served for dessert. They chose a lemon cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and served the cake alongside a dessert bar featuring mini macarons, fruit tarts, chocolate chip cookies, and miniature dulce de leche and strawberry cheesecakes.
Eugene is obsessed with candy, so Hanna enlisted her bridesmaids to create a candy bar for the reception, too!
Once the reception was underway, Hanna changed into a gold sequin mini dress from Retrofête. “It wasn’t your typical bridal reception dress, but I wanted to express myself,” she says. “It felt so 'me' and perfectly captured the Palm Springs vibe.”
Instead of a first dance, Hanna and Eugene decided to have a ‘first song’ performance. On their drive back from their venue tour, “Sugar” by BROCKHAMPTON came on. “We immediately knew we wanted to sing that rather than do a dance,” Eugene notes. “With a little liquid courage and a lot of autotune, I’d like to think we made BROCKHAMPTON proud!” They performed with Hanna’s good friend, Justine Suzuki, who used to be in a band with her, along with their friend, Abhi Kanakadandila, a former rapper and founder of D36, a Sony-backed label for South Asian artists. The couple also asked their friend, Tim Pae, to serve as a sound engineer.
After, the couple hit the dance floor with their friends, capping the celebration with Radiohead’s “Creep," one of their karaoke favorites. “Hanna and I grabbed the mic and led a sing-along to close the night,” Eugene says.
Hanna and Eugene have three pieces of advice for couples planning their wedding: lean on your friends for support, be fully present on the day, and don’t sweat the small stuff. “Focus on creating meaningful experiences, and everything else will fall into place,” Hanna says.
